Monthly Archives: February 2007

Clove Chewing Gum

 

Ladies and Gentleman, please sit back and relax. We have a special treat for you today. Coming all the way from your memoryies we give you, the lady of the night, the gangster of gum, the more sophisticated gum chewer, I present to you, something that will take you back to the good old days. Something all you old timers out there will surely enjoy and remember as this blog goes by. Let me take you back to your local music hall, or a hole in the wall club, where the women would sit a top the piano, with a stiff drink in one hand and a long clove cigarette in the other, entertaining crowds all through the early hours of the morning. Singing soft ballads of a new love on the way and a lover now gone. With the dim lights spilling onto the stage. The smoke that fogs the room. The smell of cheap drinks and thrills had by all. All you can see in the hall are the lit embers of the ends of cigarettes bouncing up and down in conversations. The smoke filling the air around their heads makes up the atmosphere of the clove gum.

Clove gum takes you back to those days when everything seemed right in the world. Back when you pop would get a shave and the Corleone family would stop in for a visit. Of course I’m a young man and know nothing of these days, but they remind of old musicals my grandmother used to make me watch when I was a young kid. The smell of grandpa’s smoking jacket smells like that of the clove cigarette. One pop of this stick and you will know exactly what I am talking about. It has a distinct smell and distinct flavor to it. I myself have had a few clove cigarettes and can testify that these are exactly what they taste like. Clove gum tastes exactly like clove cigarettes. Smooth. Cool. You feel like the gangster outside New York City. Or the lady on the piano singing your audience into a daze. You will not be let down, and brought back to the time when clove cigarettes helped define this era.

Beemans Chewing Gum

 

This old school classic has been around since the creation of dirt. Okay well not that long but around as long as my grandparents and man are they old. When you see this little package you are reminded of the forties. When the mom’s would stay at home and cook and clean. The dads would play catch in the front yard with their sons. The old school drawings that look like something you can get done at a local mall. Where you and your best friend or sibling go into a photo booth an change the setting to sketch art. It reminds me of that era. The “Golden Age??? Where everything seemed right in the world. No one was fighting. Gene Kelly graced the silver screen. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. lead the rat pack through the memorable hits that defined the generation. And behind every great age lies the trademark staple that is sure to resurface at any nostalgic store filled with Marilyn Monroe cardboard cut outs, or Mickey Mantle trading cards. Babe Ruth posters or Andy Worhol paintings.

Beemans is like that for me. Not my favorite chewing gum, but well respected among the chewing gum family history. Without the classics you would never have change. You would never have invention. You never have risks that make up the astounding variety that is the chewing gum selection out there today. I mean racks and racks of chewing gum that vary in flavor, size, shape, taste, color, you name it its out there today. But back in the day you could count on old trusty. Beemans gum is that staple. It is that trademark of the era now long gone. But the name rings true to all the loyal gum chewers out there today. It is a name that has out lasted it’s time. And for that we say thank you to the Beemans gum that has brought us so many memories over the years. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby on their adventures. At the U.S.O. holding that famous golf club in one hand cigar in the other. The Babe pointing to center field. Marilyn’s skirt. Oh how the time flies, and oh how Beemans can bring you back in the matter of seconds.

Lolly Lites

The Lolly Lites suckers are a lesser known brand of candy. Of the several flavors that the company markets, I tried the Juicy Grape, Banana Split, Orange Peel, Sour Apple, and Mixed Berry ones. I enjoyed most of these choices, especially the Banana Split one. But the Juicy Grape sucker tasted odd. I don’t know if it was because it was sugar-free or just the nature of the flavor, but it could’ve tasted “grapier,??? but it wasn’t bad at all. The odd taste made me want to keep tasting out of curiosity alone and I eventually finished the entire sucker. One of the allures of the Lolly Lites suckers is their old-fashioned appearance. They are composed of a paper-like stick and a sucker with a simple wrapper that rips off easily.  With classic flavors like Wild Cherry and Bubble Gum along with the ones I’ve already mentioned, you can be taken back to days long ago by enjoying one of these delicious candies.

