4.23 - Wrigley's: Big League Chew: Bubble Gum Flavor

The #1 requested gum has finally been reviewed. Big League Chew comes to "Now, Chew On This..." and we couldn't be happier. The gang was all smiles and rip roaring to get to it. We had two pouches to make sure there was plenty to go around and even shared some with others. Everywhere I went, people would say "Big League Chew!", "Where did you find it?", and "How come you never see adds for it anymore?"

For those that don't know, Big League Chew comes in a pouch and is shredded into thin strips so you can take as much or as little as you want.

Regardless it was worthy enough to push it's way up to the #4 Top Gum position!



Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam. Special guest reviewer: Dan2.


Flavor Longevity: 4.20
Jay - 4
Kevin - 4
Dan - 4
Adam - 5
Dan2 - 4

Comments:
"Just over 30 mins and the flavor is still there. It is disappearing slowly, but still there."
"The flavor drops, but still hangs out 40+ minutes later."



Taste: 4.40
Jay - 4
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 5
Dan2 - 4

Comments:
"Always loved Big League Chew. After awhile, it does develop a bit of an after taste, even while still chewing, but not bad."
"Some of the best bubble gum flavor...and it is made with real sugar, not artificial sweeteners."
"Solid bubblegum taste."



Flavor Strength: 4.60
Jay - 5
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 5
Dan2 - 4

Comments:
"Perfect delivery on long lasting flavor."
"Not sure if you can make bubble gum flavor too strong, but it definitely is not weak!"



Texture & Consistency: 4.00
Jay - 4
Kevin - 3
Dan - 5
Adam - 4
Dan2 - 4

Comments:
"The gum is very soft from the get go and stays soft even after some time. At first, it is hard to blow bubbles, but after about 20 mins, the gum develops the perfect consistency to blow small-medium sized bubbles."
"You can’t blame anyone but yourself if the amount is too little or too much. But, it starts out way too soft, but as time goes on, gains consistency."
"Really, really soft at first. Incredible mouth-feel."



Refreshment: 4.20
Jay - 4
Kevin - 3
Dan - 5
Adam - 5
Dan2 - 4

Comments:
"Gotta love Big League Chew!"
"Being a sweet gum, it doesn’t refresh, other than mentally. It just makes people happy."
"This is the epitome of all bubblegums. Just chewing the thing is bliss...blowing bubbles is almost a nice extra touch."



Bubble Ability: 4.00
Jay - 4
Kevin - 3
Dan - 4
Adam - 4
Dan2 - 5

Comments:
"Bubble blowing ability gets better the longer you chew the gum."
"Too soft to blow bubbles until about 10 minutes in, and then watch out! Bubbles as big as your head!"
"Pretty good, although it can be difficult to blow super-huge bubbles given how soft the gum is."



Overall Score: 4.23

2.80 - Stride: Mega Mystery

Stride: Mega Mystery is one of the new gums from Stride. Along with the Shift gums (see previous blog entry), this gum is one of Stride's attempts to break the mold of the standard mint and fruity gums. A try at something new...and that is something. We weren't looking forward to it, when the wrapper reminded us of Fruit Stripe, but luckily it was quite a bit better than that.




Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.


Flavor Longevity: 3.00
Jay - 4
Kevin - 2
Dan - 3
Adam - 3

Comments:
"I hate having to give this shitty gum a high score of 3 for something, but this taste just does not go away."
"So-so, but not as long lasting as I would expect from Stride. No pack of ninjas were deployed to make me spit out my gum."
"Lasts fairly long."
"Lasts way too long."



Taste: 2.25
Jay - 3
Kevin - 1
Dan - 4
Adam - 1

Comments:
"Ohh man, the initial taste is horrid! Stride should package this gum with another piece of gum that actually tastes good so as to allow someone a chance to get rid of this just horrible taste."
"Not half-bad. Kind of a tropical/Hawaiian Punch flavor."
"I wasn’t the biggest fan. It is kind of a pineapple like flavor."
"Blahhack!"



Flavor Strength: 3.25
Jay - 3
Kevin - 2
Dan - 5
Adam - 3

Comments:
"Not sure that is a good thing..."
"The flavor is mild the entire time."



Texture & Consistency: 3.25
Jay - 3
Kevin - 3
Dan - 4
Adam - 3

Comments:
"It’s easy to chew, not too soft, not too hard."



Refreshment: 2.25
Jay - 3
Kevin - 1
Dan - 4
Adam - 1

Comments:
"I cannot award any points for refreshment, but the minimum is a 1, alas."
"Pretty decent – the mystery flavor did not disappoint."
"Not really. It isn’t bad, it just doesn’t really refresh me. But, I don’t have to put in a minty gum right away...I can wait a bit."
"Refreshment was the extra large glass of water after spitting out the gum after the required minimum amount of chewing time."



