Extra Fruit Sensations: Island Cooler

Flavor: This gum fills your mouth with mango and citrus for about five seconds and almost immediately fades. It might as well be edible, seeing how quickly the flavor fizzles. It’s a good flavor, I’ll give it that, but I don’t know if it lives up to the name of “Island Cooler.” It doesn’t cool my mouth at all. It’s a fruity burst and then a flavorless hunk of rubber.

Texture: This gum is full bodied, like most Extras, but a bit too mushy too quickly. I remember back when I first tried this gum, I chewed a piece long enough that it turned into a gob of mush, falling apart between my teeth, formless. I haven’t chewed a piece long enough this time around for that to happen, and I’m not going to find out if it’s still the case. I chew it long enough that it makes me want to gag, and then I spit it out.

Overall: The inside of this package says, “We couldn’t fit a cabana boy in the pack so you’ll have to get your own.” This is another subtype of “Fruit Sensation” (I blogged on Sweet Watermelon yesterday), and I’ve decided that Extra is wasting too much time on marketing and not spending enough time on the product quality. It’s good, but lackluster, and for all the bells and whistles on the label, it really doesn’t do much for me. Eh, it’s arrite, but I won’t be buying it again. Stop trying to be cute, Extra: It's what's inside that counts.
Rating: oo (two gumballs)

Extra Fruit Sensations: Sweet Watermelon

Flavor: It’s a delicious representation of the traditional fake watermelon flavor, with no claims of “cooling” or “minty” sub-flavors. It’s exactly what it is, it’s sweet watermelon, bright and watermelony to start and lasting long through the whole chew. It’s yummy, simple, a treat. It’s not a gum I can chew for a long time, more of a quick sweet treat, like a Starburst, after a meal.

Texture: This is a full-bodied gum that lends itself to bubble-blowing, but is too sticky to really execute a full bubble with confidence. After a while, though, something about it—maybe the flavor, maybe the texture, pretty much just ejects it from my mouth, almost as a reflex, my tongue forces it out and I have to catch it and chuck it.

Overall: So I chewed this gum for a day in preparation for the gumblog, but by the evening I realized that I didn’t want to chew another stick in order to write it. Alas, I took the risk. This is yet another gum that forms sores in my mouth, which is always a rather…disconcerting characteristic in a gum. Sores aside (maybe I just have a sensitive mouth), it’s a good gum, for what it is. I couldn’t see it being anyone’s favorite gum, maybe the stand-by for a change every so often. But me? I will not be chewing it again. It might taste good, but it’s just not worth the mouth corrosion.
Rating: ooo (three gumballs)

Orbit Fabulous Fruitini

Flavor: At first I wasn't sure what I thought of the flavor. This gum starts out subtle and soon increases in flavor to a very nice fruit-filled melody, but then just as quickly fades into nothingness, a victim of Gum Base Syndrome. Once the flavor fades, and it fades fast, it has practically no taste at all.

Texture: I can't complain much about the texture, it remains chewable from start to finish... but who wants to chew unflavored gum base, anyway?

Overall: This gum came out last year in a season of new gum FILLED with Orbit opportunities. Orbit flooded the market with a ton of new flavors, and of course I tried them all, so I had completely forgotten about Fabulous Fruitini. Now I remember why - it's completely forgettable. The way fruit flavors are saturating the gum market, a fruit gum really has to stand out to be memorable in my book, and Fabulous Fruitini just falls flat. I don't recommend this gum, and I will not be chewing it again.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)

Trident Original Flavor

Flavor: The flavor of Trident Original flavor is pretty bland. There's no burst, no explosion, just a subtle mint from start to finish. Trident Original doesn't mean to be flashy - there's no exclamation points on the label, no crunchy bits in the gum itself. Trident Original was the very first sugarless gum ever, first appearing in 1964, and it's stuck around so long because they haven't changed it. It's a pleasant mint, it freshens the breath. It works.

Texture: Trident, as Katie pointed out in her very first review, knows gum. It's hard to critique the texture of this gum. It's soft at first chew, and doesn't harden or soften. It's just great.

