Ice Breakers Ice Cubes, Raspberry Sorbet

The Ice Breakers Ice Cubes package has a nice flip top design that stayed closed in my handbag for over a week. In fact, the entire box is still in very good shape--no dents, no wear, and the foil printing is still shiny.

The box contains 10 pieces of cube shaped gum--white with red dots that I assume are "flavor crystals" of some sort. It looks nice.

The sugar-free raspberry sorbet flavor has a nice tartness that's not too sweet. One cube is just a tad too small. The biggest problem is that the flavor runs out after 10 minutes or less, making Chompers very sad.

rating: 3 chomps; price: $$

Dentyne Fire Spicy Cinnamon

Unlike their Arctic Chill "flavor," Spicy Cinnamon is a delightfully chewable gum that will not mess with your brain by giving you visions of fossil fuel-drilling aliens. Typical adult premium gum package with the same not-quite-big-enough piece, but the flava is nice--a not too sweet warm cinnamon that almost tingles like Cinnaburst did, back in the day. A good substitute for Flare in a pinch.

price: $; rating: 3 chomps; other: sugar free

Dentyne Ice: Arctic Chill

This Dentyne Ice flavor, packed in the short-end opened box and blister pack, is among the worst gums I've ever chewed. Like all Dentyne Ice gums, one piece is too small, but two is too expensive. But even one piece is too much. It tastes like Vick's Vapo-rub mixed with a vinyl by-product. There was some undertaste that reminded me of the black-oil aliens from X-Files. Avoid at all costs.

price: $; rating: 0 chomps; other: sugar free

5 Flare Gum

5 Gum is a designer gum produced by Wrigley's, named after its alleged appeal to the five senses. They went all out with the packaging--the box is a sturdy but thin card stock with a matte finish and spot gloss, mostly black with a few accents of color. It has an emboss over the large "5" that adorns the front. There is a swanky little tab to keep the box closed. The package is a squat rectangle, almost square, and opens from the short end, even though the "cover" is designed in landscape format. It's a pretty sophisticated package for gum.

As soon as I opened the tabbed cellowrap of the stylish Flare package, the air became redolent with the spicy smell of sugary hot cinnamon. The gum is a full sized stick, wrapped in red foil embossed with the 5 logo. The stick bent easily without breaking. The first few chews are a little tough, and not too flavorful, but as the gum softens it released a nice sweet heat.

The package contains 15 pieces of full sized gum, making it a bargain in the adult chewing gum market.

3.5 chomps, $, other: sugar free