mentos gum Tropical

Flavor: The flavor of mentos Tropical gum is just alright. It features oranges, mangoes, and kiwis on the label but the flavor of the gum itself is too sweet to be a combination of those or any other "tropical" flavors - it lacks a tartness or tanginess that is essential to a Tropical blend. On extended chewing, it loses the quasi-tropical sweetness rather quick and we're left with that dreaded "gum base" flavor, with just a hint of artificial sweetener. It's got little to no breath-freshening qualities whatsoever, and if I were trying to mask red wine on my breath, mentos Tropical gum might, in fact, do more harm than good.

Texture: Yikes. It starts out bad, and gets worse. It touts a "soft center" on the label and that certainly detracts from the overall texture. It makes for a mushy chew right off the bat. As with all pellet gums, it has a candy shell, but it's not crispy at all and doesnt dissolve as I expect pellet gum candy shell to dissolve - Instead, it almost becomes a component of the gum. About the time the gum base flavor (or lack thereof) starts to take over, so does a waxy texture that has very little elasticity and falls apart easily.

Overall: mentos makes a fine candy. I don't think I've ever met a mento I've disliked, from mint, to fruit, to cinnamon, to their new sugarless line, which I eat by the box. However, first impressions with the gum extension of the line fall very short, and I can't in good conscience rate this gum highly - the Freshmaker it is not.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)