Friday, February 25, 2011

Juicy Fruit Juicy Secret

Flavor: I'm on to you, Wrigley's. I know this gum, and your "Juicy Secret" is about to be blown wide open. This is no Juicy Fruit. It's not even from the same planet as Juicy Fruit. This is Extra Fruit Sensations Berry Pearadise. Is it any coincidence that Extra's website no longer lists that flavor? I think not. Oh, Wrigley's. Perhaps this little stunt will fool gum amateurs, but true gum enthusiasts will not be swayed by your ruse. We know what's going on. That said, I was always a lover of Berry Pearadise. The tang at first bite awakens the taste buds and fills your mouth with juicy goodness. You can taste the berry and the pear quite vividly. However, after the first few chomps, the flavor fades to generic aspartame-berry.

Texture: At first, okay, but this gum is way sticky. Don't try to blow any bubbles with this one or you'll be scraping a gooey film off your lips for the better part of an hour. The longer you chew, the less cohesive this gum becomes. I've only gone 10 minutes or so, but I think this might be one of those gums that turns into plasma balls and stimulates my gag reflex, as is common with other Extra Fruit Sensations flavors.

Presentation: Come ON, Wrigley's! There might as well be a giant "S" on the front. Not only do you blatantly rip off the gum itself, but you ripped off Stride's Mega Mystery packaging concept, too. I can just see the marketing meeting, "What should the packaging be like?" "Well, Stride's mystery flavor is rainbow colors and question marks." "So shall ours be, then!" Really, Wrigley's? Really?

Overall: If I'd had the foresight to review Berry Pearadise before it went the way of Original Bubble, this gum would have gotten a far higher review. But since it's a total rip-off in every way imaginable, I'm going to go ahead and declare massive fail on this one.

Rating: o (one gumball)

9 comments:

silasabbott said...

I love how you guys write! I wish I was better at noticing each little detail and using more descriptive words.

I'm a 12 year old boy from Washington who started a gum blog with some of my friends. I'm home-schooled, so I have more time on my hands, but the others have public school so It's hard for them to work on it. My cousin just started home-schooling so that is helpful. Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me any advice. You can check out my blog if you want: imchewing.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Gummy Kid said...

I've looked at your blog and it's good. You should maybe get into more details. Use descriptive words. Be creative. A blog is a place where you can express your opnions without being yelled at. Keep up the great work splasherwinter!

Shannon said...

Hi splasherwinter, you've got a cool blog. The big thing is to make the blog different from other blogs out there. Definitely stay away from using stock photos - take your own photos for every post. We made that mistake in the beginning, too. Also, embellish! Write MORE! Details, details, details. Find something unique and roll with it. Keep up the good work!

Not Olibia S. said...

Wow, you guys are great at rating gum! I love, love, love gum. I chew it everywhere I go, (except for church and bible study) and I usually eat though a hole pack in about a day (that's right, one day! That is probably the reason I never have any on hand, because I chew right through it all by about lunch time.) I found out about this site though my friend "Splasherwinter". Keep at it!

Unknown said...

Maybe it's a ripoff, but I recently bought some of this gum, and I thought it was an enjoyable chew. The flavor was good. But I guess that's just my opinion.

DethBuny said...

I wish I had of came across your site sooner as I love gum. If I had, then I would have never bought this smelly and horrible gum. Love your site!

Anonymous said...

I just bought this gum last Saturday and lets just say, I wish I would have came across this before buying it. Next time I ever try a new gum, I'll definitely stop by here and read the review first.

gummy_smacks said...

well, i think one of the reasons its a welcomed alternative to Stride's Mystery pack or whatever is because the price point is a bit lower (a dollar less for those 3 packs found at wal-mart).

as far as flavor goes, in addition to what you mentioned, berry + pear, I also detect somewhat of a sour apple note at the beginning. it also lingers as a very faint undertone to the berry you said the gum faded to in the end.

anyway, I have to admit one thing, I only bought this gum because I can no longer find 5 "Lush" gum in stores... also because it was cheaper than everything else.

Bruno said...

I just bought this gum on a whim yesterday and was (pleasantly) shocked to see it's just a repackaging of Berry Pearadise. As the availability of that gum has waned over the past year, I've been singing its death knell in my head for awhile. Now at least it's back and I'm not the only one who's noticed, even if it's not as stinky or long-lasting as my beloved.

On a side note to gummy smacks, it looks like my other fave Lush is fading too, though I'm still able to find it in quite a few of my local 7-11's and corner shops.