It’s a cup of coffee in a stick, a shot of java that you inhale instead of drink.
It’s called Le Whif, and it comes in what looks like a tube of lipstick. Inside is a breathable powder that contains 100 mg of caffeine — about the same amount as you’d get in a double espresso.
Harvard professor David Edwards got the idea for inhaled treats a couple of years ago. His first creation was a breathable chocolate that provided the taste of a chocolate bar at a cost of just one calorie. The inhalers were an instant hit when they went on limited sale a year ago, and scored publicity in Oprah’s magazine O as well as The New York Times.
After developing three flavors of chocolate — pure chocolate, raspberry and mint — Edwards turned his attention to distilling a cup of coffee into a powdered form that could be inhaled. The product has just been released and is available at selected stores through Le Whif’s Web site.
TODAY’s Ann Curry tried both the chocolate and the coffee Thursday. Her first hit of chocolate made her cough when she inhaled too hard, but she said the product was as advertised.
“It does taste like chocolate,” Curry said. “It tastes like dark chocolate.”
She then reached for a stick of coffee.
“I think I’m getting high,” Curry said as the powdered potion hit her bloodstream.
Le Whif marketed its chocolate flavors with the slogan “The taste of chocolate without the calories.” It boasts of its newest product, “The kick of coffee without the cup.” And, it might add, you can’t spill it in your lap in the car.
The company says that a single tube contains about nine hits of chocolate or coffee, depending on how deeply you inhale.
The products come in boxes of three that sell for $8, the equivalent of a $2.67 cup of coffee. Individual sticks go for $3 each. The products are advertised as organic and the inhalers are made of biodegradable materials.