I was excited review the Brach’s Sugar Free Lemon Drops. Lemon drops aren’t really a sexy candy to review. But it’s a hard and sour candy – both of which are right up my alley.

I liked that the candies are individually wrapped. That’s helpful for grabbing a few and dropping them into your purse/pocket/lunchbox.

In the end, it’s a good lemon drop. It’s not as good as a full-fledged made-with-real-sugar lemon drop. But it’s got quite a bit of flavor. I missed the sparkly sugar coating that you get on some lemon drops. But I guess an isomalt coating wouldn’t have been a hit either.

Wait, what’s that? Isomalt? Yeah, the first ingredient of the drops is isomalt with a little asterisk. The asterisk says, “Excessive comsumption may have a laxative effect” which promptly sent me on a bit of research. According to wikipedia, “Isomalt is a sugar substitute, a type of sugar alcohol, used primarily for its sugar-like physical properties. It has only a small impact on blood sugar levels and does not promote tooth decay. It has… half the calories of sugars. However, like most sugar alcohols, it carries a risk of gastric distress, including flatulence and diarrhea, when consumed in large quantities.”

So my point is, the stuff that makes it sweet without the sugar and low-cal can upset your tummy. Eat these guys in moderation to avoid gastro-issues.

Since I had a whole bag of these goodies, I spread the wealth around to a few family members for more input. My 8-year-old said,“It’s not too sour. I like it.” My husband says “Wow. Immediately lemony. Sour, but not face-pinching sour.” Good reviews all around!

And it might be a “just me” thing, but you know how some hard candies cut your mouth? I hate that. But that wasn’t a problem at all with these drops. They melted evenly and didn’t leave any rough edges.

According to the Brach’s website, their Sugar Free Lemon Drops are “Tangy lemon goodness made with Splenda®. And not a drop of guilt. Only half the calories of our regular Lemon Drops.” This reviewer believes they have met their claim. These candies are definitely a great option if you want or need a sugar free or reduced calorie candy. Just beware the isomalt.

• Brach’s Sugar Free Lemon Drops
• Buy Lemon Drops online

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

A powerful mint with a pleasant taste can be difficult to find. Too much “minty-ness” will leave a mouth burning – a sensation I seldom welcome in general. Particularly, I have this problem with peppermint mints. I like the peppermint, but it’s almost too much of a good thing. I also don’t like Big Red gum or Atomic Fireballs for this same reason. It’s like there’s no middle ground with mints. You either get super-minty-burn or a lackluster, vague mint flavor. Psshh, I don’t want that! I’m not particularly fond of mints in general because I can’t find that happy balance. Or so I thought.

Yes, that’s right, I found the mint-of-my-life… Ice Breakers Frost mints! These fresh wonders come in peppermint and wintercool (derived from the notorious winteres coolica plant, I assume) varieties and are like a cool, winter’s kiss. Seriously, they totally mitigate the super minty burn I was just talking about. I actually prefer the peppermint – which pretty much never happens. There isn’t any strange aftertaste, no burning sensation, no double-vision, runny nose, or excessive salivation. It’s the perfect mint. Oh, and it’s flavor crystals really add a splash of color – some bling, if you will.

I know it’s early in our courtship, Ice Breaker Frost mints. We’ve only just met, but all the same… I love you. Was it too soon to say?!

• Hershey’s Ice Breakers website

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

It’s been many years since I last tried sugar-free chocolate, for good reason… it was disgusting. I would rather have had no chocolate than gross chocolate. I guess one of the many things that have improved with time and technology is sugar-free chocolate. Simply Lite’s Milk and Dark Chocolate bars are all the evidence I need to know science is awesome.

