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.
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)
Rating: o (one gumball)
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9 comments:
Have to say, your assessments of the Orbit line seem totally off to me. The Mango Mist was, in my opinion, an abomination of Biblical proportions: a sour explosion devolving into a bitter, tangy monstrosity that seemed to never end, before dissolving into something roughly resembling the ectoplasm from Ghostbusters - you know, but mango flavored. The Rwandan genocide, in gum form.
The Sweet Mint, to contrast, is one of my favorite gums of all time. Gentle, unassuming, but sweet and, dare I say, friendly. This is a gum you take home to mother - the gum that has a drink waiting for you when you get home from the office, and that thinks your jokes are hilarious. A gum that doesn't sleep with your friends or complain if you accidentally leave the seat up.
Regardless of our differences of opinion, thanks for this blog. Keep up the good work.
Worth noting is that whereas some Orbit products contain %15 xylitol, the Sweetmint pellets contain %32 xylitol. Xylitol has been clinically proven to have anti-cavity properties superior to other sugar alcohols. However, as my experience with gums entirely flavored with xylitol such as Spry suggest, the consumer experience suffers under the pressure of xylitol. Most notable in my own experience is that the flavor and pleasant texture of gums containing only xylitol fall away more quickly than in most other products. As consumer awareness of the benefits of xylitol increases, we can expect gum manufacturers to incorporate increasing amounts of xylitol into their products. The result can be expected to be an increasingly inferior chew unless some sort of breakthrough can be achieved. Gums flavored entirely with xylitol are not nearly as available in the marketplace as the big name gums, and cost 2-3X as much. The greatest benefits of xylitol gums come from chewing a good deal of it quite often. Pound for penny, purely from the standpoint of xylitol content, Sweetmint competes fairly well with the %100 xylitol guns: you just have to chew 2-3X as much of it. I think I'll be dumping the 100% xylitol gums for retail gums containing a high percentage of xylitol. For the same price per gram of xylitol, I'll expect a better chew.
-Mysterylectricity
Whoa. Hey Mysterylectricity, do you work for a gum company? Can you send us free gum? :)
I don't understand the low rating on Orbit Sweet Mint when you gave Trident Minty Sweet Twist 5 gumballs because they are similiar, but the Trident Minty Sweet Twist is sweeter. I like them both but prefer the Trident Minty Sweet Twist which is now hard to find in stores.
I used to really like the flavor, but now I have some psychological reaction to it (no joke). I was chewing the gum, but then I got really sick. Now I can't chew it without feeling queasy.
Sweet Mint is the exact same as Trident Minty Sweet Twist give or take a minor difference. But it's the same idea.
this gum sucks. I am chewing orbit mist mango right now and I have to change it out every 3 minutes. the flavor goes away so fast and its so freakin hard, my jaw is getting tired.
You're missing the point of this gum. This is mainly a "candy" gum, for people who just want something that tastes good in their mouth to chew on, not necessarily to freshen their breath. I agree it could last longer, but I know it sells off the shelf in my area!
Forgot to add that this is the only gum that doesn't give me that bad "mint hangover" that you get when chewing mint gums where your tongue, taste buds, throat, nose, all have that too strong overdose of mint for hours after you spit it out. In other words, the mint isn't too strong, and I like that.
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