Overall: With the exception of a reformulation with xylitol (which obviously wasn't a bad thing,) Trident Original has been THE sugarless gum since 1964. While I don't personally know anyone who calls this gum their favorite, I have no doubt that there are hundreds, if not thousands of people who always have a pack of Trident Original in their purse or pocket. I bet my Grandma would if she didn't have dental work that makes Freedent her only choice. That being said, I just have no other option than to give this gum five gumballs. It's a nice chew, I'd absolutely chew it again, and it would just be disrespectful not to.
Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Trident Tropical Twist

Flavor: An explosion of mango, tropical citrus, kaplam! And then it lulls into a delightful, steady release of sweet and slightly tangy juicy flavor. The flavor lasts and lasts, never failing to exert its slow-release of fruity freshness for as long as you decide to chew. If you’re thirsty, it temporarily quenches your thirst. Craving sweets? It bites that sweet craving in half. It’s as sweet as a papaya, tangy as taffy, true fruity gum perfection.

Texture: It’s a gum to be chewed, not blown, not cracked. It’s firm and unassuming, constant in volume throughout the entire chew.

Overall: I had been putting off reviewing this gum as I felt too close to it to really give an objective assessment. And it’s not objective at all. Tropical Twist and I have so many memories together—it was my Old Faithful for years upon its conception. I delighted in its fruity sweet explosion, chewed it on the train and at work, at parties while drinking beer, in the car and after a good run. It quenched my thirst and hunger at an overcrowded concert in Boston in 2006, it was the gum that finished out hundreds of meals and freshened my breath with pure tropical goodness time and time again. Every so often someone will smell it wafting through the air and will ask if I’m eating candy (“What smells so good?” and then, “Can I have some?”). No, it’s not candy, folks. It’s the best fruity gum around. Thank you Tropical Twist—although I’ve switched to minty, I’m sure we’ll be together again, and I’ll enjoy every last stick of this gumalert pack.

Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Orbit Mist Mango Surf

Flavor: At first? Awesome. Much like its' sister gum, Watermelon Spring, Orbit Mist Mango Surf's flavor explodes in your mouth when you first chew it. It's a tangy, amazing sweet-and-sour, and the "hydrating micro-bursts" have that subtle crunch that's unique to the new Orbit Mist line. Unfortunately, the flavor of Mango Surf fades very quickly.

Texture: I may be able to forgive this gum if it had an even decent texture, but from first chomp to last, the texture of this gums falls very flat. It starts out hard, too hard really to even appreciate the flavor explosion and the micro-burst crunch. There is a pleasant texture about 2 minutes into the chew - just as the flavor is starting to fade - and then it turns way too soft and sticky. It sticks to my lips much more than a gum should when I attempt to crack it or blow bubbles. I cannot chew this gum for more than 10 minutes at a time before I get annoyed and have to chuck it.

Overall: This gum falls short in every way. I'm quite disappointed in this line from Orbit. I've come to expect more. I definitely don't regret this gum experience, the Mango explosion in itself was worth the price of the pack, but it wasn't enough for this to be a repeat gum for me.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)

Orbit Bubblemint

Flavor: Sweet, traditionally bubblegummy, a really fine saccharine representative of what usually is a very sugary treat. It’s a pleasant flavor that lasts until you decide to throw it away, and even lingers for a good long while after you’re done chewing—which is a good thing, unless you’re sick of it. It’s such a strong flavor that it’s the kind of gum I can only have once in a while, but that I do crave from time-to-time. It’s like a really strong food dish (to me, like Indian food, for example), one that you love to eat but not every night of the week.

Texture: It has a really nice smooth texture that goes mushy but in a good way. The mushiness is just malleable, it doesn’t crumble in your mouth. It’s a different kind of chew, soft, yet stable. However, you’d expect a bubblegum flavor gum to entice you to blow bubbles, whereas this one does not. When I *do* try to blow bubbles, they’re sticky and difficult to peel from your lips after they pop.

Overall: One time I bought a pack of this gum and I felt like it was the most amazing gum I’d ever had. The bubblegum flavor was so sweet and cooling and long-lasting, the texture so smooth and malleable that I looked forward to chewing it and concentrated on chewing it, oftentimes while doing nothing else (This was during my college years. I had a lot of free time.). But once the pack was gone, I didn’t buy it again. It’s such a distinct bubble flavor that I just got sick of it. I’ll admit that it’s my best friend’s (and probably our only reader’s) favorite. She buys it by the can (the hard-shell variety of this gum is available in a little plastic jar by the dozens) and chews it regularly. I don’t know—it’s good, refreshing, I buy it all the time and recommend it to bubblegummers.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

Eclipse Fresh & Cool

Flavor: The packaging of this gum is misleading. The color is the exact shade of wintergreen Tic Tacs, so that's what I was expecting to taste when I bit down - that sweet, somewhat pepto-y mint. False. Eclipse Fresh & Cool doesn't taste anything at all like wintergreen Tic Tacs. It's very, very generic. It's named properly - it is fresh and it is cool, but so is every other mint gum on the market. It's adequate, it freshens breath. It's a standard mint gum.