Now, sugar-free does conjure up some negative feelings to some folks, myself included. I’m not going to get into a philosophical debate about sugar vs. sugar-free, but I have been privy to concerns being raised about sugar substitutes. So many concerns that my little mind – tuned in by all the marketers trying to sell us the next best thing – was a little curious about the ingredients. I read the nutritional packing with some scrutiny and red lights started a-flashin’ when I read the warning “excess consumption may cause a laxative effect”. But, like all things, excess can cause long-lasting effects, no? Moderation, they say wisely. So I threw a little caution – along with a wrapper or two – to the wind because I did, of course, need to eat some of three different bars to tell my little tale of Simply Lite chocolates.

Healthy buzzwords like “no sugar added”, “no trans fat”, and “low carb” aside – how were these things going to taste? As it happens, pretty darn good. The milk chocolate was my least favorite. It didn’t really have enough chocolate taste – only 36% cacao – to really throw the chocolate craving lever into the off position. It reminded me of hot cocoa… not necessarily something I would savor, but something that would be warm and cozy and do the trick. It’s no cocoa you’d give a date sitting in front of the fire, but would be perfectly good when you’re by yourself and curled up with a good book.

What stroked the taste buds pleasantly was the dark chocolate. Math is no friend of mine and I generally avoid things pertaining to percentages, but 50% is fantastic. No, I’m not one for mediocrity, and where I’d never have settled for that as a test score, I’d take chocolate with 50% cacao anytime! The dark chocolate was really pretty special. I was really surprised it was sugar-free and definitely didn’t taste devoid of anything. In fact, the taste is robust with notes of cinnamon and even honey. There is cinnamon in the dark chocolate but it also tasted like honey at the same time. Unique and agreeable.

What was a bit less agreeable was the dark chocolate with almonds. Typically, I would choose chocolate WITH almonds over chocolate WITHOUT almonds in every scenario… but, not so with this bar. The cacao dropped down to 45% (look at me, now I’m a cacao snob!) and was a little chintzy on the almonds. If you’re going to take my chocolate, then you better give me a decent portion of nuts for my troubles! While not bad by any means, this bar is trumped by the bar without almonds.

Having eaten several squares of each variety on several different occasions, I can happily say I suffered no ill effects from the stuff that makes today’s sugar-free chocolate a billion times better than the years gone by. I would definitely recommend Simply Lite Chocolate bars to anyone that can’t do sugar, that wants to make healthier choices, or thinks sugar-free must mean delicious free!

I give them a solid, ahem, 5 Bonbons!

• Simply Lite website

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

Quench Gum is made by Mueller Sports Medicine Inc. (an even less appetizing-sounding association than regular sugarfree gum’s relationship with dentists). According to Quench’s website, Quench has been around for over 30 years, and this “sports gum” is chewed by athletes from teams like the Cowboys, the Lakers and the Packers.

We’ve previously reviewed the regular version of Quench, but it’s also available in sugarfree – after all, who wants to down a bunch of sugar right after a heavy workout? (Well yeah, me too, but it’s just so counterproductive, OK?) Both versions of Quench claim that they can actually quench your thirst and refresh you after a hard workout.

Gum can stop you from being thirsty? And here I’d been drinking water all these years like a chump! This could be the greatest breakthrough in candy technology since Willy Wonka’s meal replacement gum – and even that was a little iffy in the dessert area, or so I’ve been given to understand.

I decided to test this product’s claims under the optimum conditions: after biking home from work on the hottest summer day possible. Unfortunately, that day never materialized (it’s been a very cool summer), so I decided that today would have to do. Fortunately, despite the lack of cooperation from the weather, my two-wheeled commute left my throat as dry as a five-year-old stick of Juicy Fruit. Resisting the urge to grab a cold one out of the refrigerator, I reached for my pack of Quench instead.

This pack (courtesy of the All Candy Expo) is the Fruit Blast flavor, described on the package as “a mouthwatering explosion in every pack!” This is the chicklet-style blister-pack type of sugarfree gum. Unlike others of its kind, the rectangular, pink-speckled pieces are soft, without the usual crisp candy shell.