Overall Score: 2.80

4.10 - Stride Shift: Citrus > Mint

Stride Shift: Citrus > Mint is a new type of gum experiment by Stride. This gum is supposed to change from one flavor to the other. It does that and more. The gang was so impressed by this gum, that it is now tied for the #5 rated gum in this blog.




Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.


Flavor Longevity: 4.75
Jay - 5
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 5

Comments:
"Lives up to it!"
"The flavor does last. I can still taste the Citrus and the Mint and I am going on over 30 minutes."
"Almost 45 mins in and the flavor is still here!"



Taste: 3.75
Jay - 3
Kevin - 4
Dan - 3
Adam - 5

Comments:
"Very strange. Starts out as ‘chemical citrus’, then fades to mint, then reverts to a regular citrus after the mint goes away. The resulting citrus flavor is ok, but the initial citrus/mint flavor is bizarre. I guess my mind isn’t ready for the Shift."
"Not sure, it is strange. I spent a lot of time wondering how long the Citrus flavor would stay before giving away to the mint."
"Impressive – both the citrus flavor and the mint."



Flavor Strength: 4.50
Jay - 4
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 5

Comments:
"Could have been a little more powerful."
"Not too overpowering, but not weak either. Perfect balance."



Texture & Consistency: 3.50
Jay - 3
Kevin - 3
Dan - 3
Adam - 5

Comments:
"Starts out horrible. Very tough to chew. Loosens up eventually and finishes ok."
"A bit strange. It seemed a tough at the beginning."
"Very easy to chew, even after all this time."



Refreshment: 4.00
Jay - 4
Kevin - 4
Dan - 3
Adam - 5

Comments:
"A tale of 2 gums, and I’m not talking about the Citrus/Mint thing. Initial gum is crappy – tough to chew and bizarre flavor. After a while, it chews much better and flavor improves. We’ll average the 2 and end up in the middle on the ratings scale."
"It blew my f*****g mind!"
"Refreshes and moistens - this gum is the shit!"



Overall Score: 4.10

2.50 - Trident: Watermelon Twist

Trident: Watermelon Twist is a dividing gum. Scores ranged from a 1 to a 5 in the same category. I don't think we have reviewed a gum that had such a wide range of opinions.



Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.


Flavor Longevity: 2.25
Jay - 2
Kevin - 2
Dan - 4
Adam - 1

Comments:
"It fades more than the Colts in the playoffs."
"Keeps the flavor for a relatively decent amount of time."
"Doesn’t last long, but that’s sorta a good thing cause this gum sucks."



Taste: 2.50
Jay - 2
Kevin - 2
Dan - 5
Adam - 1

Comments:
"It started out with some promise, turned to crap, and then evened out until the flavor went away."
"Pretty good for watermelon (and I’m not even a fan of watermelon in general)."
"Just sucks. It’s like Trident said, guys we’re running out of time and need to release a new gum this quarter, and someone spoke up and said, well I think this one sucks the least."



Flavor Strength: 3.00
Jay - 2
Kevin - 3
Dan - 4
Adam - 3

Comments:
"Not good."
"Could be a touch stronger."
"I am not sure that a three here is a good thing."



Texture & Consistency: 2.50
Jay - 3
Kevin - 2
Dan - 3
Adam - 2

Comments:
"It was fine. In this case, I am kinda glad there wasn’t more gum!"
"A bit tough to chew at first."



Refreshment: 2.25
Jay - 2
Kevin - 2
Dan - 4
Adam - 1

Comments:
"Nah!"
"Overall, a pretty solid gum. Up the flavor strength a bit and make it easier to chew on the onset, and you’d have a clear winner."
"Just another shitty gum."



Overall Score: 2.50

2.25 - Bubblicious: Blueberry

You know what I just realized? Back when I was a kid, during the Bubblicious-Hubba Bubba wars, none of the big bubble blowing gums had any minty flavors. They were always fruity types. Is that strange? Why not have a minty bubble gum? Orbit has Bubble Mint, but it is a classic bubble gum flavor with a minty twist, not a true bubble gum. I think that is strange.




Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.

Flavor Longevity: 1.75
Jay - 2
Kevin - 2
Dan - 1
Adam - 2

Comments:
"Were they embarrassed of the flavor and wanted you to not remember it?"
"Disappears within about 15 mins or so..."
"Flavor is gone at the 20 minute mark. It probably went away before, but the gum is kinda boring, so I didn’t notice."



