Hubba Bubba Max Mystery Flavor

Back in elementary school, when I got an allowance of 2 dollars a week, much of that money was spent on bubble gum from the grocery store a couple blocks from my house. There's just something so fun and frivolous about bubble gum, and I still blow bubbles to this day, no matter what kind of gum I'm chewing.

These days, I tend to stick to sugarfree gum, but every now and then, something like Hubba Bubba will jump out at me. When I bought this gum at the supermarket last week, my exact words to my husband were, "This girl I can't resist a mystery flavor." I love a good gimmick, and I think I have a pretty good guess at this flavor.


The two-toned gum smelled like almond extract. Right away, it tasted like lemonade, and as I chewed, cherry flavor emerged. My guess is Cherry Lemonade. It was juicy and sour, and not too sweet. When I blew bubbles, the woodsy cherry flavors really emerged, reminding me of amaretto and cherry Starbursts. The lemon wasn't at all like a cleaning product, just sour and tangy.

The gum itself was large and very soft, making it easy to chew and blow bubbles. I had to be careful of my glasses, because the bubbles I could blow could have easily overtaken my nose. As expected, the flavor started to wear thin after just a couple minutes, but the delicious initial favor won me over.

Check out another review at Gum Alert, and from reading the comments, it seems like this "mystery flavor" is a simple re-release. Well, it worked on me.
B+

Hubba Bubba website

Orbit Fruit Punch

Ah, Orbit gum. It's been a while, old friend. While waiting to check out at my local Target, I spied Fruit Punch during my routine impulse candy scan. I've been off gum for a while, but a new Orbit flavor is always a good excuse to start chewing again.

Fruit Punch is a very nostalgic scent and flavor for me. I used to use Bonne Bell Fruit Punch Lip Smackers lip balm every day in middle school, and that red smell is permanently buried in my nose. Even though it made my mouth feel fuzzy (probably from excess vitamin C), I went through a Hawaiian Punch phase at about the same time. These are my fruit punch memories, and I drew upon them to review Orbit Fruit Punch.


Maybe it was a bad idea to hope this gum would taste like Hawaiian Punch. It wasn't even close. The gum smelled sweet and a bit like strawberries. The flavor was slightly tart and fruity. I picked out banana and peach, but anything else was lost in an indistinguishable blend. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't fruit punch.

It didn't taste punchy (or like red food dye) at all. That's probably a good thing, because Hawaiian Punch is not a flavor that occurs in nature, but I wanted that flavor. Orbit Fruit Punch felt very subdued in comparison, and I was disappointed. Rest assured that there was no mint here, just a slight cooling sensation for that fresh feeling Orbit advertises. I chewed for about 15 minutes before the flavor dulled and I got sick of it.

C+

Orbit Gum

Juicy Fruit Groovy Fruity

In keeping with that gum theme, I bought myself this cute little cup of Juicy Fruit Groovy Fruity because I was attracted to the funky, colorful packaging. Despite nostalgic jingles about the moving taste of Juicy Fruit, I was never a big fan, simply because I couldn't really tell exactly which fruit it was supposed to taste like.

Well, neither of the two flavors in Groovy Fruity were well identified, either. They didn't taste like the original, vaguely tropical Juicy Fruit. Since I'm not sure what the two flavors were, I'll go by color: white and red. In my cup, there seemed to be more white than red.


The red pieces had an artificial cherry-like flavor, so what I'm really saying is that they tasted red. The tabs were firm at first, but they softened as the crunchy shell dissolved. Red was sweet, juicy, and just a tiny bit tart. It wasn't minty but did have a slight cooling effect. The flavor lasted five minutes or so before becoming a dull hint of fruity sweetness. At this point, the gum had a firmer, denser chew than I prefer.

The white tabs were a little more like the original Juicy Fruit, only with a very strong minty flavor and intense cooling effect. These chewed softer than the red gum, but didn't taste as fruity. The flavor was longer lasting, but neither flavor was all that good. I still like the container, but I wouldn't buy this again.

C+

Juicy Fruit website

Extra Key Lime Pie Gum

Sugar free gum knows no limits these days. This Key Lime Pie gum didn't show up at my local grocery store at the same time as the Mint Chocolate Chip and the Strawberry Shortcake, but it's probably the oddest of the three flavors.

Once I sample a gum flavor and take pictures, the rest of the pack usually goes on the corner of my desk, both to save my jaw and to share with my coworkers. It doesn't seem like the Key Lime Pie gum is a big hit, at least not compared to the other two Extra Dessert flavors.