The gum has a refreshingly tangy, sour fruit punch flavor, with little crunchy crystals that quickly dissolve for a sort of juicy, moistening effect in your mouth. The tangy flavor was long lasting, and unlike the last sugarfree gum I reviewed, Trident Splash Orange Swirl, not just because of aspartame’s impossible-to-get-rid-of aftertaste. These are sweetened with acesulphame potassium, a milder-flavored sweetener that doesn’t have that characteristic aspartame flavor. (That stuff is also the reason I can actually stand to drink diet sodas these days.)

So it’s pretty tasty stuff, but was I any less thirsty afterward? Well, that’s difficult to say. The tangy sourness and dissolving crystals did seem to stimulate the flow of saliva in my mouth, helping to rehydrate my parched throat and taste buds. It goes without saying that it didn’t actually introduce any new liquid into my system, making it no replacement for actually drinking something if you’re actually dehydrated, but in terms of reducing the sensation of thirst, it does what it’s supposed to. It couldn’t hurt to throw a pack in your pocket for extended workout sessions – as long as you have a big cold glass of water waiting for you once you’re finished.

• Quench Gum Website

Buy Quench Gum Online:

• at Blair Candy
• at Candy Favorites

Disclaimer: I don’t really chew gum. I’m not really sure why – I enjoy the flavor (while it lasts) and the chewing action, and it’s nice to have something in my mouth to fiddle with while I do other things. When I do chew gum, I’m partial to the old-school bubblegum-style – big, soft pieces that yield face-sized bubbles and pack more sugar than some small chocolate bars. Unfortunately for me, though, it’s the skinny sticks or Chiclet-style pieces of sugar-free gum, usually heavily mentholated and bearing promises of tooth-cleaning action, that are most popular these days.

All that being said, Trident Splash Orange Swirl is definitely not a product I would have bought for myself, but nonetheless, I decided to try and approach this All Candy Expo freebie with an open mind.

Like most Chiclet-type gums, this comes in a foil-backed blister pack. Unlike most Chiclet-style gums, it also comes with the gimmick of a liquid center – something I remember seeing pretty often back in the day, but always in products aimed at kids rather than adults. Inside the blister pack, the little tabs seem thicker than usual – probably due to the extra “burst of sweet indulgence,” as the package calls it.

Removed from the package, the tabs have an orange-vanilla scent, which sounds appetizing enough. However, there’s something a little mediciney about it that actually turns my stomach. You know how when you were a kid, the dentist would let you pick your flavor of that fluoride foam? And the flavors all sounded really yummy, like bubblegum and Creamsicle, so you always picked one of those, conveniently forgetting the important kid rule that the tastier the flavor of a medicinal product sounds, the nastier it’s actually going to be? This gum smells exactly like Creamsicle-flavored fluoride treatment foam. And that stuff was pretty darn vile.

Fortunately, though, the flavor doesn’t resemble said dental product at all. I was expecting menthol, but it’s actually just a bright orange soda flavor, almost sickly sweet. The crisp candy shell, soft gum, and gooey center make a nice texture contrast, and they don’t skimp on the goo either, but as is usual for this type of gum, I find the pieces too darn small.

As you chew, the sweet orange flavor wears off fast, leaving just a mild sweetness – and a strong aftertaste of aspartame. The flavor does last for a pretty long time – but it’s the flavor of artificial sweetener rather than delicious orange. I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but I think some menthol might actually have helped, since it seems to cover up the flavor of artificial sweeteners better than fruit flavors do. A second piece was admittedly better than the first – the aspartame shock seems to wear off a bit after the first piece.

Like other products marketed more as dental aids than candy, the flavor of this gum left a lot to be desired. When the best thing you can say about a product is “it tastes better than fluoride treatment foam,” there’s not really very much to recommend. Thanks but no thanks – I’m sticking with my Hubba Bubba.

• Trident Website

Buy Trident Gum Online:

• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

My go-to dictionary, the Canadian Oxford, defines “oral,” in part, as “of or concerning a supposed stage of… (infant) development in which the mouth is of central interest.” If this is the case, it would seem that many of us who write for this site never really outgrew the infant stage of development – we’ve never stopped trying to find as many interesting (and hopefully delicious) things to put in our mouths as possible. And apparently, neither have the good folks at Oral Fixation, who continue to provide us with new and increasingly unique flavors of their signature mints.

