Clorets

This review is sponsored by our friends at BestCandyStore.com!

Flavor: According to the Wikipedia article on Clorets, there are a few different flavors of Clorets in existence, but a quick Google search really only yields one flavor widely for sale: Green. There's no mention on the pack of a flavor at all, let alone a specific mint, be it pepper or spear or winter. Green, in the gum world, generally denotes a spearmint, but Clorets bucks that trend. Clorets mint isn't a spearmint at all; if I had to classify it, I'd say it were much more peppermint-like. Specifics aside, this gum packs a really great flavor. It starts off nicely strong, but not overly so, and fades to a smooth breath-freshening coolness. I had no idea about this, but the "Clor" in Clorets is a little play on words - Clorets contain Chlorophyll, which apparently has odor-absorbing qualities. Who knew? It's certainly not a factoid that is taught in fifth grade science in the Chlorophyll and You: Fun with Photosynthesis chapter.

Texture: The initial candy shell crunch of Clorets is one of the best I've encountered, and once the shell shards dissolve, the resulting wad is perfectly soft and pliable. I feel it's necessary to point out that Clorets is, surprisingly, a sugared gum. It doesn't feel like it, in either flavor or texture. It seems like kind of a waste... if I wanted to promote tooth decay I'd rather chew some Bubble Tape or Hubba Bubba and have some fun with it. Clorets, as good as it is, isn't really much fun. No bubbles to speak of - it's much too thin and sticky for that.

Presentation: It's old school. A cardstock paper box, minimal graphics, white text. Pretty boring. One plus is that the package is bilingual. It's good that our Spanish-speaking friends know that the FENILCETONURICS CONTIENE FENILALANINA.

Overall: Man. If I asked someone for a piece of gum and they pulled THIS out of their pocket? They'd be relentlessly made fun of for the rest of the day. Clorets is "old people gum," much like Freedent or Choward's Violet Gum. Who chews Clorets, anyway? Clorets is one of those gums that I've always known existed, but I've never really thought to pick up a pack. I'm always kind of surprised to see it's still around at all. When our buddy at BestCandyStore.com offered to send us some gum of our choosing to review, I was immediately drawn to the Clorets, because I would have NEVER bought it myself. I'm glad they sent it over to us, though... it's a surprizingly good gum.

Rating: oooo (four gumballs)

GumAlert FAQ

We've had a recent influx of visitors, emails and comments lately, and we thought that it might help our readers if we had an FAQ. Please to enjoy.

Do you work for the gum companies? Can I suggest a new flavor?
No, we don't work for any gum company, we're just a couple of girls who like to to chew gum! We'd love to hear your gummy ideas, though!

I work for a gum company. Can I send you samples of gum to review?
Sure! We love free gumz and we'll be happy to review it, just know that our reviews will always be honest and truthful. Send us an email at gumgirls@gumalert.com and we'll work something out.

I have a gum or candy blog, too! Can I be added to your "Friend of GumAlert" links?
We'd love to check out your blog! Send us a link and we'd be happy to give it a read. If we like it, we'll link it! Generally, it has to have been around for a while. If you have only a few posts or have been blogging for only a short while, we probably won't link you. But keep it up!

I own an online candy store. Can you add a link to my store on your blog?
We're sure that your store is great, but we don't like to direct our readers to online merchants that we are unfamiliar with. What you can do is send us some gum samples for us to review, and we'll add a "This review has been sponsored by..." link on the review itself. (Just know that our reviews are always honest and truthful.) If the relationship grows positively, we'll add a link to your store on our sidebar.

I have a product or website that I would like to advertise on Gum Alert. Can I give you money to put an ad on your site?
Even though Trident Layers would like you to think that gum lovers prefer to be paid in gum, these gum lovers prefer to be paid in money. Send us an email and we'll let you know our rates and policies.

You guys haven't reviewed my all-time favorite gum! What gives?
We probably just haven't gotten around to it yet! Send us an email and let us know what you want to see us review!

OMG there's a new gum out! Have you seen it yet??
No, we haven't!! Awesome!! Email us and tell us about it! Where did you see it? Did you try it? Was it good?? We always have our eye out for new gums, but we could always use your help in seeking out the cool new gumz.

I feel very strongly about a new gum or gum commercial I saw on TV, and I would like to post about it in your comments section using bad words and racial slurs. Is that okay?
While we love to hear your opinion about gum, our reviews, and gum culture as a whole, we want gum fans of all ages to be able to enjoy Gum Alert, so we ask that you keep your language in the comments section at a PG level. If we think something is offensive, we're going to remove your comment.

How do you guys decide what gum to review, and how do you review it?
We usually go in this order: Samples companies send us, new gum, requests, and then anything else. We'll try to mix it up if we get a few packs of the same brand or flavor, though, so we don't do too many of the same thing in a row. We only have one rule when it comes to doing the reviews, and that is that we must be chewing a piece of the gum while we review it.

Are you guys related?
Yes, we are sisters, unfortunately for our parents.

Don't you have anything better to do than write long-winded blog posts about gum?
Not really.

Get a life.
That's not a question.