The scent and taste were pretty much a dead ringer for key lime pie, but there was something about the cream element that was just a little too sour for me. It didn't stop me from enjoying the gum, but the delicate balance of citrus and cream that didn't translate here. The taste was another Willy Wonka experience, because I could have sworn I sensed a graham cracker crust, along with tart and acidic key lime and that bizarre cream sensation.

The lime and cream didn't play as well here as the strawberry and cream in Strawberry Shortcake, but that weird sour note did eventually go away, and I didn't notice it as much the next time I tried a piece. The flavor faded to a very mild, sweet lime gum pretty quickly (maybe after 2 minutes), and it became a little tough to chew. Still, this was another fun dessert experience from Extra, but not my favorite of the three flavors. Extra gets extra points for trying something different.

B-

Extra website

Orbit Lime Melon Gum

About 3 years ago, I went through a melon phase. I worked at a Bath and Body Works at the time, so I bought every melon product we sold - watermelon lipgloss, honeydew lotion, cucumber melon shower gel...well, we didn't carry very many melon products. Melon soda was my favorite soft drink (despite being so hard to find in America), Midori was my favorite liquor for cocktails, and I was all about melon candy.

Those days are gone, and though I still have a fondness for the flavor, it tends to be a little too sweet for me now. Still, when I tried Orbit Melon Lime a few months ago, I remembered really liking it. Unfortunately, when I set out to review it last week, the memory just didn't hold up.


The gum smelled mostly limey and a bit like melon, in a soapy way. The pieces were quite hard at first, and the early flavor was dominated by a very floral melon(honeydew, if I had to guess). As I chewed, the lime flavor emerged, but overall, the flavor was mild and slightly soapy.

The gum was cool without being minty, and the gum softened quickly while still retaining some bounce. The "good, clean feeling" that Orbit advertises was manifested in the squeakiness of the gum against my teeth. The flavor combination didn't work that well, and the gum was only okay. A bolder lime might have suited me better.

B-

Orbit Website

Orbit Perfect Peach and Berry Red

Despite my recent lack of Orbit gum reviews, I have continued my quest to try every flavor. Orbit has made that rather difficult lately, with the barrage of new flavors released in the past few months. I've tried them all, but some of them slipped through the review cracks. Don't worry, things are under control at Gum Alert!

But I did review two of the new flavors, Perfect Peach and Berry Red. I liked the bright packaging, and both seemed like good flavors for summer. I haven't seen much peach gum, so I was especially excited for that one.


Perfect Peach smelled sour and juicy, and the initial flavor was pretty strong and fairly authentic. I was reminded of a sour, not quite ripe peach. The gum felt cool but not minty. The chew was nice and bouncy without being too tough, but most of the flavor was gone within a few minutes. B


Berry Red smelled so much like medicine. It didn't taste as quite as strong as it smelled, thankfully. The gum was tangy and juicy, with a false mixed berry flavor that reminded me of bubble gum. Again, the texture of the gum was good, but it lost flavor quickly. The gum was chewable, but too medicine-like for me to buy again. C-

Orbit website

Orbit Mist Raspberry Lemon Dew

It's been a little while since I've done an Orbit review, but I am still on track for my goal of trying every flavor of Orbit available in the US. Raspberry Lemon is from the somewhat recent Orbit Mist line, which is supposed to be juicier than the regular Orbit gum.

I love the swirly fun inner packaging, but I don't love that all the boxes are the same shade of blue. One of my favorite things about Orbit is the fun, distinctive colors of the packaging. I love seeing a rainbow of colored gum packages in the checkout lane, and Orbit Mist just doesn't stand out as much.


The gum smelled like a fake lemony raspberry, leaning a little towards cleaning solution. The gum seemed crispy as I chewed it, and it was very juicy. The flavor wasn't realistic, but still pretty good. I was reminded of the flavored lemonades sold at American restaurant chains like Applebee's or Red Robin.

This was not a long-lasting flavor gum, and after a few minutes, I had to resist the urge to pop another piece. The flavor was definitely enjoyable, but once it was gone, the remaining flavor was very non-descript and mediocre.

The ladies at Gum Alert adored this gum, so be sure to check out their review.

B+

Orbit website

Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits

While filling up at a gas station on the way to see a concert, I stopped in the attached convenience store and was shocked and thrilled to find Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits. Since I wanted to consume them right away, I took pictures in the car, with the candy on my lap and in my hand.

