Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Being old, I don't get out much these days. Instead, I mostly pass the time by smoking large cigars. Sadly, this is frowned on in the office where I work (I know, right?? Political correctness gone mad!!), so I chew a lot of gum when I'm there, and the flavors at the local CVS get pretty tired the nth time round. So when I saw these, I thought I'd give them a chew. They are pretty different from regular gum. They look, slightly disconcertingly, like pet food pellets; and they come loose and unwrapped in the box. In place of the wrappers, you get a separate bunch of post-chew wrappers, for thoughtful disposal of the used gum. I guess it's as good a way of saving a little on the manufacturing costs as any. The flavor is much less intense than regular gum - I'm not saying if that's good or bad, but there it is. And the flavors themselves? All good. My favorite is the licorice and fennel, a nicely subtle and complex taste; followed by the ginger, which has a nice little bit of heat to it. The coffee and maple syrup flavors are both good, sweet and mild. As for the cinnamon and mint? Well, I have to say, I don't really get cinnamon, it's always reminded me too much of old folk's baking when I was a kid; but the gum tastes like it's been made with the real thing,so that's to the good if you like it. Mint? Well I like a bit of mint as much as the next guy - plucked fresh from the garden on boiled new potatoes or shoved in a glass of hot, sweet tea - but I do feel there's too much mint in my life already. (I blame the toothpaste manufacturers. Would it really hurt so much just to offer us just a couple of choices?) But again, the taste of real mint is there. However, as with any gum, the flavor only lasts a few minutes at most; and this is where Simply Gum actually pulls ahead of regular gum. Instead of being left with what feels like a lump of tasteless soft plastic in your mouth, you actually have a smooth, natural tasting gum remaining. It actually reminds me a lot of the gum we used to make for ourselves from wheat as kids, back in the day. And that's a nice little bonus.