Why do you do it?
We started GumAlert in April of 2009 because we thought it would be funny. We thought that the ultimate goal would be to get free gum from gum companies, but that happened pretty fast. Now, our goal is to attend the Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago in 2012. (We still love to get free gum, though. That never gets old.)

Does Trident Layers have pork in it?
From what we've been able to ascertain, Trident Layers does have a form of gelatin in its ingredients that is derived from pork, as do many other types of gum. Your best bet would be to contact the manufacturers directly just to make sure, if you avoid pork for religious or other reasons.

Aren't you worried about artificial sweeteners?
Kind of. We chew a lot of gum. Really, a lot of gum, and we do sometimes question the safety of sweeteners. That being said, we're not experts on the risks and benefits, and wouldn't want to sway anyone one way or the other. We recommend that you do your own research and make the educated decision that's best for you regarding your personal consumption of artificial sweeteners.

What's the flavor of Stride Mega Mystery?
There's a rumor that a Stride employee leaked the flavor as Strawberry Daiquiri. We don't taste that particularly, but we do think that it has a definite tropical drink flavor to it.

Is Stride Shift Berry to Mint good?
No.

Is Stride Shift Citrus to Mint gross?
Yes.

What's so special about 5 React gum? What does it do?
Right? We have no idea.

Can you eat gum wrappers, like Trident, Stride or Orbit?
We're not sure the official answer to this one, but we don't recommend eating any gum wrappers. We don't think it would taste good, and it certainly would mess up the texture. EDIT: Brian from Candy Addict referred us to this post in his blog with the definitive answer. Thanks, Brian!

What is your favorite gum?
Shannon's favorite gum is Extra Polar Ice. Katie's favorite gum us Trident Minty Sweet Twist. However, we like all kinds of gumz. We're partial to sugarless gum because we don't like the dentist very much, but the amount of xylitol running through our bloodstreams on any given day might eventually make us sick, too.

Orbit Mist Raspberry Lemon Dew

Flavor: The newest addition to the Orbit Mist family is the sweet-tart Raspberry Lemon Dew. When I offered a piece of this gum to my husband, he refused it, saying that raspberry lemonade "isn't a flavor gum should be." Au contraire, mon ami. The Orbit Mist line prides itself on being the "wettest gum in the world," and its packaging proudly calls out "a hydrating sensation." What's more hydrating on a hot summer day than a nice tall glass of lemonade? The flavor here is spot-on, it's like they took the chemical flavor profile of a canister of Country Time powder and added chicle to it. It's really fantastic, starts out strong and then fades to be very mellow, but never loses its tang completely.

Texture: Near perfection. As noted many times previously, I'm a big fan of "crunchies" in gum in whatever form, and the micro-bursts(tm) provide just the right amount of grit before dissolving themselves into the gum. The wad itself is soft and pliable, and lends itself greatly to cracking and snapping. It even blows pretty good bubbles if you stick with it.

Presentation: The graphic design on the Orbit Mist line is pleasing to the eye, generally. They get their "hydrating" message across in an effective way by incorporating subtle "ripples" in the cool blue semi-metallic inks. The purple and yellow in the circular "burst" touting the flavor work surprizingly well together, and the little raspberry-lemon icons are charmingly cartoonish.

Overall: The packaging here really lets you know what to expect, and the gum does not let you down. I bought a single pack of this gum about a week ago and it was gone within two days, and I recently replenished my supply with a 3-pack, and have chewed through half of it before finally sitting down and writing this review. It's a gum I find myself reaching for and popping stick after stick in my mouth. I think this, along with Orbit's new Perfect Peach (to be reviewed next week) are going to be my "summer gums" this season. It's just right.

Rating: ooooo (five gumballs)

Stride Mega Mystery

Flavor: One of Stride's two new flavors for Winter 2009/2010 is the gimmicky "Mega Mystery." Stride must really have a lot of brand confidence, as they're expecting consumers to buy this gum on brand alone, without even knowing the flavor. I've never been good at "Guess The Flavor" games the products play (Doritos is famous for this,) but Stride Mega Mystery isn't really a mystery at all. On first chew you're blasted with a fantastic fruity medley that I would describe as Tropical Punch. It's a lot less melony than Trident's tropical varieties, but very heavy on the pineapple. Blended with hints of mango and citrus, it's like a tropical drink in stick form. Delicious. Unfortunately, Stride's claim of being the longest lasting flavor falls short with this one, and it becomes bland and tasteless within 10 minutes.

Texture: Soft and smooth at first bite, never disintegrating or softening. Perfect for cracking and snapping, and even blowing pretty decent bubbles (especially if you're a two-piece chewer like I am.) This is a great chew.

Overall: A friend of GumAlert alerted us to this new flavor a couple months ago, and since then I'd been on a frantic search to find it. Imagine my joy when, in the checkout shelves in A&P the other day, a rogue pack of this was stuck in with the Stride Nonstop Mint. I snatched it right up and have loved it since, and it's pained me to save the two sticks to do this review. I'm generally pretty neutral when it comes to Stride, but this one is a home run, and I hope it sticks around.
Rating: oooo (four gumballs)