These have been on my mind ever since Cybele's Valentine's Day 2010 candy tease, as I love Skittles and almost all fizzy candy. Unfortunately, the grocery stores near me are very slow to receive new items (they just now carry Crazy Cores on their shelves), but I always forget about gas stations. With pay at pump, I hardly have a reason to go inside and look at all the new, overpriced candy (these Skittles were $1.39 US).


One whiff of the open bag told me that the flavors were the same as the Wild Berry Skittles, so I won't go too deeply into how the flavors differed. They had the appearance of Sour Skittles, but the effect was entirely different.

These were very fizzy on the tongue - surprisingly fizzy! You have to suck on them a bit to get the true effect, but it made me think of a berry soda (close to the point of bubbles up your nose, but without the pain). Fizzl'd Fruits were tasty, nostalgic, and fun. If you like the berry flavors, definitely check these out. I prefer the original fruits, but it was nice to see a new spin on a different flavor set. Now, I wonder if they can combine fizzy with sour?

There's also a review of these at CandyBlog.

A-

Skittles Website (note: it's very graphic-intense)

Wrigley Eclipse Breeze Exotic Mint

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices. I don't know about it being exotic, but it is fairly common in Indian cuisine. It's great on rice pudding and in chai tea, but you do have to be careful how much you put in. Once, I made brownies and added too much cardamom, rendering them inedible.

This is the first cardamom gum I've ever seen. There was a berry flavor available as well, but the mint sounded better to me. I had seen pictures of this gum on Flickr, but didn't know it contained cardamom until seeing it at the store. I figured the cardamom wouldn't be distinguishable from the mint.


The gum didn't really smell like anything special at all, but from the first chew, the cardamom was obvious. It made for a spicy cooling sensation that was just a tiny bit hot on the tongue. It was very fresh and authentic.

This is unlike any other mint gum I've tried, and I have to hand it to Eclipse for that. The flavor lasted a long time, and the texture was just about right. My husband and I were in agreement - this is a great gum.

The Impulsive Buy and Gigi-Reviews also reviewed this one (and they both liked it).

A

Eclipse website

Orbit Pina Colada Gum

I'll admit it - my heart did a little dance of joy when I saw this gum at the grocery store. Orbit is my favorite brand of gum, and rarely am I disappointed by it. One such case was the recent flavor, the polarizing Positively Pomegranate, which tasted good but had a bizarre texture. I should pick up another pack to see if anything has changed.

On the topic of this flavor, both my husband and I thought we had tried Pina Colada gum before but couldn't remember a specific instance. In any case, the gum came home with us because I couldn't resist.


It smelled like toasted coconut, which might instantly put off some people, but I can't imagine those people choosing to buy this gum. The piece was hard at first, and took some tough chewing to get started. It was fruity and sour on the tongue, and sweet coconut dominated the flavor profile, with a background pineapple and a hint of mint.

The sweetness was the first to go, after a couple minutes, and then it was just a mild coconut. The mint hung around for a while, and the leftover flavor wasn't bad. There were occasional bursts of pineapple as I continued chewing. The gum seemed to get harder as I chewed, and had somewhat of a rubbery texture. It became a workout for my jaw after about 15 minutes. Despite this, the flavor was tasty and original, and it makes a great addition to the Orbit line up.

Have a look at Gigi-reveiws and The Impulsive Buy for more.

A-

Orbit Website

Wrigley 5 Gum Solstice

While shopping for a baby shower gift for some friends, this new Solstice gum caught my eye, and I couldn't resist. From the name, I couldn't really tell what the flavor would be, but it certainly looked cool.

In fact, the packaging really drew me in. It's not that different from the normal 5 Gum packaging, but the swirls look pretty. Also, I love the color of the wrappers, which you can see in the next picture.


As soon as I took off the shrink wrap, there was a really strong wintergreen scent. The gum was a bit milder than it smelled, but had a very strong cooling sensation. The sharpness of the wintergreen was toned down by a subtle sweetness that I couldn't place.

The gum was pleasant and minty, and the sweetness was a nice twist on the usual wintergreen. The flavor lasted at least 20 minutes, though the cooling effect did subside over time.

B+

5 Gum website

Orbit Mist Mango Surf Gum

Along with the watermelon gum, I picked up Mango Surf while at a gas station. I love mango, but had never had purely mango gum before. Normally, it gets thrown in with other flavors and fades to the background.

Again, the packaging was fresh and cute, and the blue and orange looked quite nice together. You can see the little flavor orbs in the picture below. Unlike the Watermelon Spring (a pale and unappetizing green), this gum was a pale yellow, and looked better to me. Unfortunately, the colors in my pictures look pretty similar. I will have to get better at this.