Texture: As with most pop-out, blister-packed gum, it starts off crunchy when you crack the candy shell, and gets softer as you chew. With the exception of one brand that I'm sure I'll get to reviewing eventually, most pop-out gums have the same texture. It's a little too soft for my personal preference, but it certainly doesn't fall apart or turn into plasma like other gums. It's satisfactory.

Overall: It's a decent gum. Though I probably won't ever buy myself another pack of this gum unless I'm fooled again by the wintergreen Tic Tac packaging, I wouldn't turn a piece down if it were offered to me. It was worth the try, and certainly not a bad experience.

Rating: ooo (three gumballs)

On the front page of CNN.com!

Chew on this: Gum may be good for body, mind

Orbit Sweet Mint

Flavor: What flavor? This gum tastes as if only half of the flavor powder was mixed with the gum base. I am constantly on the verge of enjoying a light, sweet mint flavor, but it’s so dull and distant that it just leaves me unsatisfied and wanting more. It’s like taking a bite of turkey on Thanksgiving and not getting to actually eat dinner. Such potential, and such disappointment.

Texture: Upon beginning to chew this gum, I expected (hoped) that it would soften with extensive chewing, but alas, it did not. From the beginning it’s just too hard. I imagine chewing this on a regular basis would cause that dull temple/jaw pain I associate with “needing to take a break from gum for a while,” like too many weekday hangover headaches to an alcoholic. But it’s just a poor quality chew, whether it’s one piece or one pack.

Overall: I’ve been giving Orbit four and five gumball ratings and I’m going to have to say that this was a huge letdown. Sweet mint is my favorite flavor combination and this gum not only falls short but is actually Unpleasant and DISsatifying. If it were any other brand, I’d give it the benefit of the doubt and grant it two, maybe three gumballs, but because it’s Orbit I'm rating it especially harshly because I know to what levels of gumdom Orbit can achieve. I’ve been intentionally avoiding this gum for months, and I’d forgotten why when I picked it up to gumblog it today. Now I remember why I’ve been avoiding it. It sucks.
Rating: o (one gumball)

Trident Passionberry Twist

Flavor: When Katie and I went on a vacation to the Dominican Republic last year, we fell in love with the passionfruit that was on the buffet fruit table. Unfortunately, after only a few bites of the actual fruit we were cursed with the most awful heartburn imaginable that lasted for hours and hours. Fortunately, Trident Passionberry Twist mimics the flavor of passionfruit without the uncomfortable throat acid. It's a pleasant flavor, a bit tart yet sweet. Again, I don't taste many "berries" in this gum, but I think the main point of the gum is the passionfruit, and it's executed well.

Texture: Perfection. What can I say? Firm, yet soft, it's a damn near perfect texture.

Overall: The other day, I was in my car driving when I realized I was chewing gum. I was so mindlessly chewing that I had forgotten about it entirely. Once I had the revelation, I had to think back to when I put the gum in my mouth, and it had been over an hour and a half. I blinked and recalculated, and recalculated. And there was no mistake. This single wad of gum (consisting of two pieces - I generally am a two-piece chewer) had lasted for over 90 minutes - and there was still flavor, the texture was still fine. Where other gums would have given out long before, Trident Passionberry Twist stood the test of time. While it could never overtake Extra Polar Ice as my all-time favorite gum, this Passionfruit delight is definitely going to make a triumphant entrance into my regular gum rotation.

Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Orbit Mint Mojito

Flavor: What can I say, it’s one of those weeks that require lots of booze. So, first of all, the name of the gum—kind of redundant, isn’t it? Aren’t all mojitos mint? Perhaps it should be called something like the Sangria Fresca—Mojito Fresco or something. Because it does taste like lime and mint, I’ll give them that, and it does have that same weird boozy twang that the Sangria Fresca has. As I’m not a huge fan of mojitos or lime flavor in general, I have to say it’s not my favorite, just on principal. It is, however, surprisingly delightful, especially considering I’m not a huge fan. Again, this is a well-executed gum that I’m sure lime-lovers (how rare they are) everywhere are buying by the three-packs. Finally! Something for the people who eat all the greens!

