Wrigley is introducing a new sugar-free to the market called simply “5″. The plan is for a mid to end of July availability (UPDATE: They say it’s August now), but they’re also going to be selling it at a few boutiques in LA, Miami and New York beginning this week. I had these on my candy radar and unexpectedly received a bunch of packs in the mail for an early review. (Have I mentioned how freakin’ awesome it is to get free candy unexpectedly in the mail?)
Wrigley’s 5 gum is squarely aimed at the teen/young adult market with its trendy black envelope packaging. The slogan is “5 is the new black”. They even claim that the package glows under blacklight. Since I just so happen to have an arcade lit with blacklights, I tested it and wasn’t impressed – no secret messages or anything, but all the 5′s on the package “popped” out. The packaging is quite cool though. It’s probably the best gum packaging I have seen lately. It’s slightly smaller than a deck of cards and it reminds me of a cigarette pack – not sure if that is intentional or not.
5 comes in 3 different flavors: Rain (spearmint), Cobalt (peppermint) and Flare (cinnamon). Flare is the only one that tells what the flavor is on the package wrapper – Rain and Cobalt give no clue on the package – maybe that will change though (I hope so). You have to resort to sniffing the package to get a clue. These flavor names aggravate me as much as Gatorade did when they came out with flavors like Rain, Frost, and Fierce. When you have to have a chart to figure out what the flavor might be, you may need to rethink your flavor names. And why do companies think we want to eat/drink/chew something called Rain? But I digress….
Each package contains 15 sticks of foil-wrapped gum standing in 3 columns of 5 sticks each. Each flavor doesn’t pack a wallop of flavor at first chew, but tastes like any other gum I have ever had in these flavors. In fact, after being used to cinnamon gums like Big Red, I was rather disappointed in the initial flavor of Flare.
I took some packs to work and have been chewing this gum for the past week and can say that the flavor it does have lasts a long time. I figured since the initial flavor punch wasn’t super strong that the flavor would subside quickly but it doesn’t. While coding and chomping away on some 5, I can look at the clock an hour after putting the gum in my mouth and the gum still has some good flavor left in it.
So, the packaging is quite cool, the gum is sugar-free, the flavor is pretty good overall, and the flavor lasts a long time. You can’t ask too much more from a gum. My favorite part though? I can offer my friends a “piece of flair Flare” or I can say “I have 15 pieces of flair Flare”. Now where’s my red stapler?
“5″ gum retails for about $1.49 a pack. 5 gum is so new, they don’t even have a website setup for it yet, so for now here is a link to Wrigley’s website and here are the pics I took of my packs for this review.
UPDATE: The 5 Gum website is up now!
UPDATE: I’m adding this because lots of people have asked. I think it’s called “5″ because it’s supposed to stimulate your 5 senses. I think.
Can I safely chew the wrap paper?
I figured it was called 5, because it’s only 5 calories per stick.. if you read the outer plastic wrapper (which does note the flavor) it states that they’ve reduced the calorie count to 5 per stick..
This gum series offers fancy and attractive packaging, but delivers typical flavors and ho hum chewing. Orbit is my pick.
OMG I LOVE 5 GUM!!!!!!!!! even though we get detention for chewing gum at school i can’t stop!! 5 is the best gum that i have ever tasted! i used to chew stride but compared to the long lasting completly deliousious(cant spell) flavor of 5, stride doesnt even stand up!!
cant wait for more flavors!!!!!!!
Iluv da new gum 5
I was pretty stoked about this gum for a while, after I continuously saw it advertised all over my computer game websites I visit. A friend of mine brought a pack over of the rain flavored gum, so I tried it and loved it. Two days later I woke up with a HUGE rash on both sides of my upper body. I dont know if anybody else has experienced this after trying the gum and also I am not blamming my condition entirely on this product but its the only new product I have engested lately. I am curious if anyone else has broken out with a rash, its too bad if it was caused by the gum because I really enjoyed, it plus its good for gaming.
I like the gum. I bought it bc of the packaging and was presently surprised. The flavor lasts a long time although I still seem to toss it after about a half hour….maybe thats just a weird habit of mine or bc I get sick of the burning sensation on my tounge? I would buy it again though.
this gum last way longer then stride gum, iv chewed 5 gum and could still taste it 3 hours later
our A&P store in the Toronto area just got 5 and Stride gum (Feb 2008.) I hadn’t chewed gum in years but the 5 pack made me want it so I tried some Rain, which impressed me so much I had to try a bunch of different kinds of gum and the 5Rain is definitely my favourite. Cobalt is very refreshing. We don’t have Fire yet. The packs say spearmint and peppermint on the plastic wrap but not the cardboard. I was annoyed by the sticking of the first piece to the lining and impressed with the little 5 trashman, like an earlier comment said. Quite unimpressed with Spearmint Stride, which I tried after the Rain. ExcelFuse Melon Mint is nice. 5 seems like a good deal to me since in my store it is only 5 or 10 cents more than the gums like Excel and Ice but lasts longer, tastes better to me, and comes in better packaging with more pieces inside. Because of 5 I’ve developed a new habit and actually taken the time to read about this product I wouldn’t expect to care about and then submit my own comments. I guess that’s a positive review.
