Sugar Savvy

Brian over at Candy Addict posted a review of Wrigley’s new “5” sugarless gum earlier this week. Sounds like they’re givin’ it out like….candy. We got us some too.

Here’s what I think.

Let me first disclose the fact that I am essentially addicted to Wrigley’s Extra. I chew it… a LOT (usually 3-4 sticks at a time, if you want to know the truth). So I came into this tasting with the Extra frame of reference, being accustomed to a gum that is very sweet and strong. So, like Candy Addict, I was initially unimpressed with the intensity of the flavor when I first put it in my mouth. But in this case, less may be more; in other words, slow and steady wins the race. The flavors may be on the mild side, but this gum really does last an EXTRA long time. Oh my…it lasts and LASTS!

The three available flavors are the ambiguously titled: Cobalt, Rain and Flare (peppermint, spearmint and cinnamon, respectively). I’m not sure these “EXTREME” flavors hold quite the cache that Wrigley’s intended; what, exactly, is the flavor of rain? And cobalt? Is a hard, lustrous, silver-grey metal something that I want to put in my mouth and chew? Still scratching my head over the names.

But get a load of the packaging. If James Bond were to chew gum, this would be the one. I never thought gum could be classy. It’s more like a pack of cigarillos or Export A’s than a pedestrian box of Camels. Fan-cy! This is indeed the gum to whip out of your Harry Winston diamond-studded clutch the next time you find yourself strolling down the red carpet. You know, because during my last trip down the red carpet, I felt so tacky with my tacky little packs of Wrigley’s Extra Polar Ice and Classic Bubble. 

But for daily chewin’ and casual Fridays, I’m sticking to the EXTRA. If it ain’t broke…

The 15-stick pack will sell for apx $1.49/pack. (Psst….you’re totally paying for the packaging. A 15-stick pack of Extra is .99¢)