Flavor: When this gum first came out a couple years ago, I remember thinking it could be my new favorite. It has the same pineapple-citrus-peach flavor as Trident Tropical Twist (an old favorite) with an added bonus coconut undertone. It's a little too sweet for me, and the longer you chew, the more nutri-sweety it seems. After chewing a whole pack, this flavor gets old to me. It's like drinking too many malibu bay breezes at a beach bar-- they're delicious, sure, but it's the sort of thing that's better rotated with other flavors, not dominating your palate for a whole night.
Flavor: At first, this gum had a lot of potential, reminiscent of Necco Canada Mints, or Wintergreen Tic Tacs, a nice mellow and subtly sweet mint. But it quickly devolved into your ordinary, run-of-the-line mint flavor, subpar especially for a brand as tried and true as Trident. My roommate described it best after the initial bite, as “a wash of aspartame in my saliva.” His face whilst describing the aftertaste spoke volumes of yuck.Overall: Blech. I'll have mercy for the initial zing, but this one really falls short. At least chewing Trident helps fight cavities.
Rating: oo two gumballs
Flavor: I must begin by saying that a new colleague of mine told me about this gum after reading this blog, and following up on our conversation purchased me a large car-sized plastic container-full to test it out. And a fine endorsement it was. He and I, along with my new boss, all tried the gum out together, and the result was fairly unanimous. We all recall Juicy Fruit as it was in our childhood when it was made exclusively with sugar, and we all accept and appreciate the Juicy Fruit as it evolves with all the aspartame and malitol (and sorbitol, etc., etc....) That said, this fantastic sugar-free rendition of a classic flavor left us all reminiscing about our pasts, how we ate it when we were kids, warm and gooey out of a grandfather's car or secretly in choir class. The flavor is just really well done.
Flavor: It's a nice, sweet cinnamon. It gives a little bit of tang to your tounge, but it's not too overwhelming that you can't leave it between your gums and teeth for a minute or two if you need to hide the fact that you're chewing. I like that the packaging features actual cinnamon sticks. I feel like most cinnamon candies and gums lose sight of the fact that cinnamon is a spice, instead choosing to market it as some kind of XTREEEEEEM HEAT or something.
The gum itself was wrapped in a paper wrapper that had a printing of a band-aid on it. Why this was awesome, I have no idea, but it was indeed quite awesome. I remember feeling like I was the shizz when a classmate would be all, "Got any gum?" and I'd whip out my band-aid tin of OUCH! gum and hand them a piece of band-aid wrapped sugary goodness. Oh, it was awesome.
So what we can deduce is: OUCH! went corporate, but Hubba Bubba had the brains to, at the very least, continue packaging it in its signature metal band-aid tin. I can't speak to the sugar content (anyone know if the new verson was sugarfree?) or the taste (it looks like there are three flavors in the pack - grape, watermelon and strawberry) but the look new look was fun, whimsical, and nostalgic. 
It's just a friggin' pack of gum! It's a pack. of. sugarfree. bubblegum. Who cares? The only thing reminiscent of the OUCH! gum of my youth is the band-aid on the front of the package, and the OUCH! logo. And that's where it ends. The front of the package proudly declares, "Games INSIDE!" and you open up the pack to reveal:
Oh, big WHOOP. "How Many? How many crutches are outside the emergency room?" And you have to search through the crudely drawn picture to find the 5 obvious crutches. There's a little bubble "LOOK FOR MORE GAMES IN PACKS OF OUCH!" as if the 0.4 seconds of fun I had searching for crudely drawn crutches would be enough to draw me back to buy more OUCH! gum. Hardly. There's not even any band-aid printing on the gum wrappers. It's JUST. GUM. Katie and my husband both think that the "OUCH!" logo on the front of the package actually works as a reason NOT to buy the gum - that it's some kind of super sour gum that will hurt you by chewing it.
Flavor: I've got to say this tastes like a totally new formula, all around. That said, it's probably the most refreshing sugar-based gum around. Unlike its other minty competitors, this gum is not at all sugary-- it's refreshing, cooling and pleasant, no grimy aftertaste that lingers on your teeth and in your salivary glands. I investigated this phenomena and discovered that this gum is quite unique: In addition to sugar, this gum also contains aspartame. It's the hybrid of gumz! Gum goes green.
Texture: I don't ever remember this gum having little green flecks in it, a la Icebreakers. These flecks are not bothersome (as they often are in Icebreakers) however, as they're not at all detectable in the texture of the gum. I must surmise that they therefore simply exist to enhance the flavor (and, perhaps, even the visual aesthetic). The texture of this chew is soft, like a sugar-free gum, but firm, like a sugar gum. The bite, much like the flavor, is long-lasting and enjoyable. (I have to add that when chewed for an extended period of time, it does develop something of a “squeak,” but not too badly.)
Overall: Ladies and gentlemen, sing the lyrics with me, “Double your pleasure, double your fun. It's the right one, the Doublemint gum.” They make a solid case here. But I have to ask-- is it really worth ten calories of sugar? Don't get me wrong, I'm not on a diet, but this gum is really good, and I'd like to eat a lot of it. Does that ten calories of sugar that can rot your teeth and that might count in some people's journals as “points” really bring this gum that far above sugar-free varieties of nearly the same caliber? I guess we'll just have to wait for all those sugar-substitute cancer study results to decide.
Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)
Flavor: Stride Uber Bubble is a nice bubblegum, but that's about as far as it goes. As I've mentioned in past reviews, Katie and I are on an ongoing quest for a gum as good as our long-gone all-time favorite, Extra Original Bubble. Uber Bubble teases you with tanginess, makes you think that it's going to give you a hint of semi-sour, but it just levels out to be your plain old bubblegum. Like I said - it's nice, but I don't see what's so special about this bubble that they felt fit to call it "Uber."
Flavor: This is another "classic" flavor, marketed with Beeman's and Blackjack. Clove, much like Blackjack, tastes a lot like black licorice. There's a lot less information about it online, and it seems to be clumped with the other classics without much distinction. It's sort of spicy, has that herbal taste you'd expect from clove gum. Indeed, the longer I chew it, the more the taste replicates those little stems my mom used to stick in the ham at Easter. I wouldn't recommend sticking a piece of gum in your ham, however.
This review is sponsored by our friends at Trident!
Flavor: Much like it's strawberry-citrus counterpart, this gum starts off with a bang, a super sweet and spot-on flavor that explodes with the first and second bite. I think it's the goop that holds the two pieces of gum together that gives it the kick(pictured, it's the pinapple slice, but in reality I think its just a generic flavor burst). I've got to say that I don't taste much pineapple, really any at all. It's pretty much 100 percent green apple-- and a fine representation of this common sugar-based flavor, don't get me wrong. I'm just not a huge green apple fan, so I'm not crazy about this gum, but I imagine that anyone who prefers green Jolly Ranchers, this gum'll be a refreshing new experience.
Texture: It's pretty much a sandwich, using your tried-and-true Trident for bread and this sticky bright green middle for meat (or cheese or like tempeh or something, if you're a vegetarian). It stands up to the Trident texture, holds its own for a long time, but the flavor does fade rather quickly as I feel like it's mostly packed into the meat-part (or cheese or soy gluten or whatever).
Overall: First of all, let me just say thank you to the folks over at Trident for sending us free samples of their exciting new line of gumz. That said, I must reiterate a very important pact that Shannon and I made a long time ago: we will never allow free samples to sway the honesty of our reviews. (We're professional like that.) So, this gum is pretty good, but I fear it's lost in the marketing... why does it have to be two fruits? The inside part is just a darker color green. I felt cheated out of pineapple, and so I'm left feeling a little unsatisfied. I can't offer any alternate marketing suggestions... as “Meat or Cheese or Veggie Burger on Gumbread Green Apple Sandwich” doesn't sound any better. Or does it? Mmm. Gumbread.
Rating: ooo (three gumballs)
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
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)
Flavor: As avid (and often compulsive) gumchewers, my sister and I tend to favor sugarfree varieties, to ward off cavities and all that stuff we were taught when we were little. We received an email recently from a reader, TS, who wondered about the absence of cherry gum on the market. He reported that he loves cherry and yet has noticed a definite void in cherry gums. Shannon did some research and found that, indeed, there is quite a lack of cherry varieties, nearly a complete hole in our favorite sugarfree brands. There was once an Eclipse cherry that tasted startlingly of cherry cough syrup and that didn't stay on the shelves for very long. Shannon postulated that perhaps the cherry flavor doesn't translate well to the sugar substitutes, and she's probably right. Hubba bubba tastes exactly like cherry candy-- cherry blow pops, cherry laffy taffy, cherry jolly ranchers. It's delicious, much like other sugary cherry candies, and the flavor actually lasts a fairly long time for a sugar-based kids gum. 
Flavor: One of the bad things about being a gum connoseiur is that every once in a while, you find a gum that's just perfect, and then they discontinue it. You then spend countless days, weeks, chews, trying to find a comparison to your old favorite. Such is the case with Katie and I, and Extra Original Bubble. It was the perfect gum, and I can still taste it even though it was discontinued years and years ago. Since they discontinued it, we've been on a quest to find a gum with that similar perfect tangy-sweet flavor, and I've gotta say that Orbit Positively Pomegranite actually comes close. As I've said before in another review, I don't get the "pomegranite" craze, mostly because I don't really remember pomegranite having much of a taste. But that being said, the flavor of this gum is fantastic. It starts out with a sweet-tart one-two punch, and fades into a delicate flavor-indescript blend. My only problem with this gum is that it fades TOO much, TOO quickly. What flavor that's left is just fine, there just isn't enough of it.
Flavor: Up until now, I’ve felt conflicted in my critiques of the various versions of this classic flavor. Each seemed unfairly delicious, more delicious than the last and yet unique in its own special way. When I chewed my first piece of Trident Xtra Care, I was relieved to discover that it fell so short of its Spearmint competitors that I would have no problem reviewing it. The flavor lacks that special sweet edge typical of other Spearmints, and really just embodies the cold, harsh “other” taste that’s usually softened by the sweetness. And to boot, whatever flavor it does have fades in a matter of seconds.Texture: Rubbery. Too firm, through and through. It’s as if you’ve already been chewing it for twenty minutes the first time you put it in your mouth. Stale. Fail.