Texture: A really meaty chewing gum, smooth and full. It’s different than most Orbitz, softer, more malleable, easier to crack. You can even get some little bubbles out of it. It’s a really fun chewing experience.

Overall: This is a good quality gum. It lasts long enough in both texture and flavor, and appeals to a rather neglected quadrant of the flavor-loving society (limers) while still appealing to the rest of us. It’s sweet, minty AND fruity, and a delight to chew. Not my favorite gum, but deserves much applause.
Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Stride Sweet Berry

Flavor: I don't really taste much "Berry" in Stride Sweet Berry. It's more like a nondescript "sweet" flavor, and to tell you the truth I think they could have left out the "berry" part of the name and it would have been more accurate. That being said, it's not a bad flavor at all. It's not very strong at all, kind of a mild sweet-tart-bitter blend. While it doesn't have that initial flavor burst that I am such a fan of, the flavor is enjoyable and it does last pretty long - it better, with all the money Stride spends in advertising the fact.

Texture: Starts off a little too hard for my tastes. After a few chews it does soften up a bit but I believe that a good gum would be the opposite - begins soft and hardens (that's what she said.) However, I can't complain too much. The texture is just fine.

Overall: This is definitely someone's favorite gum. Probably lots of people. People that understand the flavor, people that chew fruity gum, people that don't get sores on their tongue from Stride brand gums. And I can appreciate that. It's not, however, my favorite. Stride Sweet Berry leaves much to be desired, and I probably won't be buying another pack except in a dire circumstance.
Rating: ooo (three gumballs)

Orbit Sangria Fresca

Flavor: Traditionally, gum is chewed to eliminate the scent of booze on the breath. But Orbit has reached out to alcoholics like me and has insisted that that boozy flavor needn’t be concealed, it should be embraced, celebrated; it should be chewed. Concept-wise, I applaud your efforts, Orbit. And in this case, I think the success is more than just conceptual. Even smelling a piece of this purple gum is reminiscent of that extra “some”thing. Sangria is fruity and not too boozy, as is this gum. It’s a delight upon the first bite, an explosion of sangria in the middle of a banal work day. I’m not sure it’s incredibly “frescas,” but the mere fact that it’s gum makes it freshening, I guess. The flavor dulls after about ten minutes, but it’s tolerable to chew for longer if you want. I find the stale sangria flavor less-than-pleasurable.

Texture: It’s ok. Fine texture, firm, doesn’t soften too much as you chew. It’s pretty consistent throughout the whole chew. Although the texture of traditional sangria is much more delightful.

Overall: If only this gum were actually infused with booze, it would be a true gem. I’m not sure it’s my favorite flavor, but I think back in my fruity days I might have chewed this gum for several months. It’s interesting, unique. Way to go, Sangria fresca, I’m sure you’re someone’s favorite.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

Wrigley's 5 Flare

Flavor: The flavor of Wrigley's 5 Flare certainly is nothing to write home about. I'm a fan of a cinnamon gum once in a while when I'm in the mood for a change, but 5 Flare just falls flat. It's a little bit too sweet for my taste. If you like a milder cinnamon I suppose it would be fine, but I prefer my cinnamon flavor to be a little stronger, a little cinnamonny-er than this. The good part about it is that the flavor that IS there DOES last for a while.

Texture: In a word: SQUEAKY. Very, very squeaky. After the artificial sweeteners dissolve away it becomes by far the squeakiest gum I have ever chewed. It's SO squeaky, I'd be self-conscious chewing it in a business meeting. The sound and the feeling in my teeth is driving me absoutely crazy as I type this. Squeakiness aside, the firmness is damn near perfect, but I can't rate this gum very highly on texture due to that damn distracting squeak.