Lolly Lites are not only great-tasting, but the company takes extra lengths to be sure that these suckers can be enjoyed by everybody. If you are trying to keep an eye on your sugar intake, you can enjoy a Lolly Lite because they are sugar-free. They are also allergy-friendly as they are gluten-free and they contain no peanut by-products like so many foods and candies do nowadays. Vegetarians and vegans will also enjoy the fact that they contain no dairy while others will delight in the fact that these candies are also kosher. When I said they want everybody to be able to enjoy their candy, I really did mean everybody.

The Lolly Lites candies are a product of the Simon Candy confectionery company that has been producing and marketing delicious products since 1949. They specialize in novelty candies and old-fashioned treats to satisfy any body’s candy desires. They have recently introduced a new line of completely organic candies to add to their already vast collection of treats for consumers. For an added convenience, you can shop for Simon Candy products online if you can’t find them in your local store. They seem to be a bit obscure, but they offer their full line of novelty and old-fashioned candies on their website. You will definitely want to add this brand into your candy jar at home.

Ragold Sugar Free Cinnamon Mints

 

If you like a hot, fiery cinnamon flavor (much like Red Hots candies), you’ll love Ragold Cinnamon Mints. A 1.5 oz. rectangular tin of these mints (which are each about the size of an Altoid) is both portable and practical. Let’s face it—we all run into occasions when our breath could use a little freshening, and it’s nice to switch it up from the normal peppermint or spearmint breath mint. What makes these mints stand out in the crowd is that they are all natural and sugar free. People who must steer clear of gluten products or artificial sweeteners can still eat these. Yes, because Ragold uses natural flavors, these mints are a great substitute for your normal, everyday mint.

Both spicy and refreshing (as is printed on the tin), Ragold Cinnamon mints are based off of an impressive recipe. With a long-lasting taste and no sugary residue leftover on the teeth, these mints give the feeling of actually cleaning your mouth. That’s a bold claim to make, perhaps, but I rarely eat mints if I know that they will leave a film or sugary coating after dissolving in my mouth. It’s just not always convenient to brush your teeth when you’re on the go, and so I really appreciate the fresh feeling these mints leave behind. Ragold Confections (most famous for their sugar-free Velamints) is doing some other exciting things in the mint industry—like making mints for golfers. Yes, their PGA Tour line features both peppermint and cinnamon sugar-free mints shaped like tiny golf balls (dimples included). They also come in a tin that’s shaped like a golf ball. Ragold’s Dilbert mints are also cleverly marketed products. They are shaped like the popular comic-strip characters (Dilbert, Dog-bert, Cat-bert) and the tins come labeled with such names as Appoint-mints, Pay-mints and Perform-mints. And so, it would be more than appropriate to say that Ragold’s corner on the sugar-free market is a huge Accomplish-mint.

Necco Mint Julep

 

Time for a little trivia. What does N.E.C.C.O. stand for? If you said New England Confectionery Company, you’re absolutely correct. Since 1847, this nostalgia-heavy company has been cranking out favorite candies like Necco wafers, Sweethearts (a.k.a. conversation hearts), Clark bars, Candy Buttons and Mary Janes. But not to be forgotten are Necco’s many other products, like the Mint Julep chew. These square-cut chewy candies come in bags or tubs and are typically sold near cash registers or in convenience stores for pocket change. A little larger than you might expect, they outsize fruit chews like Starburst or chewy caramels. Nostalgia, or retro candies as they are often called, have an enchantment about them that is irresistible. Candy has a way of taking us back to the good old days. Mint Julep is just another fine specimen in this realm of candy nostalgia, but it will always have a special place for some consumers. Its taffy counterpart, the Banana Split chew, is another one of Necco’s memory-inducing candies.

