Nicorette® 2mg – Fruit Chill

There used to be a review here, but for reasons better left unsaid, it's not here anymore.
We'd love if any brave quitters would write us a guest review of any flavor of Nicorette gum!
E-mail us at gumgirls@gmail.com and let us know if you're interested!

mentos gum Tropical

Flavor: The flavor of mentos Tropical gum is just alright. It features oranges, mangoes, and kiwis on the label but the flavor of the gum itself is too sweet to be a combination of those or any other "tropical" flavors - it lacks a tartness or tanginess that is essential to a Tropical blend. On extended chewing, it loses the quasi-tropical sweetness rather quick and we're left with that dreaded "gum base" flavor, with just a hint of artificial sweetener. It's got little to no breath-freshening qualities whatsoever, and if I were trying to mask red wine on my breath, mentos Tropical gum might, in fact, do more harm than good.

Texture: Yikes. It starts out bad, and gets worse. It touts a "soft center" on the label and that certainly detracts from the overall texture. It makes for a mushy chew right off the bat. As with all pellet gums, it has a candy shell, but it's not crispy at all and doesnt dissolve as I expect pellet gum candy shell to dissolve - Instead, it almost becomes a component of the gum. About the time the gum base flavor (or lack thereof) starts to take over, so does a waxy texture that has very little elasticity and falls apart easily.

Overall: mentos makes a fine candy. I don't think I've ever met a mento I've disliked, from mint, to fruit, to cinnamon, to their new sugarless line, which I eat by the box. However, first impressions with the gum extension of the line fall very short, and I can't in good conscience rate this gum highly - the Freshmaker it is not.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)

Stride Spearmint

Flavor: Well, it’s Spearmint, I’ll give it that. But compared to the other varieties that I’ve blogged in the spearmint spectrum, it falls far, far short. It’s a bit weak, for Stride, a brand that usually puts forth a notably robust flavor. Not to mention that the longer you chew, the more it starts to taste like cough syrup. I’m sorry, but to me, green cough syrup, no matter how much it takes like spearmint, always tastes much more predominantly of cough syrup. In a gum? Do not want.

Texture: Eh. It’s rubbery, and tough. It leaves much to be desired right from the start—between the stale taste and the stale texture, it’s almost as though it’s already been chewed. Stride swung with this one, and it missed.

Overall: I have to note a few things. One, this is a by-demand gum review, which means it’s already a fact that this gum is somebody’s favorite (Thanks Amanda!). Two, Stride gives me sores in my mouth, and based on the search results of our Google Analytics, it gives other people sores in their mouths too (Someone typed “stride gum sores on tongue” into Google and came upon our site. I feel your pain, friend.) Third, this gum finds itself pretty late in a long line of Gum Alert spearmint reviews, so it’s up against some serious competition. Taking all those things into consideration, I’m going to have to address you, Amanda, and you, anonymous googler with the sores on your tongue, and ask if you’ve tried 5 Rain. I implore you if you have not, to do so ASAP. I’m going to be merciful and give this gum two gumballs, since it was requested by a fan, and since I want people to keep asking my opinions on things. But Amanda, do get back to me on Rain, and perhaps we can lower the rating… together.

Rating: oo (two gumballs)

NOTE: THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY KATIE BUT I HAD TO GO IN AND FIX THE CODE. BLOGGER MESSED THIS ONE UP GOOD. -Shannon

Orbit Positively Pomegranite

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.

Texture: The texture is great, this is how gums should chew. It's the slightest bit sticky on the teeth, but certainly not enough to cause any hinderance of enjoyment.

Overall: This is a great gum. I am a little concerned for its future, as I don't really see it very often and this pack I picked up was in a bin, away from the other gums. A trip to the the Orbit page on Wrigley.com tells me that the flavor is indeed still available, and even still being billed as New!, but I am wary nonetheless. Can you find Orbit Positively Pomegranite in your local stores? Anyway, if you see it, pick it up and give it a chew. The only reason it doesn't get the full 5 gumballs is because of the rapid flavor loss. Nicely done.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

A Brief Interlude

Dear Readers,

We have been ecstatically overwhelmed lately by the web-wide attention we have gotten in the last couple weeks. We'd like to take this opportunity to say hello and welcome to our new fans, and a big thank you to our friends at Neatorama, Tosh.0 on comedycentral.com, Serious Eats, and boingboing gadgets!

We're excited to announce some exciting new changes to Gum Alert in the next few days, including a fantastic new page design, a special celebrity guest review, contests, and of course more of the gum reviews that you know and love.

To kick-off the expansion and enhancement of Gum Alert, we have joined the Twitter community! Both Katie and I don't really understand it, but we've signed up for a Twitter account and we promise to figure it out soon and "tweet" regularly! We'd love it if you would follow us and help us get started over there.

While you're at, or if you're not a twitterer (tweeter?), Become A Fan of Gum Alert on Facebook!

Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We never thought that our little gum blog would take off this way, and we are touched by the outpouring of support. We're always open to suggestions and criticisms, we would love to hear from you, so go on and shoot us an email at gumalert@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Shannon and Katie

Trident Xtra Care Spearmint

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)

Wrigley's 5 Solstice

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.

Texture: Starts off soft and stays soft without falling apart into nothing. This is what texture is all about. I would trust Solstice to stick with me through a long business meeting if I happened to forget to bring the wrapper or a tissue with me for disposal.

Overall: As a whole, Wrigley's 5 line is impressive, and Solstice does not disappoint. I have to point out the packaging on this one, too - it's one of my favorite gum packagings. While I do have my issues with the popular new "pocket pack" style of gum and still lament the loss of my dear Plen-T-Paks, the ribbed cardstock, combined with the smooth, shiny logo and wispy artwork make for a perfect presentation.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)