Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Cool Lemon

Flavor: This gum was recommended to us by our friend Sydney upon reading our review of Ice Cubes Peppermint. The initial punch is really successful-- I found it hard to believe that it was sugar free. A few summers ago I ordered fresh lemonade on the boardwalk and was shocked upon first sip to find a gritty mouthful of sweetness with very little detectable lemon flavor. The attendant had thought he was doing me a favor by slipping me a few extra spoonfuls of sugar, when in fact I actually would have preferred the tart of fresh squeezed lemonade. That's what the first bite of Ice Cubes Cool Lemon is like-- a great big burst of lemon-flavored sugar. It fades quickly, but the lingering flavor maintains the pleasant, if a bit too-sweet, lemonade freshness. I would expect a gum called Cool Lemon to be more sour than sweet. If it were called lemonade, however, I might go into it expecting a much sweeter blast of flavor.

Texture: Much like in the first strawful of lemonade that day on the Jersey Shore, I can't get past the grittiness of this gum. The crunchies are never crunchy, rather they're distracting and stick to your teeth and make for a very unpleasant first minute or two before dissolving into a piece that's just too small for lasting satisfaction.

Presentation: I feel like the marketing on this gum was half baked. The package is a faded yellow, so faded that it's even difficult to decipher the graphics on the front. The ice cube in the graphic does appear to be a giant sugar cube, which is quite accurate, but I'm not sure that's intentional. "Cool Lemon" says little to nothing here, and I don't know what cravings I'm supposed to conjure up looking at slices of lemon and giant urine-colored blocks. I'm being harsh, I know. I just think that "Summer Lemonade" would sell more packages of this particular flavor of gum.

Overall: I may have cringed at the first sip of lemonade that day, but boy did I drink it down. It's doubtful, however, that I'll finish this pack of gum. Sydney sure liked it, though... so perhaps it's a matter of preference. I say, if what I've described sounds good to you, go for it. If not, just buy some lemons and put some in your tea like you do every night, like I do.

Rating: ooo (three gumballs)