Overall: Not good, overall. I can't see myself ever picking up another pack of Wrigley's 5 Flare again. There are better cinnamon gums out there, with better flavor, that doesn't squeak. And also I have to say that I hold a bit of a grudge against the 5 line due to the packaging. 5 was the first gum line to come out in those flat "pocket packs." It was cool, and novel, and unique. It made the 5 line stand out. I liked it. But since then, ALL THE GUMS have switched to this stupid flat packaging. I miss Plen-T-Paks! They fit fine in my purse, pieces rarely fell out of the pack, and they slid in perfectly into this little shelf I have in my car where I keep my car-gum. The flat packs don't do any of those things. I suppose they're fine for men who carry gum in their pockets, but they don't work for me. End rant.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)

Stride Nonstop Mint

Flavor: On the inside of this package, it reads, “If you ever dreamed of naming your own chewing gum flavor, you’re in luck. We want your help renaming this flavor so, log on to stridegum.com to enter your ideas.” Comma misplacement aside, I felt that this ad was very appropriate as this flavor is much more than “nonstop mint,” in fact—nonstop mint is not very descriptive at all. Although I struggled to access the Web site, I intend to suggest one of two names—either Sweet Spearmint, or Starlight Mint. As a former favorite fan of Stride Sweetmint, I can say that this gum is just as pleasing as a sweet mint flavor, with a little extra flavor added in. It tastes delightfully like a starlight mint, without the cruddy sugar residue those mints leave on your teeth, but also contains more than a hint of spearmint that is less overpowering than ordinary spearmint and cut by the light sweetness. And the flavor really never stales. It, in fact, lasts and lasts.

Texture: The texture is fine, your basic stride goodness. Never goes mushy, never goes stale. It, in fact, lasts and lasts.

Overall: Now see, I’m torn. Would I buy this again? I would HAVE, if my all-time favorite Stride Sweet Mint hadn’t started causing those pesky little pimples on my tongue. Do I chew too much gum? Yes. Would chewing less gum eliminate these tongue pimples? Surely. Is that the solution I’m looking for? Absolutely not. This is a delightful gum, sweet, interesting, refreshing. But I fear it, too, will corrode my tongue. The color of the packaging is also enticing—a cool carribbean mint. I don’t know. I’ll judge this gum as though it doesn’t cause my mouth pain, as it hasn’t yet done so this time around. Well done, Stride, yet again.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

Extra Fruit Sensations Strawberry Banana

Flavor: The flavor of Extra Fruit Sensations Strawberry Banana is actually quite accurate. Banana isn't a flavor often found in sugarless gum, and Wrigley did a fantastic job of recreating it here. A perfect harmonious blend of strawberry and banana, it tingles the taste buds. Unlike most Extra gum, however, the flavor of this gum does not last an extra long time. It fades quickly and we're left with a faint mostly-banana flavor. It's like you can actually taste the blandness of unflavored gum base.

Texture: The texture of Extra Fruit Sensations works. It starts out fairly smooth and with continued chewing it remains firm yet malleable. It doesn't work well for snapping or bubbles, however - it's a little too soft and the bubbles too thin for it to really work.

Overall: This gum is nothing special. I'd chewed a few packs of it last year back when it first came out, and I liked it well enough but it never stuck around to become one of my staple gums. I was hoping that revisiting it for this blog would bring me a newfound appreciation for it, but alas it has again disappointed. It's nice for a change because there's nothing on the market with this unique flavor, but I can't in good conscience rate it above a three.

Rating: ooo (three gumballs)

Trident White Cool Mangoberry

Flavor: The hand lotion I was applying while chewing this gum was sweeter and more pleasing than this gum. The flavor, even with the first supposedly strongest bite of outer shell, was dull and distant, nondescript—a generic “fruit” base that I couldn’t put my finger on. Then came the gross part—is that… cilantro that I detect? I cleansed my palate with a Hersey Kiss and tried again, hoping that the cilantro was a fluke, perhaps a chemical reaction in my nose with the delightful hand lotion. Nay. Cool? Mangoberry? I disagree. If I had to name this gum, it would be in a white package, labeled “Fruit-like Cilantro Gum.”

Texture: Crunchy at first, mushy and decreasing in size the longer I chew. It’s your typical pop-out gum, only without the burst of flavor.

Overall: This gum is pre-packaged buy-one-get-one-free for a reason, fellow gum chewers. Let me just say for the record that I’ve never been a fan of the hard-shelled, pop out gum varieties, but I don’t think my bias has anything to do with the failure of this gum to perform. I’ll chew the rest of it one day, months from now, when I run out of gum and in a fit of desperation find it on the bottom of a pile of papers in my cubicle at work. Well, at least it’s “whitening.”
Rating: o (one gumball)

Wrigley's 5 Zing

Flavor: Touting itself as a "sour to sweet bubble" on its outside cellophane wrapper, 5 Zing is just that. On first chew, it's a bit tart and really stimulates the taste buds. Its sour is a pleasant sour, not overly pungent like some other "sour" gums. After a few minutes of chewing, the sour fades to a nice standard bubblegum flavor that you'd expect to find coming from Wrigley's.