Overall: Once again, as with my review of Trident Xtra Care Cool Mint, I feel as if the only thing this gum has going for it is its “Xtra Care.” When I went to the Web site to read more, as the package indicated, I found that the Spearmint variety wasn’t even listed. When I clicked on the Cool Mint, it provided information about “Recaldent, a unique form of calcium,” that has various positive effects on teeth. I’m no doctor, so I can’t argue with all that scientific jargon. I rate gum, not dental hygiene products. Besides, it can be safely said that all sugar-free gum, particularly Trident, cares a little “extra” for your teeth. I chew gum to strengthen my teeth in the same way that I drink wine for its antioxidants—it’s a nice bonus, but hardly reason for addiction. Super-uber-special-healthy or not, this gum just falls short.
Rating: oo (two gumballs)
Flavor: Solstice is marketed as a "warm and cool winter," and as I chew I struggle with that statement, perhaps so much so that it detracts from my enjoyment of the flavor. Along with Zing, Solstice is one of two new flavors introduced to the Wrigley's 5 lineup this spring. Zing was described as a "sour to sweet bubble," and I went in knowing that, and it was a perfect description. The marketing folks at Wrigley's got Zing spot on, but I think they tried a little too hard with Solstice here. I'm just not getting a "warm and cool winter at all." I just get "mint." That being said, it's a great mint. It's different than your usual mints, I would say somewhere in between a peppermint and a wintermint, with a little more sweetness. It's exhilarating and strong (but not too strong), and as with other 5 gums, the flavor lasts.
Flavor: First of all, let’s get real here, 5. I’m all for catchy marketing campaigns, but if we’re being honest, this flavor is not “Rain.” It’s Spearmint. Plain and simple. It’s green like spearmint, it’s minty like spearmint, and it’s sweet like spearmint. Now that that’s established, I’ve got to say—it’s one heck of a spearmint. It’s a perfect blend of minty and sweet, it captures that traditional flavor (see Trident Spearmint and Orbit Spearmint blogs) and holds on to it for as long as you choose to chew. It’s long-lasting, refreshing, and pays great homage to its many spearmint original predecessors. It’s been a while since I’ve tried the other spearmint varieties, but I have to say, if I’m in the mood for spearmint from now on, I’m reaching for “Rain.”
Flavor: No. Just, no. Is this supposed to taste like watermelon? Or Mint? Or both? Because it doesn't taste like either. It smells peculiarly like Choward's Violets, and I bet that's what I'm tasting, too. The taste is completely nondescript, vaguely sweet and somewhat bitter. It leaves a gross taste in the back of my mouth that I associate with "aftertaste," but it happens DURING the chew, not after. I don't want aftertaste in mid-chew. Big fail. In fact - once I remove the gum from my mouth, the actual aftertaste is, in fact, more pleasant than the duringtaste itself. 
Flavor: A delight. It has everything I like about Trident Minty Sweet Twist, but it’s unique in its own way. It’s very accurately named and packaged—Starlight mints are pictured—and I can say that it’s very pleasantly reminiscent of those after-dinner mints you get at the diner that always leave your teeth sort of cruddy. Shannon asked that I mention the liquid center-- so, it's good, but it's not the focal point of the gum, which is a really good thing. This gum is not gimmicky, it doesn't rely on the fleeting burst of liquid to maintain its flavor, but it provides all the bells and whistles (outer candy shell, molten core) that complement a solid, flavorful piece of gum. 
Flavor: Phenomenal. Outstanding. Fantastic. Superb. Awesome. The initial burst of Orbit Mist Peppermint Spray is something a gum lover could only dream of, not quite nasal-passage clearing but certainly breath-freshening, and beyond. This gum is being advertised as "the wettest gum in the world," and while that description doesn't sound very appetizing, I have to say it's spot on. It's salivary gland stimulation goes above and beyond, and it does indeed quench a thirst. The flavor, I might add, has lasted as long as I've kept a piece in my mouth, which would probably be in the neighborhood of 45 minutes or so.
Flavor: Much like its Orbit rival, the new Trident Strawberry Twist is reminiscent of a very distinct flavor from my past—not Big League Chew, but McDonald’s Strawberry milkshakes. At first whiff of the gum inside the packaging I sensed that delightful, creamy, strawberry twang of a McShake, but I tried to convince myself it was in my head. Then came the BURST of flavor, and I confirmed its likeness to that milky pink treat. Every so often I’ll smell it wafting from my bag and crave it, yearning to delight its satisfying flavor. I found myself even thinking about the gum as the week went on, looking forward to the burst of milkshaky goodness as many times in a day as I wanted (with no indigestion or brain freeze). Unfortunately it goes downhill from the burst. Surprisingly, the flavor fades in a matter of a minute at most—an unusual characteristic for Trident gums. The flavor is such a pleasure, however, that I usually chew two or three pieces in one sitting, just to enjoy the burst.
