All Things Menta (Pt. 1)

I've finally got a second to sit down and properly blog again. This is something that won't get much views but I think it's good for those of you who care, and it's good for me to just reflect and journal every so often. 

So when I started the R&D for Menta in November, I've already been consumed in the world of cognitive enhancing substances and supplements for years. From Lion's Mane to Alpha-GPC, i've constantly been trying to play with things to see how I feel mentally. Even stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin during my days of studying for the CFA and college finals (we'll get into this later). 

During my days in the US and more recently in Thailand, nicotine pouches were all the rave. Now, I have no issues with nicotine in general. I loved using the zyn pouches in Thailand while I was working out and studying to give me a boost of energy that I felt I lacked. 

So, this is where my worlds collide. Cognitive enhancing supplements meets oral pouches. We are not the first to do it. I remember watching Shark Tank years ago and seeing the Grinds' guys pitching this idea and people thinking they were crazy. The world is changing. They were actually pitching coffee grinds in pouches for a caffeine boost and Major League Baseball teams were partnering with them which is crazy! Lately, Ultra Pouches have made it mainstream in the finance and "high-performing" professionals. What I think Ultra Pouches has done is quite impressive. They launched in May of last year and raised $11M recently to expand production and hires. I also think that their business practices of only allowing monthly subscriptions and making you jump through loops to cancel is also a bit unethical. Their comment section on instagram posts are flooded with hate comments about this practice. Anyways..

Why do I think pouches can work in Hong Kong? 

The actual product makes sense for a lot of people. The mechanism of oral delivery bypasses the digestive system, so more of the ingredients get used and the feeling is felt almost immediately. This is perfect for pre/mid workout for those of you who don't want energy drinks or carry around pre-workout. Limiting the pouches to 50mg of caffeine was important because it is well enough to give you energy without crashing your system. It is important to note how caffeine works, it's not just more caffeine = more energy, what caffeine does is block the adenosine receptors which cause fatigue and tiredness. You only want enough caffeine to block the receptors, anything more is just causing crash and increase of tolerance.  Below is an image explaining and describing adenosine: 

Next, Hong Kong is a buzzing financial hub, has 4 or 5 major universities, and is the home of some of the best fitness/outdoor lifestyle. There are so many different use cases for Menta in Hong Kong. The hardest part of this journey for Menta is going to be educating a public that has very little knowledge of pouches. That is goal #1. Stay tuned for pt. 2 where I dive into more specifics of Menta ingredients and the powers of nootropics..