With flavors like chai, herbal jasmine, and mojito, Oral Fixation keeps pushing the envelope. The lineup has recently been joined by this new Peppermint Mocha flavor, which Oral Fixation’s website describes as providing “the caffeine jolt of a chocolate-covered espresso bean cut with cooling natural mint oil.”

As always, Oral Fixation provides a classy presentation, with their signature flat tin filled with a single layer of fingertip-sized mints. A layer of printed wax paper, in this case bearing a set of red and white stripes reminiscent of a candy canes, protects the mints, keeping them from rattling around and getting all broken. (Have I mentioned how much I love Oral Fixation’s tins? I might just recycle this one into a business card holder, which will have the added effect of making all my business cards smell choco-minty fresh.)

The light brown mints are embedded with the word “fix” on one side, and either the word “choco” or “latte” on the other. They smell mostly minty, with just a hint of chocolate or coffee in the background. Huh, I could swear I once had some sort of scented plastic toy that smelled exactly like these. Holy sense memory!

Chocolate-flavored candies that aren’t actually chocolate are always hit-or-miss, but these have a surprisingly rich, deep flavor, perhaps due to the presence of the coffee. They have a faint coffee bitterness with just a hint of chocolate and the cooling effect of peppermint, without an overwhelming mint flavor. Neither the chocolate or coffee flavor is all that strong individually, but they combine for an almost creamy richness that goes well with the cooling mint. The flavor reminds me of those hard mint candies with the chocolate centers, only classier. And with only 3.5 calories per (artificially-sweetened) mint, this is a chocolate indulgence everyone can enjoy.

In all, these get a thumbs up from me. So if you haven’t already, why not give them a try and start cultivating an oral fixation of your own?

• Oral Fixation Website

Buy Oral Fixation Mints Online:

• at Amazon.com

Altoids – the name frightens me. I immediately get an image of my head bursting into flames as a small white tablet of destruction sears the inside of my mouth and then wreaks its havoc on the rest of my body. My husband and my mother love Altoids. They laugh at me because I am afraid of them don’t care for them.

Of course I’m talking about the dreaded peppermint Altoids. Whoever created those things must have been a sadistic former Gulag prison guard. Imagine my inconsolable weeping hesitation when I received two packages of Altoids in the mail to review.

Fortunately, they were not of the peppermint variety. Instead I’ve been able to sample the wintergreen and cinnamon flavors from the new Altoids Smalls Sugar Free line.

Now these aren’t new flavors, but they are being sold in a new small size. The tin is about 3″ by 2″ which means it can fit nicely in your pocket or purse. The mints themselves are smaller too – about the size of a corn kernel as opposed to the normal lima bean size. (Yeah, as if you Candy Addicts ever eat lima beans.) These Altoids Smalls are sugar free, unlike their larger cousins. They’re sweetened with sorbitol and sucralose, and according to Wikipedia they contain a pork gelatin. You vegetarians will just have to resist.

The Wintergreen Altoids Smalls are a pretty blue color and, in my opinion, deliciously fresh. They have a nice typically wintergreen flavor and are not hot or overpowering like the peppermint Altoids. They have a bit of a “sting” in a pleasant sort of way. Their breath-freshening capacity is very good. Just one of the tiny mints left my mouth feeling as if I had just brushed with an expensive toothpaste and rinsed with a stinky brown mouthwash. (And I mean that in the best possible way.)

Because I live in a household of “non-returning borrowers,” I was not able to personally sample the Cinnamon Altoids Smalls. Of the two tins that arrived in my mail, my husband took one and my five-year-old took the other. Yes, my five-year-old. He prides himself on liking “the hot stuff.” I asked my husband for his opinion of the cinnamon flavor. He describes it this way: “There’s an intense burst of cinnamon flavor at first. It doesn’t overpower you with too much cinnamon or heat but has an excellent taste. Every time I ate one, it left me wanting another.” So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. (Don’t tell him I said that.)