The gum smelled really fruity, and within the first couple chews, I was reminded of papaya juice that I used to drink as a kid. There was mango, too, but the papaya taste was an instant hit of nostalgia for me, so I thought this gum was fantastic.

But, once the initial flavor faded, there was just a mildly fruity flavor left that didn't really live up to the initial flavor. At least the duller flavor did last a long time, so if you love it, great! The watermelon got better after the initial sourness went away, but the mango got worse. One last note: the mango gum never got soft, and chewed well all the way through.

B

Orbit Website

Wrigley 5 Gum Zing

While at the grocery store with some friends, we saw a kind of 5 gum that we had never seen before, so one of my friends picked it up. As a kid, I chewed a lot of bubble gum, but I never really liked the traditional bubble gum flavor. I just liked blowing bubbles.

The packaging is really cute. I love the combination of pink and black. It was marketed as being a gum that's sour, then sweet. A little iffy sounding for a bubble gum, but I am always up for new things.


It smelled like normal bubble gum, and had a slight fruity hint along with the traditional bubble gum flavor. It did taste sour, in a way that was a little off-putting. It stayed sour for quite a while, and didn't get sweet for at least 10 minutes. The sweet flavor hung around for a long time.

In general, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really good, either. I was also disappointed because it wasn't really bubble gum. I could barely blow a bubble at all with it, even compared to non-bubble gums (vanilla Dentine Ice was great for bubbles). Not something I'd buy again, but there are other flavors of 5 gum that I like, Rain and Lush in particular.

C+

5 Gum website

Orbit Mist Watermelon Spring Gum

Gas stations and convenience stores always have the newest candy. A couple days ago at a Sunoco station convenience store, my husband and I happened across this new Orbit gum called "Orbit Mist" and of the 3 available kinds (watermelon, mango, and mint), we got the two fruit flavors.

I don't know if I'd be satisfied if this was all I had to quench my thirst, but this gum claimed to give a hydrating sensation. Regardless of that, the packaging, both inside and out, was cute, fun, and fresh, and definitely caught my attention.


The gum, a pale shade of green, smelled a lot like watermelon candy (Jolly Ranchers came to mind), much stronger than a real watermelon. The gum itself was a little grainy from the flavor crystals, an almost seemed crunchy. I don't know that I got a huge hydrating sensation, either, but sensation is a term that can be used pretty loosely. It was juicy, but not more than other gum.

The taste was at first really sour, reminding me even more of a Jolly Rancher. The juiciness quickly died down, as did the tartness, leaving a much mellower watermelon flavor that was pleasant. The gum felt cool in my mouth without being minty, and the texture stayed nice and bouncy for about 30 minutes, after which it softened (sort of like the infamous pomegranate, only not as dramatic) and I had to spit it out. I feel I should mention that the flavor was still hanging around at that point. Overall, I enjoyed this gum. My jaw hurts if I chew gum for too long, anyway.

B+

Orbit Website

Orbit Crystal Mint Gum

This is the elusive 16th flavor; the last current regular Orbit flavor I had to find. I bought it at Meijer, near the checkout lanes. They had 3-packs in the candy aisle at one point, but they were all gone when I went, and it looked like they were on clearance. The pictured pack is all beat up because it was in my purse for a week or so before I remembered to take a picture.

Anyhow, I knew it would be minty, since it's Crystal Mint, but seeing as Orbit already has a Peppermint, Spearmint, and Winter Mint, I wasn't exactly sure what I would be getting. Would it be like Dentyne Ice's bizarre (and overpowering) Arctic Chill? Or more like Extra Polar Ice (meaning Extra Xylitol)? Or do those two gums taste the same?

What I got surprised me. This gum tastes a lot like Wint-o-green Life Savers. You know, the ones you could crack with your teeth in a dark room and make sparks? In fact, the whole experience reminded me of those sparks, bringing a pleasant nostalgic feeling.

Also, this gum has little blue blobs in it that I assume are "flavor crystals." I wish I took a picture, but if you've ever had Ice Breakers gum, you know what I mean.

My only complaint is that I'm not sure it tastes very different from Wintermint. It's been a long time since I had that flavor, so I'll have to try and compare them.

B+

Orbit Website

Orbit Raspberry Mint Gum

I'm a big fan of raspberries. That fruity bite that only raspberries can give is just awesome. I even like the seeds.

This flavor of Orbit, while lacking that real raspberry bite, is pretty good. I remember liking it more in the past than I did this time around, but this is another fruit/mint fusion gum. The flavor is understated, but that's probably good, because going into Blue Raspberry Blow Pop territory would just be too much.

