Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought variety packs of both Glee and Simply Gum to stock up and figure out which is my favorite. Yes, perhaps I have too much time on my hands ;) First, here’s my overall summary of the two for quality and price: Simply Gum (5/5 gold stars): • Simply Gum took me a little while to get used to (my initial rating was 4/5). • Now that I’ve adjusted to the softer, stickier texture, it’s my favorite gum and I find it hard to go back to regular gum. • The flavors are all appealing to me – subtle but interesting – like the “real food” equivalent to regular gum. • The flavor is integrated into the gum (rather than just in a coating) so it’s not overpowering and also lasts quite a long time. • It seems more expensive, but with about 20 pieces per box (one piece at a time is sufficient) it’s actually not bad. A serving of Glee is 2 pieces, so a box of Glee gum contains 8 servings. • The packaging design is beautiful and functional. It makes me a little happy whenever I use it. Glee Gum (3/5 gold stars): • Glee Gum is tasty when you first chew it, but the flavor disappears quickly. • The texture of Glee is also a bit dense and rigid for my liking – especially after a minute when the sugar is gone. • Overall, Glee is economical and fine for people who don’t want to chew for very long. • The flavors are all quite good - my favorites are tangerine and mixed berry. I’d much rather chew either of these gums than go back to a major brand like Trident, etc. This is partly because I prefer Glee and Simply Gum and partly because they are more sustainable. Most leading brands of gum list a “gum base” on their ingredients. This gum base can include polyethylene (plastic), polyvinyl acetate (wood glue), paraffin wax, fats (hydrogenated vegetable oil) and talc. Glee and Simply Gum are both made from natural tree gum (chicle), harvested by tapping Manilkara trees that grow in the rainforests of Central America. I think that both of them are far superior to the big commercial brands of gum and both deserve 5/5 green stars for social and environmental impact. Here is some more info on these two brands: • Harvesting natural gum from trees can help protect rainforests and support a sustainable practice that has gone on for thousands of years. • Natural gum also has a lower carbon footprint than petroleum-derived ingredients that are used to make the “gum base” of commercial gum. • Natural gums (Glee and Simply gum) are also biodegradable – reducing biological hazards (and ugly pavements). • In Simply Gum, most of the ingredients (sugar, glycerin, rice flour) are organically grown. • In Glee Gum, the sugar is not organic but it is Fairtrade certified. • Both Glee and Simply Gum are packaged in recyclable cardboard boxes – no plastic. • Both companies and woman-owned and based in the US. • Glee Gum works with people with disabilities and supports Trees for the Future and scholarships at the Maya University in Mexico. More info on sustainable chewing gum is available on greenstarsproject. Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me!