Why I ended the last two paragraphs with a sentence in parentheses, I do not know. Unusual prose aside, the new Altoids Smalls Sugar Free Mints are a delightful bit of tasty freshness that will slip into your pocket.

• Altoids Website

Buy Altoids Small Sugar Free Mints Online:

• at Amazon.com
• at Candy Direct
]]> http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/05/11/candy-review-altoids-smalls-sugar-free-mints/feed/ 8 http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/28/candy-history-orbit-gum-then-and-now/ http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/28/candy-history-orbit-gum-then-and-now/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:00:24 +0000 Jim http://candyaddict.com/blog/?p=5475
Image from Gasoline Alley Antiques

I’ve always enjoyed studying history, especially U.S. history. When I learn something new I’m amazed at how ignorant and totally clueless I can be, even when it comes to something as simple as gum.

For years I thought Orbit gum was a relatively new product from Wrigley. Wrong!

Orbit has been around since World War II when Wrigley began shipping all of their gum production overseas to the Armed Forces. With no JuicyFruit, Spearmint or Doublemint available for civilians in the U.S., Wrigley introduced Orbit.

After the war, in 1946, Wrigley brought the big three back to the States and phased out Orbit. It wasn’t until 1976 that Orbit returned – only to Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands – as the first sugar-free gum ever released under the Wrigley name.

In 2001, Orbit returned to the U.S. with the introduction of Spearmint and Wintermint flavors. 2007 brought the Mint Mojito, and today Orbit Mist features “MicroBursts that deliver a hydrating sensation.”

I recently tried the Mint Mojito and the Mist Mango Surf. (Although we reviewed the latter just recently, I thought it might be worth another taste.)


Orbit Mint Mojito: The stick smelled of spearmint and bathroom cleanser. At first chew there was a strong yet unidentifiable citrus high note. After 30 seconds of thoughtful chewing, a subtle lime flavor whispered within a faint and pleasant spearmint. After about five minutes, it was something not quite lime and not quite spearmint. The confusion was rather amusing, but like a doomed relationship, the intriguing beginning couldn’t survive the long haul. Still, not a bad chewing experience.

Funny thing, later that evening I enjoyed a real Mojito at a rooftop beach bar. (Hey, I was on vacation. See, even during my down time I’m out there working for all you Candy Addicts. My pleasure.)


Orbit Mango Surf: The stick smelled of cough syrup and cinnamon-apple potpourri. (I’m not making this up.) On first chew it was crunchy – yes, crunchy! A very strong and authentic mango high note that dissipated as the “MicroBurst” crystals softened. Where the Mint Mojito was soft, the Mango Surf was tough, more akin to a bubble gum texture. The mango flavor subsided considerably after two minutes but was still present and provided a mildly enjoyable chew.

Ingredients in both gums were identical, but the Mist contained erythritol (a natural sugar alcohol found in fruits and fermented foods), sucralose (super-sweet artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda) and gelatin.

After a little bit of digging, I now see Orbit in a whole new light. That’s the beauty of history.

• Orbit Gum Website

Buy Orbit Gum Online:

• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

]]> http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/28/candy-history-orbit-gum-then-and-now/feed/ 0 http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/21/gum-review-orbit-mist/ http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/21/gum-review-orbit-mist/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:00:42 +0000 Cindy http://candyaddict.com/blog/?p=5018

Orbit Mist is a new line of gum from The Wrigley Company. It’s touted as a premium gum and contains little crystals – called Micro-Bursts – that the Orbit website says will “deliver a hydrating sensation to consumers.”

Now I can only assume that it means “to consumers who purchase and chew Orbit Mist.” When I first read the description, I had a vision of Orbit Mist boxes shooting “hydrating sensation beams” at random consumers in the grocery store. “Hello, ma’am, welcome to Food Land. How are you?”

