Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Beeman's Chewing Gum

Flavor: I feel like a film critic reviewing Gone With the Wind. Can it be done? Can I make an unbiased judgement on a gum marketed specifically for being a revived classic? Of course I can. Originally invented by Dr. Edward E. Beeman in the late 19th century, the gum was made of pepsin powder and chicle, and was intended to aid to digestion. To be fair, let me just remind the reader that these ingredients are nowhere to be found in this modern concoction. That said, it initially smells and tastes sweet and minty, reminiscent of Canada Mints, of which I am a huge fan. But the flavor fades quickly and leaves that nasty sugar aftertaste-while-chewing that makes you reach for a piece of Trident or a toothbrush.

Texture: It's a decent gum, I imagine a definite upgrade from chicle and pepsin, although it's not done much for my rumbling stomach. It was surprisingly soft and the stick itself a lot more malleable than I expected-- I'd thought it would crumble like many other sugar variety sticks. It gets tough quick though, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Overall:
In all fairness, this is not the original Beeman's, and I imagine there are some folks out there who remember the original taste and can vouch that this Frankenstein revival doesn't compare at all. (Although, I imagine Dr. Beeman's first followers might be sticking to Freedent, you know, for the dentures.) I won't be buying this again, but maybe someone who remembers original Beeman's might be able to shed some light on the subject and pursuade me to up the rating for reasons of nostalgia or reverence.

Rating:oo two gumballs

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Denchers? Really? You write a blog for an audience and cannot be bothered to look up the correct spelling? Did you have a feeling that it was spelled right, ro were you sure? I have a feeling spellcheck would have found the word "denchers" puzzling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentures
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=denchers&go=Go

I know, it's hard to look things up on the internet.

Shannon said...

Wow, you're a jerk!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typographical_error

Thanks for reading gumalert!

Shannon said...

Also, you spelled "or" wrong.

Thanks for playing.

Katie said...

Thanks anon, we appreciate the feedback and have corrected our heinous error. Once we have a more substantial budget, we'll go ahead and hire a proofreader. Alas, not even the writers of Gum Alert are perfect.

Life is hard. Thanks for reading!

Unknown said...

I got douche chills...

Way to handle that with grace, ladies.

Rhette said...

I used to chew Beemans Pepsin gum when I was a kid, and am in my 60's now. I have Camphor trees growing in my yard (in FL), and the young seedlings smell exactly like the old gum used to. I have been trying to find out if edible camphor was one of the original flavorings, as I doubt if Pepsin has that kind of taste. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Geeeze, all this arguing. Anyway, I loved Beemans gum! There has never been any gum since as yummy. Great blog, great gum. Thank you!!

Nadii said...

I loove gum! Thanks for this site! And awesome. Anonymous, you did spell 'or' wrong. Lol! :P

theblondwithastrangetick said...

Today I decided to quit my 21-year addiction to Nicorette Gum 2mg (original flavor). It has a faint flavor of licorice in it, for me anyways. I went to two different stores today looking for Beeman's. I recall as a child back in the 50's that it brought me immediate gratification as soon as I bit into a slice with my bicuspids. It was like a party in my mouth every time.
I couldn't find it in either store. I live in Los Angeles. I know that I can probably find it at Ahhhhs! party store. Also the 2 Wrigley's that I ended up buying are WAAAY TOO SWEET. WHERE CAN I GET A GUM FLAVOR THAT ISN'T LOADED WITH SUGAR AND SUGARY-FLAVORS???
I'm not looking forward to the next 2 weeks of my life with these withdrawals. But maybe if someone could offer a suggestion. At one website I saw and then remembered BlackJack Gum.
Let's face It! I was addicted to the nicotine. One of the hardest chemical substances on the earth to withdraw from...worse than heroine.
Anyway, wish me luck.

Anonymous said...

Found unopened gum & tins of beemans pepsin from 1800..are there any progressive pictures of this product

jogos do friv said...

I loved Beemans gum!
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Laghari Bedi said...

Thanks for sharing this informative information about pepsin powder with us. It's very helpful. Keep it up!