I just went to the corner store to get a pack of Stride and saw this new “5″ stuff. I figured what the heck and bought it. Currently I’m chewing a piece of Rain and I’m already addicted. As you mention in your review the packaging doesn’t say much about the product…actually nothing really. So I Googled it to see what came up. I clicked on your review and found it to be quite impressive! Thanks for providing such great info :)
Rain is the only flavor I can’t stand. Colbalt is the best,, and Flare is good, too- but Rain is just plain disgusting.
this is awsome, and i’m chewing Cobalt right now. It is the best gum ever. Oh yeah, they have a website and it says that is stimulates the 5 senses, so they called it 5 gum. yup.
they are coming out with a new kind this summer, its lush(citrucy) and rasberry i think, i had it in school its really good
i l u v your new brand! yellow is addiction! i cant stop chewing this gum, it is just so nice and i swear i would marry it if i could. please, make more types of gum, i love it so much.
This gum is awesome, my family loves it, I understand the reasoning in the name, but my family has named it “penthouse gum” I love the pkg…hate the name…I seriously think they should rename it “Penthouse”..
Maybe they are looking to make 5 flavors of 5 gum. To lazy to finish the job?!
There are two new flavors that are coming out. one is called Lush and the other one I cant remember for sure. I know they come out this summer. because I order for our store and we got a prebook offer today for them.
I think the packaing is obvious, the Green is Wintergreen and the blue is spearmint.Red is Cinn.
its kinda like with certs,lifesavers etc.
the two new flavors are “Lush”, which is a citrus, and “Elixer” which is mixed berry.
Jess you are so right. i am addicted to 5 gum and i can go through 1 1/2 packs in one day
I am chewing 5 gum right now, it is called Elixir, a bery flavor that wasn’t reviewed above. It tastes really good, after chewing it a little while, tastes kind of like cherry. I got them at CVS 3 boxes for the price of two.
Asu, q bravos estos chicles, soy hincha del COBALT, dan la recontra hora… saludos desde perusalem! El Perucho.
They call it 5 because they have 5 flavors (right now only in new york and la they have 5) the 2 new flavors are lush (tropical) and elixir which is berry. they are supposed to appeal to the scences.
It’s 5 bc you can chew for 5 days and still have flavor (not counting overnight). Believe me, I know, I chewed the same piece of gum for 5 consecutive days and there is still flavor – curiously, it regains flavor overnight. Best damn gum I ever chewed!
hey love the gum sugar free the best i’ve ever had and it dont hurt the teeth and the gum is good for when someone knocks the wind out of you
1337
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they dont have a few kinds they dont have lush(gold) or exilear(pink)
Hi
I want to know if its halal?
Just added Rain, Elixir, cobalt, Flare and now lush to my site!
!~love five gum~!
Me and my friends all love 5 gum and think it is great. The flavors are great and they last for a very long time. This is some of the best gum I have ever had.
So does it have any negative reaction such as making you not able to sleep or making you act like your on drugs?
will you review the two new flavors? they are tropical and berry flavored
This is the best gum ever!! It’s all I ever chew, and I will continue trying every flavor they come out with!
I usually chew cobalt all day long,
once the flavor runs out from
1 stick I pop in another…
results headaches, bad ones
I know it is great…but look at the sweetner “phenylalanine” = asparatame !!! It will feed your cancer real well and give you those nice headaches !!!
actually, phenylalanine is an amino acid (found in things like breast milk). it’s a component of aspartame, but that’s like saying water is celery since there is so much water in celery.
They call it 5 because it is supposed to awaken your 5 senses.
I haven’t tried it yet but after hearing so many positive comments on it I am ready to go out and buy all five!
I love 5 gum especially the new Elexir. I think thats how its spelled.
5 gum is awezome!!!!!!!!!!! i am chewing lush. it is new and really good.
wen i eat it i start to shake ang i have a firey orgasm. its so gOOOOd,
After about two and a half hours it turns to mush in your mouth it is horrible! it tastes like orange peals but in mush!! but that is only with LUSH the others ast fine
the best outta all the flavors would probaly be solstice or zing. cobalt isn’t that good compared to solstice
love it…… preety good but sticking with nornal wrileys
i was hoping it would stimulate my 6th sense =)
im still wondering what is so special about this gum since it just seems to be gum with aspartame in it. dont other gums use that? how does that make it more special, more able to stimulate your senses, than other gums?
tlg