Extra Fruit Sensations Berry Smoothie

Flavor: I gotta give it to Wrigley, they hit spot-on with this one. The flavor is just awesome. It starts out with a creamy berry texture, and with continued chewing, the creaminess fades a bit and you're hit with a tart blast of tangy berry. It's quite delicious, and I can imagine the right mix of berries and cream tasting exactly like this. I have to admit, though, that it would probably almost be considered too sweet for some - I definitely couldn't see chewing this gum on any regular basis, nor it is functional to freshen the breath. It's just too much.

Texture: Here's where it falls apart, literally. It starts off well and stays pleasant for a short time - Firm, softening into a pleasant malleable wad. At around the 10-15 minute mark the gum starts to lose any semblance of cohesion. It gets very tacky and starts sticking to your teeth and turning mushy. If I didn't just spit out the piece I was chewing, it would have triggered my gag reflex. Of course, being Extra, the flavor lasts through this metamorphosis, but the gum itself becomes unchewable so really, what's the point?

Overall: Nice try, Wrigley's. While the ROI on your R & D dollars is paying off in terms of flavor, how about next time you invest some funds into making sure the gum doesn't turn into an amoebic lump of plasma, as well? I recommend buying this gum once to try - or better yet, splitting the cost of a pack with a friend. I think one, two sticks at most of this gum will be enough for anyone to experience the novelty of smoothie-in-gum-form, and the rest of the pack will inevitably go to waste.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)