Brew or Chew

Amurol Confections Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., is giving caffeine addicts something to chew on: caffeinated gum. The company has been quietly testing its Stay Alert line and plans to unveil the finished product at next week's All Candy Expo trade show in Chicago. Stay Alert will cost 89 cents for a pack of five sticks, each of which carry a 50-milligram jolt -- about the same as low-caf brews and just shy of a 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew. Like coffee, the gum greets the taste buds with bitterness.

Amurol Confections Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., is giving caffeine addicts something to chew on: caffeinated gum. The company has been quietly testing its Stay Alert line and plans to unveil the finished product at next week's All Candy Expo trade show in Chicago. Stay Alert will cost 89 cents for a pack of five sticks, each of which carry a 50-milligram jolt -- about the same as low-caf brews and just shy of a 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew. Like coffee, the gum greets the taste buds with bitterness.