Texture: The texture of 5 Zing is just fine. Nothing special, it works. It stays uniformly firm with continued chewing - it doesn't turn mushy or too hard. It has a slight tackiness to it that I find a little annoying, but it's nothing that would stop me from buying and chewing this gum regularly. Since it's a bubblegum I feel obligated to rate its bubble-blowing abilities... and it rates poorly. The gum is too soft and the bubbles too thin to be able to blow a bubble with any size to it. They call it a bubblegum, but I definitely think that this is more of a bubblegum-flavored chewing gum.

Overall: I haven't been a big fan of Wrigley's 5 line since its inception. I've found the mints to be boring, and the cinnamon just run-of-the-mill. The introduction of 5 Zing changes my opinion of the line drastically. It's a change from the ordinary, a unique chewing experience. I look forward to trying their other new flavor, Solstice (a warm and cool winter) as soon as I see a pack on the checkout line stands.

Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

Orbit Wintermint

Flavor: Refreshing, yes. Minty, yes. I’d have to say that this gum is among the most classic of mint gums, cold at first and quite refreshing. It’s nothing special, though—it seems to me to be that same old tried and true minty flavor that does the job but that wouldn’t stand out in a lineup of mints. It maintains flavor for a long time—I’ve thrown pieces out at varying times but have never discarded out of disgust or lack of flavor. If anything, I just get bored of it. Classic, boring, a good fallback gum if your favorite mint is missing from its cardboard placeholder at the checkout counter.

Texture: The texture is pretty standard, it holds up and doesn’t soften as you chew, nor does it harden and become rubbery as some cold and minty gums tend to do after time. It holds its own.

Overall: Shannon and Matt purchased me three packs of this gum for Easter because she thought it was my new favorite gum. I accepted it with open arms. Upon further investigation, I discovered that this was one of the original flavors (along with Spearmint) that Orbit released in 2001 (http://www.wrigley.com/brands/orbit.do). That said, Wintermint is a stellar representation of Orbit on the whole-- this is what Orbit aspires to be, this is what Orbit is. This particular package proclaims “MORE FABULOUS CLEAN FEELING!” which I’m going to label as dramatic and gimmicky. It’s minty, it’s refreshing, it’s fine. It’s a satisfactory gum, from start to finish. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

Orbit Mist Watermelon Spring

Flavor: At first, absolutely spectacular. Now, I know that this type of intense flavor experience isn't for everyone. I get it. But one of the things I look for in a gum is the initial "flavor explosion" I get when I first put it in my mouth and bite down. Orbit Mist Watermelon Spring's packaging calls out "A Hydrating Sensation with micro-bursts(tm)" and a hydrating sensation it is, indeed. Reminiscent of the flavor of a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher, it is intensely both sour and sweet, causing your salivary glands to shift into overdrive. If you were really thirsty, I'd bet this gum would at the very least provide temporary quenching of your thirst. Well played, Orbit. Unfortunately the flavor fades very quickly, and you're left with a sickeningly too-sweet, almost bitter watermelon flavor.

Texture: The benefits this gum packs in flavor, it lacks in texture. When I put my first piece of Orbit Mist Watermelon Spring in my mouth and bit down, I thought I had found the Holy Grail in gum. The "micro-bursts(tm)" have a very pleasing crunchy/gritty texture that enhances the overall chewing experience. Unfortunately, this pleasure is short-lived. Once the micro-bursts(tm) dissolve, the gum loses its consistency and becomes way too soft. I've seen this with other gums, and if you continue to chew it, it will eventually disintegrate into a million mushy little gum flecks in your mouth. I chewed a piece for about 10 minutes, and I performed my "Tooth Test" on it- I placed the gum behind my closed teeth, and tried to push the gum through it. A quality gum will resist the force, and only a small fraction of gum will protrude through my teeth. Orbitz Mist Watermelon Spring failed this test miserably. The gum flowed through my teeth rather easily, and I have no doubt that if I'd continued this test, the entire piece would have ended up on the outside of my teeth.