“I’m good, tha-” (*Hydrating sensation beam fires.*) “Ohhh, I suddenly feel so… moistly healthy…”

Oh, ah-hem, I’m supposed to be writing a review. Sorry…

Wrigley has graciously sent me the three new flavors of the Orbit Mist line to try. Two fruity flavors – Watermelon Spring and Mango Surf – and one mint flavor – Peppermint Spray.

Watermelon Spring – With the first chew, this lime green gum gives a very strong watermelon flavor – followed by a flood of sourness so strong that I was squinting my eye like Popeye the Sailor Man. I’m no fan of sour candies so I was happy when the sour flavor faded in less than a minute. Tiny crystals in the gum must be tiny sour factories, though, because every time I crunched one, a little more sourness came out. Besides that, the main flavor is a sweet, mild watermelon. It’s a nice, pleasant flavor – not overly strong. Reminiscent of kids’ watermelon-flavored gums (like Hubba Bubba) but nowhere near as overpowering. Lasting factor is good – I chewed for over an hour.

Mango Surf – I was a bit hesitant to try this flavor since I don’t particularly care for mango (natural or artificial). As a dedicated Candy Addict, I pressed through my fears and popped a piece in my mouth. I was expecting a rush of sour flavor similar to what I’d experienced with Watermelon Spring. While the Mango Surf crystals did release sour bursts for the first minute or two, the pucker-factor of this orangish-yellow gum wasn’t nearly so intense. The sweet flavor that lasted for about an hour was typically mango and happily mild. I never felt assaulted by the mango-ness of it. A pretty good flavor.

Peppermint Spray – Mint gums are my forte… what can be better than a quick, tasty way to freshen breath after a meal loaded with garlic, onions, and oregano? Okay, so I don’t eat onions. I do prefer spearmint, but this Peppermint Spray from Orbit Mist was quite enjoyable. It had less heat than the new Wrigley’s Spearmint while retaining a strong peppermint flavor. It’s actually inspired me to want to chew more peppermint gum. (Please don’t tell my package of Stride Spearmint.) Like the other Orbit Mist gums, the flavor lasted a long time before I was ready to spit it out.

• Orbit Website

Buy Orbit Mist Online:

• at Amazon.com
• at Candy Direct

]]> http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/21/gum-review-orbit-mist/feed/ 3 http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/13/gum-review-search-for-spearmint-mini-roundup-part-1/ http://candyaddict.com/blog/2009/04/13/gum-review-search-for-spearmint-mini-roundup-part-1/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:00:02 +0000 Cindy http://candyaddict.com/blog/?p=4415
Spearmint leaves image from katrinket at Flickr
Some time ago, I bought a package of Wrigley’s Spearmint gum only to discover that the flavor had been changed dramatically. To put it mildly, the spearmint flavor I knew and loved had careened downhill and crashed into a muddy, mucky river. I wrote a review of it and a review of Wrigley’s other “improved” flavors. Since then I’ve been on a search to find a spearmint gum that matches my expectations of a good, mellow, sweet spearmint.

I’ve been slightly overwhelmed by the number of brands and varieties of spearmint-flavored gum. Without even looking very hard, I’ve found nine different varieties. Who knew spearmint could taste so many different ways? Trident alone makes three kinds of spearmint gum. It’s mind boggling.

It has been quite an adventure tasting all the varieties and thinking about the nuances in their differences and similarities. I’m feeling like quite the gum expert lately. And I have the freshest breath in the county.

Today I’ll tell you about five of the gums I’ve tried. To save your palate from overexertion, I’ll save the rest for another post.

