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I’m the girl with the Spearmint Eyes. Once a Spearmint Girl, always a Spearmint Girl… only Wrigley let me down. So I’ve been on a quest to replace my first love, and it’s time for the second part of my stroll down Spearmint Lane. (Don’t forget to read Part 1 of the Spearmint Mini-Roundup.) Out of the nine varieties of spearmint gum I’ve tried, I liked only three well enough to buy them again. Does that mean that most gum is lousy or that I’m picky?
Whatever the case, I’m going to share four more spearmint gums with you today. Some hot, some mild, some made with milk – it’s all here! Come on, let’s go.
Trident White is packaged in the same thin box with slide-out “gum sheet” as Eclipse. The white pellets are basically the same size and have the same Chiclets-style crunch. And, oh my, they ooze a hot liquid from the first chew. Fortunately, that goes away quickly but the overall taste remains mediocre at best. It has a slight sweetness that is nice but is almost undetectable underneath the residual heat. Trident White says it will “strengthen and whiten” teeth with something called ReCaldent – a milk derived substance. If you’re allergic to milk, don’t try Trident White. If you like to chew hot, crunchy milk, give it a try.
Wrigley’s Orbit is one of my top picks out of all the spearmint gums I’ve tried. A package has 14 individual strips about as wide as my pinkie finger, as long as two keys on the keyboard, and as tall as three CDs stacked together. (How’s that for a creative and confusing description?) They are soft to begin chewing and release a nice, mellow, sweet juice. The taste is quite possibly the epitome of a good spearmint, in my opinion. It’s long-lasting – over an hour. Anything over 20 minutes is great – more than an hour is phenomenal. Orbit has ridiculously irritating commercials, but the long-lasting, incredibly delicious flavor more than makes up for it.
Trident – I suppose this would be the “classic” version. They have the same small strip shape that Trident has had for as long as I can remember – the same shape now used by Stride and Orbit. Trident classic is very soft to begin chewing, the softest of any gum I’ve ever eaten. An extremely sweet juice is released and fills up your whole mouth. Deliciously sweet, perhaps even too sweet. Before I can decide, however, it’s gone – just like that! From “Is this sickeningly sweet?” to nothing in less than ten seconds. The gum also became a bit tough when the sweetness disappeared. A very strange experience.
5 Gum – Technically, this gum is called “Rain” but it has an emerald green wrapper which makes it a spearmint gum in my book. It is definitely a mild gum with a pleasantly sweet taste right from the beginning. It’s soft to chew and stays that way for as long as the sweetness lasts. It’s funny (in a strange sort of way) that the sweetness and softness go hand-in-hand on many of these gums. When the sweet flavor fades, the gum gets tougher. I wonder why that is. Anyway, on the lack of hotness (which is what I want in a spearmint gum) 5 Gum is a winner. The good flavor just doesn’t last long enough, though, and I doubt I’ll buy another pack.
I still find it fascinating that so many varieties of spearmint gum are available on the market. I suppose the same is true for peppermint and other classic flavors. No matter what your preferences are in a spearmint flavor, you’re bound to find a gum to make you happy. My top three favorites are (in random order) Orbit, Stride, and Trident Xtra Care. Sweet, mild, long-lasting, mmm.
Buy Spearmint Gum Online:
- at Old Time Candy
- at Amazon.com
- at Candy Direct
Hi there,
I used to like & buy 2 10-packs at a time of Wrigley’s Spearmint before they changed it. After trying the changed flavor and still not liking it, I switched to Doublemint which is much more tolerable indeed. Having no previous reference (of Doublemint flavor) helps too, I suppose.
Like you, I am also looking for my new *mint gum. Didn’t care for the taste of “Extra” (green or blue). For me, a packet of “Eclipse” has 6 pieces not 12 for one piece alone is too tiny & thin to be enjoyed. That makes Eclipse the most expensive one so far.
I like the “Trident Xtra Care” for what it is except that it gets unusually mushy & oozes in humid & warm weather. Wrigley’s Doublemint does get mushy & sticky but has higher threshold of unfavorable conditions.
I will try your suggestions of Stride & Orbit. If they also disappoint, I will revert to Doublemint. Then, there is always, very un-gum like, Altoids (peppermint), even if candy sand peppers out from its container now & then.
(Dang it! Only if Wrigley brings back the olden flavors!)
August 12th, 2009 at 5:57 amI forgot to mention that the rant on Criag’s List is somebody else’s, with whom I share the same experience in Hilo, Hawaii. I think I will also write a letter as I have been planning for a while, even though it will not do any good.
August 12th, 2009 at 6:02 am