Overall: A for effort and D for execution, Orbit. This is my first foray into their new "Mist" line (Katie did offer me a piece of the Citrus flavor last weekend but I regrettably don't remember much about it to compare) and I have to say that first impressions were not favorable. If the texture held its own and the flavor lasted just a bit longer, I would have rated this 4 gumballs. I'm going to have to give it 3. I have to admit that I'll probably be picking up another couple packs of this one, if not only to just experience that initial watermelon rush.

Rating: ooo (three gumballs)

Trident Minty Sweet Twist

Flavor: In a word, perfection. It is, in fact, a minty sweet twist of flavor in your mouth. It has all the benefits of fruity gum (delightful after meals and to fix that "sugar craving") while maintaining that fresh afterglow. It's as pleasing as the mint inside a peppermint patty-- cool, sweet, refreshing.

Texture: We're talking Trident here, people. This company knows gum. Even the wrappers are edible! It's such a delightful texture that I don't even think about it while chewing. It doesn't matter how long you chew-- it is a consistent and steady, not-too-hard, never-mushy, perfect sort of chewing gum. This isn't a plaything folks, no bubbles or cracks here. We're talking gum for people like me: Gum chewers.

Overall: Shannon and I have decided that our inaugural reviews would be of our current favorite gums, so I don't need to go on and on about how great it is-- its mere stature above and beyond all other gums out there speaks volume enough. I never tire of Trident Minty Sweet Twist; I buy a pack any time I see it, whether I have them in my bag already or not. The packaging, as with all Trident, leaves much to be desired-- but there's nothing quite like finding that renegade piece at the bottom of your purse when you thought you were all out of that sweety minty treat. Scrape off the crumbs and dust bunnies-- it's worth it.
Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Extra Polar Ice

Flavor: The flavor of Extra Polar Ice is unlike any other mint gum on the market today. It's sort of a sweet-mint, closer to a wintermint flavor than a pepper or spearmint. It refreshes the mouth from the very first chew, irradicating any hint of offensive odor your breath may have had. The flavor is not only pleasant, but it lasts and lasts. While the initial punch of flavor fades a bit after a few minutes, it never completely disappears. I cannot ever recall a time when a piece of Extra Polar Ice gave out on me when I've needed it - My mouth has remained minty fresh from first chew to wrapper-discard.

Texture: Again, Extra Polar Ice is truly a unique gum, and this especially is true when we consider its texture. Each slice of Extra Polar ice is embedded with hundreds of tiny flavor beads (for lack of a better word - Extra's packaging does not name or call out these beads) that crack and pop in your mouth for the first few minutes of chewing. The outer coating of the beads eventually dissolve away, leaving you with a not-too-firm, not-too-soft wad of pure chewing satisfaction. The texture, like the flavor, does not falter with time; it remains chewable and elastic through the end of the chew. Extra Polar Ice is a chewing gum, not a bubble gum, so bubbles are all-but-impossible to blow. However, cracking this gum is a pleasure.

Overall: Extra Polar Ice is my all-time favorite gum, and it has been for quite some time now. It is the standard to which I judge all other gums. I am rarely without a pack of Extra Polar Ice in my purse.

Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

A little bit about us

Oh hello.

Thnx for to come to our gum blog. Let me introduce ourselves.

My sister Shannon and I have been chewing gum for about a quarter of a century now. We've always had an affinity for gum, dating back to the days of stuffing entire packs of Big League Chew in our cheeks and seeing who gagged first, the days of unrolling entire packages of Bubble Tape into our mouths, days of giant gum ball competitions (again, to see who would gag first). But it's not all fun and games. We really do appreciate gum.

As kids we weren't allowed to have sugar-based gums, and in hindsight it saved us a lot of time in the dentist. We have always chewed a lot of gum. A lot. of gum. I have been known to have upwards of nine packs of gum in my purse at one time. Shannon picks them up like playing cards at the check-out counter in target. We reminisce frequently about discontinued brands and flavors-- Extra Original Bubblegum, which our father chewed when he quit smoking cigars, for example. We hope that someday they'll bring it back.

Until then, we make it a point to try and rate every new gum on the market. From whitening gums in pop-out packages, to the many varieties of ripoff Orbit, we buy and try them all. With this blog, we present our findings to the world.

To find out about our own personal gum preferences, visit our profiles. For now, read on for some semi-objective analyses of the latest and greatest (and oldest and boldest) gums in your local drug store or newspaper stand.

Please to enjoy.