Taste: 2.00
Jay - 2
Kevin - 3
Dan - 2
Adam - 1

Comments:
"Not too great. Blueberry has a very chemical-like aftertaste."
"Blueberry sucks."
"Initially, it wasn’t bad, but it is now, kinda gross."



Flavor Strength: 2.50
Jay - 2
Kevin - 3
Dan - 2
Adam - 3

Comments:
"Kind of weak. Maybe that’s a good thing..."
"Not too strong, not too weak."
"Weak."



Texture & Consistency: 2.00
Jay - 3
Kevin - 2
Dan - 1
Adam - 2

Comments:
"Starts to get hard to chew eventually. My jaw is getting a workout."
"It's rather easy to chew at first, but quickly becomes quite hard to chew..."
"It is a large piece of Bubblicious, but for some reason it seems puny."



Refreshment: 1.50
Jay - 2
Kevin - 2
Dan - 1
Adam - 1

Comments:
"Didn’t care for this weak-ass gum. Flavor is mostly non-existent, and the chew is not conducive to my chew needs. I have chew needs, dammit! Why can’t you people understand this!"
"No, nothing about this gum is refreshing."
"Not a chance."



Bubble Ability: 3.75
Jay - 3
Kevin - 4
Dan - 4
Adam - 4

Comments:
"Pretty solid."
"Is rather easy to create and blow bubbles."
"The puniness of the gum makes it hard to prep it for bubble making, but when you do, it isn’t so bad."



Overall Score: 2.25

4.20 - Wrigley's 5: React (cool)

Wrigley's 5: React is a newer gum apparently. It has an interesting scent almost like a mix of mints. It's color is black, which is rare. The scent was promising, let's see how it went...




Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.


Flavor Longevity: 4.25
Jay - 5
Kevin - 4
Dan - 4
Adam - 4

Comments:
"The flavor lasts quite a while. Even if the flavor started to wuss out, the permeation of the flavor stayed."
"Even after 20 minutes the flavor is still there. I’m impressed."
"Lasts pretty long."



Taste: 3.75
Jay - 4
Kevin - 4
Dan - 4
Adam - 3

Comments:
"A nice mixture of mint. A little Pepto-ish, but not in a bad way."
"Not horrible, but not my favorite either. I didn’t “React” by spitting it out…at least not at first anyway."
"It’s like chewing Pepto Bismol in gum form (strange, yet minty)."



Flavor Strength: 4.50
Jay - 5
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 4

Comments:
"Pow!"
"Very strong flavor. Although the flavor seems to just drip off the gum and run down your tongue into your throat...not sure if that is good or bad...so I give it a 4."
"Stimulate your senses, indeed."



Texture & Consistency: 4.00
Jay - 3
Kevin - 4
Dan - 5
Adam - 4

Comments:
"As with most stick gums, just not enough."
"It's good – not too dense and not too soft."



Refreshment: 4.50
Jay - 5
Kevin - 4
Dan - 4
Adam - 5

Comments:
"It worked very well. Lunch aftertaste is a distant memory."
"Very refreshing."



Overall Score: 4.20

4.00 - Hubba Bubba Max: Sweet & Sassy Cherry

Hubba Bubba Max: Sweet & Sassy Cherry is the latest. Surprisingly good reviews. This one had some challenges going into it. Fruity gums don't usually perform well, and sour gums usually are about the same.




Participating in this review: Jay, Kevin, Dan, & Adam.


Flavor Longevity: 3.25
Jay - 3
Kevin - 5
Dan - 3
Adam - 2

Comments:
"The flavor declined like a brick filled balloon after about 15 minutes."




Taste: 3.75
Jay - 3
Kevin - 5
Dan - 5
Adam - 2

Comments:
"Awesome!"
"It is okay. The taste is just kind of there, but not bad."
"Surprisingly good for a bubble gum. Cherry flavor is actually pleasant."



Flavor Strength: 4.25
Jay - 4
Kevin - 5
Dan - 5
Adam - 3

Comments:
"Pretty strong. Not sour enough for the sour label."
"Just right."



Texture & Consistency: 4.25
Jay - 4
Kevin - 5
Dan - 5
Adam - 3

Comments:
"Good amount of gum. A good chew."



Refreshment: 3.75
Jay - 3
Kevin - 5
Dan - 5
Adam - 2

Comments:
"Not too refreshing. Left me with a sugary taste and cherry-ish film."
"This is a really enjoyable gum. I was impressed."



Bubble Ability: 4.75
Jay - 5
Kevin - 5
Dan - 5
Adam - 4

Comments:
"It is freakin’ Hubba Bubba!"
"Bubbles are xobx-hueg!"



Overall Score: 4.00