Ice Cubes Peppermint

Flavor: We've had two separate requests for reviews of Ice Cubes. I hereby apologize for our ignorance in not acknowledging them sooner-- Ice Cubes are good quality sugar-free gum that lots of people really like, and for some reason we've not reviewed it once. I did buy a pack to review one time, and it was gone before I had the chance to do so. That said, I chose the most basic Ice Cube for our first foray into this type of gum. The peppermint is right up there with the best of them-- it is cooling and pleasant (touting “with Cooling Xylitol”) and quite refreshing. The flavor lasts a while, long enough to freshen your breath, and it lingers for a little while after that. It's a solid mint-alternative for folks who chew gum for the obvious reason: to freshen your breath.

Texture: I sort of have always had a problem with Ice Cubes, only because I can't get the thought out of my head that it's just a stick gum that someone played with until it was in the shape of a cube. That neurosis aside, I have to say that the texture of the cube is nice, it has those crunchies that a lot of people are big fans of, although I feel like they could be a little more crystallized so that they crunched more easily-- they seem to get lodged in my teeth for a while, but it's not bad. It has a nice preliminary chew, and tastes actually sugary. It maintains a good bite for a long time, too (as well as flavor), although it is a bit too soft for me after a while-- but to each his own. It's a well-executed concept and final product, through and through.

Overall: There are two reasons why the first pack I bought of this gum didn't last to a review: 1. It was a quick and easy breath freshener that I consumed compulsively, and 2. the packaging totally sucks. Almost invariably, every single time I've had a cardboard box of Ice Cubes in my bag, the unwrapped cubes have come spilling out onto the bottom of my bag. Unlike other less-than-ideal packages, the cubes are practically inedible once they reach the depths of my (admittedly disgusting) purse because they're not wrapped individually. I don't think that each cube needs to be wrapped persay, don't get me wrong-- the fact that they're already unwrapped makes them the quick-and-easy breath mint you love to chew. They have come out with the big plastic container that's become popular with other pellet gums-- but it's a whopping $3 a pack, and besides that, it's really cumbersome and not portable in a pocket or a purse (good for stashing in your desk at the office, but that's about it).

Rating: oooo (four gumballs)