The texture is good; I didn't have any complaints about it being too hard or too soft. The flavor hung around a pretty long time, which is typical of Orbit, but it did lose its flavor before my jaw started to get tired from chewing.

This one might just barely make the top 5. Maybe it's number 6. I'll have to think about it.

A

Orbit Website

Orbit Citrusmint Gum

I have a confession - I have now tried all 16 available flavors of Orbit. Soon, I will rank them. But first, I want to review some of my forgotten favorites, like Citrusmint.

This is probably where my taste for fruity/minty gum came from. Orbit Citrusmint. It doesn't get much better for me (although this is not my #1 Orbit gum), but if you're not into the fruit/mint combo, stay away.

It has a nice juicy start, then loses its initial juiciness, but the flavor does return and I found myself getting sick of chewing gum before the flavor disappeared. It tastes like a sweet orange juice with just a hint of lemon and maybe a little grapefruit, and it kind of reminds me of that canned Donald Duck juice I used to drink when I was younger. The mint isn't too strong here, it's more of a mild cooling sensation.

The texture is good, maybe a little too firm, but not unpleasant. I think Orbit gum can be a little inconsistent from piece to piece, some being harder than others (although I've only had the weird softness with the Pomegranate). All in all, a great gum. Definitely top 5.

A

Orbit Website

Orbit Sangria Fresca Gum

I know I said I wouldn't do another gum review for a while, but while cooking, I found this pack of Sangria Fresca in my cupboard and just couldn't resist. It literally came out of the woodwork. If you're curious, this was the 13th flavor of Orbit I tried.

This one smells and tastes like Kool-Aid. I can't really place the fruity flavors, but there's definitely citrus going on. I don't taste any wine, so I don't think it passes for Sangria, but it's still pretty tasty gum.


The texture is good, but I'll admit I didn't chew it all the way, because I'm not keen on gum right now. Orbit gum is pretty dependable (except for that pomegranate) and I've had this before and remember it having a decent life (at least 10 minutes of flavor) and it never got soft and sticky.

It doesn't have a mint flavor, but it doesn't leave your moth feeling stale, so this one is pretty good. Better than Fabulous Fruitini, which was released at the same time.

A-

Orbit Website

Orbit Fabulous Fruitini Gum

In my quest to taste all current flavors of Orbit gum, I've come to my penultimate flavor. Although it's not the newest, I had just never gotten around to trying it. I figure the snack blog is a good enough excuse.

This time, it's Fabulous Fruitini. What fruit is it going to be? The smell is a little reminiscent of PEZ, but I wouldn't recommend smelling the whole box, it kind of smells like paint. Smell 1 stick. Unwrapped.


The gum is quite tangy and juicy! I think I can taste pineapple and banana right off the bat, but I'm not really sure what other fruits are in play here. It kind of reminds me of Fruit Stripe gum, only without as much artificial color. Compared to other Orbit flavors, though, the flavor was gone kind of quickly, maybe only 5 minutes of good, juicy chewing. There is a slight background mint that keeps it from tasting stale, though, which is great.

The texture is similar to that of the Strawberry Mint: firm but not hard, smooth, and squeaky. I'd place this one in the bottom third in the Orbit deliciousness spectrum, where Lemon Lime is on the bottom and Citrusmint (or Raspberry Mint) is at the top.

Only Crystal Mint is left now. It might be a while, since I now have 4 packs of Orbit at home to chew, and my jaw is tired from all this gum reviewing. Not to mention I'm getting a little worried about what the sorbitol will do to me.

C-

Orbit Website

Orbit Strawberry Mint Gum

The Orbit gum reviews continue! Next, we have another limited edition flavor, Strawberry Mint. I will admit I have tried this one before (it was the 12th out of 16 I tried) but I just had to blog about it, because it's one of my favorites.


The gum smells like strawberries. It might not be the most genuine strawberry smell, kind of like a Strawberry Shortcake doll might smell, but it's a good smell! The gum tastes great, too, it captures the sweetness and tartness of the perfect strawberry - not too sweet, not unripe, it's just delicious. There's a slight mintiness in the background, but it's not the main event. This one is right up there with Citrusmint and Raspberry Mint.

The flavor hung around for a pretty long time, maybe 15 to 20 minutes or so before just becoming minty. It's got a good, springy and smooth texture and it was making my teeth squeak. I know they're not really getting much cleaner, but it's a nice sound. I really wish this one wasn't limited edition! This is the epitome of fruity-mint, though, so I'd stay away if you aren't into that.

A+

Orbit Website