Eclipse by Wrigley – In a pack of Eclipse, you’ll get 12 little pieces of gum. The pieces measure only about 1/2″ by 3/4″ – they’re like little pellets. The initial feel when I begin to chew one is similar, almost identical, to those little square gums I used to get for a penny out of candy machines… right down to the “crunch” required to begin chewing. (Were those Chicklets or a cheap imitation?) After crunching it open, my mouth was immediately flooded with heat. An amazing surge of fire spread through my mouth and into my throat. Ahhh! Within 20 chews, I could feel the heat up my nose too. It’s very reminiscent of eating a peppermint Altoid. The first time I chewed Eclipse Spearmint, it was so hot, I had to spit it out in just a couple minutes. The second time I persevered through the heat, and surprisingly a little sweetness came out after a few minutes of chewing. The heat was still too much, though, so in the trash it went.

Ice Breakers Ice Cubes with cooling xylitol by The Hershey Co. – Ice Cubes are funny little square cubes – a shape I’ve never seen in any other gum. They require a little initial crunch to start chewing, nothing too jaw cracking though. Much to my dismay, they have lots of crunchy ‘crystals’ inside. Like I’ve said before, I don’t want my gum crunchy. The flavor, while decent, was gone unbelievably fast. I started chewing at 4:34 and all traces of flavor were gone by 4:52. No exaggeration. The Ice Breakers Ice Cubes box says “Whoa!™”

I totally agree – Whoa! Where’d the flavor go?

Stride by Cadbury – Stride comes in a thin, large rectangle package like all these new-fangled gums. (What was wrong with the little rectangle pack?) Remember on movies and television shows when a proud grandparent or new daddy flips out a long row of wallet photos to show any unsuspecting soul nearby? That’s what I thought of when I flipped open the Stride pack. The top flap “holding area” releases two gum-holding flaps. Each flap has seven little “bits” of gum, for 14 total pieces.

The bits (I can’t bring myself to call them sticks) are about the size I can remember Trident being when I was growing up. About 1/4″ by 1/2″. They are soft and easy to chew – a big plus as far as I’m concerned – and a sweet juice is released with the first chew. The flavor is very good, smooth and sweet… no heat whatsoever. It’s long lasting too. I’d say I chewed for at least an hour before the flavor started to fade. We have a winner here – I like Stride very much!

Extra by Wrigley – These ordinarily-shaped sticks of gum have a pale green color and the strange initial flavor that I’ve always associated with Extra brand gums. There’s an underlying sweetness that is pleasant, but it’s barely detectable under that unusual flavor that I can’t even give a name to. After quite a few chews, a bit of heat started to ooze out of the gum. Nothing major, nothing I can’t handle. Shortly after the heat came out, the sweet flavor was gone. Not a hint of it remained.

That weird flavor, though? Still there. After a while, I think I actually got used to it because the gum started to taste decent. Not so bad that I wanted to spit it out… but not so great that I want to go out and buy another pack. Sorry, Extra, get rid of that weird taste and we’ll talk.

Trident Xtra Care – Does anyone besides me think it’s strange that Trident markets three different versions of spearmint gum? It is even weirder that all three versions taste dramatically different? For today, I’ll tell you about Trident Xtra Care Spearmint, which for some reason isn’t listed on the Trident website. Only Peppermint and Cool Mint are listed, but I assure you that I have a lovely emerald green package of Spearmint in my hand – see the picture?

The Trident Xtra Care package flips open just like the Stride package, but the pieces of gum are larger. They are narrow ‘strips’ more than an inch long and about a quarter inch thick. They’re a little tough to start chewing – not crunchy at all, just tough. Immediately, though, a sweet flavor is released. It’s a mild spearmint flavor with plenty of sweetness and only a hint of warmth. In a way, it’s almost too sweet especially for the first few minutes of chewing. The flavor lasts a decent amount of time but not as long as other gums. Trident Xtra Care claims to “strengthen and rebuild teeth” – an interesting, if unusual, bonus to gum chewing.

There you have it – pellets, cubes, bits, sticks, and strips. Quite an array of gum variety. I figure anyone could find a spearmint they like in this list, but I’ve got four more to bring you next time.

• Eclipse Website
• Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Website
• Stride Website
• Extra Website
• Trident Xtra Care Website

Buy Spearmint Gum Online:

• at Amazon.com

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