I opened the wrapper to my first Mint Julep to discover a square of lime-colored green taffy. Initially I bit off half, but then gave in and stuffed the entire piece into my mouth—a small feat for someone who normally only chews half a stick of gum (whole pieces interfere with normal talking and swallowing). But I enjoyed the Mint Julep chew quite a bit, with its cool yet mild spearmint flavor. My mind was tricked mid-consumption, and I began to wonder if I was chewing spearmint gum. Yet this was not so, and the taffy dissipated and was on its way to digestion station in about 30 seconds. Just as any good taffy should—after all, who wants to walk around with the same flavor of Taffy in their mouth all day? Exactly. But just like gum has its purpose, so does taffy. The Mint Julep is not quite a mint, and is definitely not gum, but it is a tasty old-time treat everyone should try at least once.

Chocolate Foil Sports Balls

 

Foil. The perfect choice for wrapping chocolate. Whatever shape the chocolate (heart, star or bunny), foil has the ability to perfectly cover and address the chocolate’s entire surface. And it is inevitable that every object will be created in chocolate at some point in time. Chocolate people, chocolate roses, chocolate shopping carts. And then there are the more elaborate chocolate creations: Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge.

A bit less complicated but no less endearing are chocolate foil-wrapped sports balls. These ¾-inch diameter chocolate orbs are solid milk chocolate and are indistinguishable from one another if not for their foil wrappers. They come in six varieties: footballs, soccer balls, tennis balls, baseballs, golf balls and basketballs. If there is a more perfect gift for athletes, coaches or sports fans around the holidays (other than tickets to the big match), I fail to know what that might be. No matter how small the gesture, giving milk chocolate sports balls are, nevertheless, a thoughtful way to tell someone “go get ‘em??? before the big game. Not being an athlete myself, I know that I’d still love to receive tiny chocolates that were molded and foil-covered to appeal to my interests. A foil laptop, for instance, would be a joy to consume. I’m sure I’d also get some kicks from eating a chocolate foil-covered Space Needle (being that Seattle is my favorite city) or a chocolate-covered Reality TV show…not that I know how that could happen. The nature of this candy is such that you’d most likely buy it for a gift, and not for yourself. Imagine the joyful look on the face of your beloved sports fan, coach or athlete to receive such a personalized gift that’s not only fashionable, but succulent as well. Whatever the occasion, you’ll “hit a home run???* with these chocolate sports balls.

*Insert triumphant sports term of your choice here.

Warheads Extreme Sour

 

Hold on tight and get ready to contort your face while wiping tears from your eyes. Warheads Extreme Sour candies are everything they claim to be. They are even sold with a warning label on the package, discouraging consumers from eating multiple Warheads at once. But if you tell kids not to do something, what is the first thing they will do? Exactly. We have our friends from The International Candy Company in Taiwan to thank for the discovery of this candy. Invented in 1975, it was first imported to the U.S. in the ‘90s and was electric in sales. In 2004, Impact Confections bought the Warheads brand, and they are now produced stateside in New Mexico. Over the years, many copycat sour candies were created, but Warheads holds the greatest fan base by far.

Black cherry, watermelon, lemon, sour apple and blue raspberry are the Extreme Sour flavors, and packages are sold with assorted flavors so you can try each on several times. True candy sissies should not eat these—it just wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience. But if you are of the braver sort, pop in these candies for a jolt of extreme sour flavor that will make you look like none other than Wally Warhead (seen on the front of the packages). You may not sprout a mushroom cloud from the top of your head, but like him, you will most certainly curl your lips in pain for the duration of the sourness. Technically, the extreme sour taste lasts only as long as it takes the outer coating to dissolve (about 5 seconds), allowing you to access the real fruity flavor part of the candy. But it seems to me that the sour flavor used to last so much longer, which leads me to wonder if the company had too many parental complaints and changed the recipe. Anyhow, black cherry is my preferred extreme sour candy, but it’s really difficult to read the flavor right off the bat. Lemon also has a jolt to it, a natural choice for sour candy flavor. Just don’t slip it to an unsuspecting friend under the guise of a much milder candy, like a lemonhead. You might just see that mushroom cloud erupt…

