You peel open a little silver wrapper to reveal a minty treasure inside. You pop the stick into your mouth and the mint envelopes your tongue. The perfect gum is not something to take for granted, and we wanted to find the best brand. With our mouths full of spearmint and our hearts full of the need to find the true best brand of gum, we set sail on our journey.
We tried five different brands of gum and rated them out of ten in the categories of taste (length and quality), texture, and price per piece, leaving each with an overall final score. We recruited fellow members of The Franklin Post to help us with our chewing, in hopes that our jaws would not be totally blown by the end of the period.
Orbit Spearmint
The first thing we noticed when we popped the singular piece of Orbit gum into our mouths was how strong it was initially; this was the first gum we tried so we had nothing to compare it to. It started fading relatively quickly despite us only chewing it for three minutes at that time, and after about 30 minutes of chewing, the flavor was gone altogether. The texture was fine; it was a bit crumbly and throughout our whole time chewing it was kind of grainy, like you had been eating something else and got crumbs in the gum. However this gum does get points for not getting hard after a short time. Taking one final glance at this brand of spearmint, the texture was consistent, the flavor was good even though it went away fast. For a 14 piece pack, and $0.11 per piece, it wasn’t bad.
Trident Spearmint
Even with only a few chews of Trident, we were puckering our lips to the overwhelming sweetness that filled our mouths. This could be due to the fact that the previous gum we had been chewing was Orbit, which we classified as having the strongest mint flavor. Despite many poor reviews for its sweetness, one author thoroughly enjoyed this gum, perhaps not as the most refreshing gum, but it felt like a nice treat. Trident’s rating for texture was quite high but there were reviews of it taking a little too long to get soft. It’s also worth noting that one chewer mentioned that it burned when they held their gum on their tongue for too long. The size of this stick of gum was also spoken highly of as it was easy to pop in your mouth but unfortunately too small for bubbles. Overall, this $0.07 per piece choice is a sweeter gum that could be a fan favorite specifically for younger audiences or if you are looking for a sweet treat in class.
Extra Spearmint
This gum was unique in the fact that it took a second to really kick in, unlike some that were strong right away. Once this gum showed its true colors, or flavors, if you will, it was much less intense; the flavor was still quite sweet though not nearly as bad as Trident. It was still minty and had a consistent flavor throughout the test. Though it didn’t have the cool mouth feeling that most mint gum gives you, it did have a mint flavor you could actually taste. The color of the actual gum was one of the only slightly off putting things, it was a light yellow color instead of the “mint green” we all were expecting. The piece was the biggest of all the gum we tried and had a very inconsistent texture. It was grainy, then it got harder, and even left a residue in my mouth. This gum wasn’t awful for only $0.08 per piece, but I for sure expected more.
Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Spearmint
Originally, there were high hopes for the cute little blue speckled gum squares, but disappointment can strike even when we least expect it. As we chewed, our eyes watered. There were comparisons to chewing an eraser, with complex hints of porta potty and dollar tree perfume. It was odd how far from the usual mint gum it truly was, with a rubbery texture and the orbs, which we at first thought were cute, tasting bitter. Thankfully, the flavor did not last and soon tasted like chewing a stiff rubber nothingness. Just as we thought all hope was lost, we figured out this gum is the best for bubbles! At $0.11 per cube, this is a great choice if you have lost all taste but would love to blow some bubbles or if you are absolutely desperate but otherwise, do yourself a favor, and buy another brand of gum.
GUM Mentos Spearmint
This last gum we tried was so much more intense than every other type we tried. The first couple bites were the strongest by far, and the mint flavor was incredibly overpowering; it felt like being spearminted through the throat. Once the original minty flavor died down, it slowly started getting sweet, not an awful, overpowering sweet like some of the previous gums we had tried, but sweet either way. The texture stayed soft and chewy the entire time once you got past the first couple bites. It’s important to note that this gum is in a container of 50 and isn’t individually wrapped. The gum’s exterior is hard and has a nice crunch while the inside has the strong minty gel that held the flavor at the start. I would definitely get this gum again; its flavor is only overwhelming if you have multiple pieces of the gum at the same time. It’s also sugar free and doesn’t stick as much to braces as some other brands.
We tasted and rated five different brands of gum; perhaps the next time you buy gum you’ll be more picky about your choices, or maybe you couldn’t care less about what brand you buy. But if you’re a true gum lover like the authors and the several other people who helped us chew, you’ll take into consideration how the gum truly makes you feel. Maybe the packaging is falling apart immediately, or maybe it’s hard as a rock. Perhaps the texture of the gum is awful and you never realized that’s why you don’t like gum, or perhaps you’ve found your ideal gum. Whatever that is for you, we hope our review helped you on your journey to find the right gum for you.
