Orbit Berry Red

Flavor: Everyone with whom I shared this gum had about the same reaction upon the first bite-- "This is pretty good!" Everyone seems a little surprised by it, even, suggesting that the packaging might be amiss somehow. Regardless, I, too, was quite pleased with this new Orbit flavor. "Berry Red" is sort of vague, but so is the flavor. It tastes mostly of strawberry to me, but more importantly, Shannon brought to my attention that it tastes an awful lot like our old discontinued favorite, Extra Original. It's sweet and pleasant, without any claims to "mint" like many fruity gums are trying to attempt these days. It's a classic flavor, nothing earth-shattering but good nonetheless.

Texture: Every stick of this gum that I've had so far has provided a solid chew, not too soft, not too hard. My present chewing situation is a bit "fizzy," or sort of bubbly between the teeth, if you will, but I imagine this has more to do with the pint of seltzer I drank beforehand than anything else.

Presentation: Again, something is not right here. It's very simple in its packaging, just as it is in flavor. It looks a lot like older Orbit packaging, and is a solid dark pink with vague berry drawings beneath the label. At once I really appreciate the minimalist approach here, and wish it were more. I feel like a lot of people might not be expecting much from this boring package, and so might not buy it over something with more pizazz, like, say, Stride Shift Citrus + Mint (ERROR ERROR FAIL DO NOT PASS GO ABORT MISSION ABORT ABORT DO NOT BUY). One real complaint I do have about the packaging is the phrase "Tastes like real fruit." I can't imagine what "real fruit" this is supposed to taste like, but I certainly wouldn't like to eat it in a pie or spread on my bread with peanut butter. It's tacky candy phony sweet. It is what it is.

Overall: It's so much like our old favorite, I have to admit I'm a little bias here. I wonder if it, too, like its extinct predecessor, will vanish into the historic gum abyss eventually. All we can do is wait and see, and say "thank you" to Orbit for taking us back, if only for a brief chew.

Rating: oooo (four gumballs)