All the caffeine. None of the gum
Caffeine gum leaves about 15% of its caffeine in the gum, then you have to spit it out and bin it. A Caffeine Bullet is a soft sweet: chew it, swallow it, 100mg of caffeine, kicking in around 5 minutes. No synthetic gum base, no artificial sweeteners, nothing to throw away.
100mg in one chew (most caffeine gums are 40 to 50mg a piece)
Order today: free UK delivery, usually with you in 2 to 3 working days. 14-day returns (see policy). Try first with 4 packets (16 chews) for £12.99, below.
Four things caffeine gum doesn't tell you
In the study everyone quotes for how fast caffeine gum works, only about 85% of the caffeine came out of the gum in five minutes of chewing. The rest went in the bin. Chew for less time and you get less again. A Caffeine Bullet is swallowed, so you get the full 100mg every time.
The chewy bit of most gum is a synthetic rubber and plastic blend: polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, butyl rubber and petroleum wax are all on the permitted gum base list. That is why it never breaks down on the pavement. Our chew is a soft sweet made in a UK factory to a recipe that is over 30 years old.
Read a caffeine gum label: gum base, artificial sweeteners, bulking agents, glazing agents, antioxidants and colours, with the caffeine somewhere in the middle. Mint Caffeine Bullets are glucose syrup, sugar, water, sustainable palm oil, electrolytes, caffeine, egg white and spearmint oil. No artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours or preservatives.
Gum means five to ten minutes of chewing, then a wrapper, then finding a bin, which is not what you want halfway up a hill, on a bike or mid-race. A Caffeine Bullet goes in a pocket, gets eaten in a minute and is gone.
Sources: Kamimori et al., International Journal of Pharmaceutics 234 (2002) 159 to 167 (about 85% of the caffeine released in the first 5 minutes of chewing); Morris et al., Food & Function 10 (2019) 1792 to 1796 (release rises with chewing time); US FDA 21 CFR 172.615, permitted synthetic chewing gum base substances.
Chew versus caffeine gum
| Caffeine Bullet | Typical caffeine gum | |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine you actually get | 100mg (Mint), 85mg (Choc Orange) or 80mg plus 160mg L-theanine (Brain Bullet), all of it | Usually 40 to 50mg a piece (a few are 100mg), and only about 85% of it comes out after 5 minutes of chewing |
| Time to kick in | Around 5 minutes, absorption starts in the mouth | Around 5 to 10 minutes, as long as you keep chewing |
| What it's made of | A soft sweet: glucose syrup, sugar, water, sustainable palm oil, electrolytes, caffeine, egg white, spearmint oil | Synthetic gum base (polymers, rubbers and waxes), artificial sweeteners, bulking and glazing agents, antioxidants |
| Artificial sweeteners | None | Usually two or three |
| Afterwards | Swallow it. Done. | Spit it out, wrap it, find a bin |
| On the move | One wrapped chew in a pocket. Eaten in a minute, no water | Chewing for minutes while you breathe hard, then disposing of it |
| For focus | Brain Bullet: 80mg caffeine with 160mg L-theanine, the amino acid found in green tea | Most are caffeine only |
Gum figures are typical of caffeine gums sold in the UK and vary by brand. Caffeine Bullet and caffeine gum both absorb caffeine through the lining of the mouth, which is why both beat gels, pills and drinks on speed; the difference is the dose you get and what comes with it.
Proof, not promises
Made by David Hellard, ultra runner and host of the Bad Boy Running podcast, who wanted the speed of caffeine gum without the gum: something you could eat on the move and not have to spit out.
Personal bests, in their words
Using it for focus? Add L-theanine
A lot of people buy caffeine gum for work, study or driving rather than sport. Most caffeine gums are caffeine on its own.
Brain Bullet pairs 80mg of caffeine with 160mg of L-theanine, the amino acid found in green tea, in one chew: the caffeine for alertness, the L-theanine to take the edge off it. Two flavours, Mint Matcha and Coffee Caramel, both 40 chews for £23.95.
- 80mg caffeine, about a cup of coffee, plus 160mg L-theanine.
- Same soft chew, same UK factory, no gum base.
- Individually wrapped. Keep a packet in a bag, desk drawer or glovebox.
Pick your chew
Crafted in a UK sweet factory to a traditional family recipe that is over 30 years old. Soft chews like a proper toffee, dosed precisely, individually wrapped.
Most popular
Mintense, Mint
Twice the caffeine of a typical gum piece in one chew. Clean mint taste, no aftertaste.
For focus
Brain Bullet, Mint Matcha
Caffeine with L-theanine for desk days, long drives and study.
For focus
Brain Bullet, Coffee Caramel
Same dose as Mint Matcha, tastes like a flat white.
Subscribe and save 20%: delivered every 4 weeks with free UK delivery; change the gap, skip, pause or cancel any time from your account. Chocolate Orange (85mg) and Ginger Roars (33mg, with real ginger) are in the 3-bag Sports Performance bundle, £51.99.
Made by athletes, for athletes
Hey, I'm David, the Boss Bullet. I've raced around the world from Afghanistan to Myanmar, and when I dropped my caffeine tablet in the Sahara mid-race, I created Caffeine Bullet: a chew that absorbs caffeine directly into the bloodstream for a faster kick, with nothing to spit out afterwards.
- Over 9 million Caffeine Bullets sold to date.
- Started with an athlete community-led Kickstarter, then backed by Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones on Dragons' Den.
- Editor's Choice for race nutrition, Women's Running Awards 2020 and 2022.
- Ten years interviewing the world's best athletes and sports scientists on the Bad Boy Running podcast.
Switching from gum? Your questions
Is caffeine gum faster than a chew?
No. Both release caffeine in the mouth, so both start working in minutes. The difference is that gum only releases about 85% of its caffeine after five minutes of chewing and less if you stop sooner, while a Caffeine Bullet is swallowed, so you get the whole dose.
How does one chew compare to a piece of gum?
Most caffeine gums are 40 to 50mg a piece, a few are 100mg. A Mint Caffeine Bullet is 100mg, Chocolate Orange 85mg and Brain Bullet 80mg with 160mg L-theanine. If you normally chew two pieces, one Mint chew is the equivalent.
Do I chew it for ages like gum?
No. It is a soft sweet, like a toffee. Chew it for a minute or so and swallow. Nothing to spit out, nothing to bin.
What's in it?
Mint: glucose syrup, sugar, water, sustainable palm oil, electrolytes (sodium chloride, potassium sulphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium oxide), caffeine, egg white powder, spearmint oil. No artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours or preservatives. Contains egg. Full ingredients for every flavour are on the product pages and the pack.
Is it sugar free like gum?
No. A chew is 7g with 3.7g of sugar and 27 calories. We use sugar and glucose syrup instead of artificial sweeteners. If you need sugar free, caffeine gum or tablets are the better fit.
How much caffeine is too much?
Up to 200mg in one go and 400mg a day is generally considered safe for healthy adults. Count coffee, tea and energy drinks too. Not for children, or during pregnancy.
Does it work for focus rather than sport?
Lots of customers use it that way. For desk work or study, Brain Bullet pairs 80mg caffeine with 160mg L-theanine, the amino acid found in green tea. Most caffeine gums are caffeine only.
How quickly will it arrive?
Free UK delivery on every order, no minimum, usually 2 to 3 working days (allow up to 5 at busy times). Unopened items can be returned within 14 days; see the refund policy.
Stop chewing. Start swallowing
100mg of caffeine, all of it, in a sweet you eat on the move. Free UK delivery.