Toward the end of every episode of Inside the Actors Studio, James Lipton asks his guests the same 10 questions, the sixth of which is, “What sound or noise do you hate?” Mine is unequivocally the sound of water running in a sink without purpose. It’s so wasteful, and when I hear it, I can feel my blood pressure rise. That’s me—always trying to do my part on this planet. I recycle everything possible, I use Scott Natural Tube-Free toilet paper so that I don’t have the cardboard roll, I compost all food scraps, and I’ve even purchased reusable brew-your-own pods for my Keurig so that I don’t have the waste from the K-cups and can compost the coffee grounds. It is safe to call me a “tree hugger.” In fact, I find that to be a compliment!
Tree Hugger All Natural Bubble Gum, Fantastic Fruit Mix, is trying to do its part with being natural: no artificial flavors or colors and free of gluten, nuts, and dairy. (Wait, can gum even have dairy?) Plus, there’s no GMO or high-fructose corn syrup, and the gum is both vegan and kosher. Plus, the product is made in the USA. Wow. I am impressed. But how does it taste?
I sat down with my stopwatch and tore into the bag of gum like a monkey on a cupcake. My hopes were high, because I want to see a product like this succeed. So let’s get to the ratings.
The Mastication Evaluation
For all five flavors, the ratings are the same except for flavor.
- Flavor (Overall): 3.6/5 — for the most part, the flavors are sweet and delicious
- Pomegranate: 4/5 — the first two bites were reminiscent of chewing on my plastic; however, the third bite was pomegranate all the way.
- Classic Bubble Gum: 3/5 — wow, this one is like bubble gum with just a hint of cinnamon, and I love it! However, this flavor was the quickest to go, at just 1 minute.
- Lemonade: 5/5 — it’s like I’m back at Heritage Day in Copley, Ohio, sipping on a fresh-squeeze lemonade. Amazing and the best in the bag!
- Wildberry: 1/5 — a little bitter to me; the least enjoyable flavor in the bag.
- Watermelon: 5/5 — a close second as the best flavor in the bag, because it tastes just like a fresh slice of watermelon.
- Scent: 2/5 — it’s barely detectable.
- Texture: 3/5 — super, super easy and soft to chew, but the gumballs themselves are so small that I feel the need to chew three or more at a time, and that gets into my whole wasteful thing.
- Taste Time: 2/5 — at 1 minute 10 seconds, the flavor is really dropping, and at 2 minutes, the flavor is gone, and I need to toss it.
- Long-Term Usage: 5/5 —soft and nice to chew for the 2 minutes the flavor lasted; not sure what could have happened.
- Overall: 3.1/5 — fantastic product idea and company, and it’s a great burst of flavor if that’s what you seek; but if you’re in it for the long haul, this gum probably isn’t for you.
So tell me: What sound or noise do you hate? Sound off in the comments!
I’m no math expert, but me finks I was short-changed by one classic bubble gum ball.
From left, these little balls of natural goodness are pomegranate, classic bubble gum, lemonade, wildberry [sic], and watermelon.
Oddly enough, I hate the sound of gum being improperly chewed with lots of open-mouthed smacking and squishing. Snapping is OK though. I just don’t want it to sound too juicy.
I am irritated by loud TV sounds in another room. Also, any sound that keeps recurring and I can’t find the source –
like a creaking or tinny sound that you hear when you’re in the car.
Am excited to try Tree Hugger gum! Not sure where to find it but I know I shall count the pieces when I do and
note anything other that 29 balls.