Smint White Fresh Mint

 

Okay, I have a bone to pick with the makers of Smint mints. The unique packaging of these mints has, at very key moments, prevented me from accessing that much needed freshness. Because you can’t see the inside of the container without destroying it (which I’ve never had the urge to do), one can only assume that each individual mint must pass through some complex maze to escape the container and be released into the hand of some willing consumer. A special Tic Tac–sized box asks that the owner press down on the container’s top to release a mint from the bottom corner. The design is clever indeed, but not always effective. If the mints get lodged just above the magic trap, you’ll find yourself hurriedly shaking the entire box of mints in public while strangers give you looks of shame for buying such a loud, dysfunctional container of breath mints.

Smint mints are fine, in and of themselves. And the natural whitening power of White Fresh Mint by Smint is very appealing. They are said to have Papaine, a natural enzyme that works to whiten the teeth. Whether it is effective or not in mint form, who doesn’t want whiter teeth? The prospect of such is well worth looking past the box’s faults. Flip the package to the back side, and you’ll see something else to make you smile. A red symbol featuring a smiling tooth under an umbrella reads “Tooth Friendly Tested.??? This means that the product has been independently tested and was proven safe for use on your pearly whites. It’s true what your great grandma always said through her slipping dentures: “You only get one pair.??? Do something nice for your teeth—even if it’s eating candy that whitens them—and you’ll feel as happy as that little smiling red tooth looks. Another fun bonus regarding these mints is their triangular shape. Each one is imprinted with a giant “S??? that makes the mints resemble Superman’s chest. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that this mint will blow you away with its power. It is actually on the milder side of the spectrum, so you’ll enjoy these if you frequent Tic Tacs.

Wrigley’s Big Red

 

Though it’s standard fare in checkout aisles and convenience store counters, this gum hasn’t been around for as long as you might think. In 1975, Wrigley decided it was time to release a cinnamon flavored chewing gum. The “big??? in the name doesn’t refer to the size of the sticks, but rather the huge, power-packed flavor in every bite. (This is contrary to the image set out by Wrigley’s Big League Chew—only big “macho??? guys chew that stuff, right? Oh wait, it’s really for 10-year-old boys.) By 1987, Big Red was the best-selling cinnamon flavored gum in its market—how’s that for a success story? Now sold widely in the U.S., Canada and Germany, Big Red has a bolder, wilder taste than when it was first unleashed on the gum-chewing public. Like Wrigley’s Doublemint or Winterfresh, the gum comes in the 17-count Plen-T-Pak or the smaller, more convenient five-stick mini packs. But the single, ongoing packaging question that has plagued gum manufacturers is: How you can get so much flavor into one little stick and make it last?

Big Red’s flavor does last longer than many gums. Frankly, I don’t chew gum unless it provides fresher breath that lasts, and this gum is a gold-medal champion in that category. But perhaps I was just persuaded into chewing it by the company’s 1990s marketing jingle (always sung while several couples kissed passionately in the commercials background): “So kiss a little longer. Stay close a little longer. Pull tight a little longer—longer with Big Red! That Big Red freshness lasts right through it. Your fresh breath goes on and on while you chew it. Say goodbye a little longer. Make it last a little longer. Give your breath long-lasting freshness with Big Red!??? Despite it’s cheese factor, I could still sing every note—the sign of a great jingle. Yes, it worked perfectly during that era gone by, and I’ve been a proud chewer of Big Red (and the entire Wrigley family of gums) ever since.

Wrigley’s Doublemint

 

The year was 1914, and Wrigley’s Doublemint chewing gum was birthed into the world. William Wrigley, Jr. and Henry Fleer added a mint extract to already existent chicle gum, bringing a new product to the candy counters. It’s still a strong seller today, available in over 140 countries and popularized by the famous “Doublemint twins??? advertising campaign. Since the 1950s, multiple pairs of twins have appeared on commercials and print advertisements as spokespersons for the fashionable chewing gum. (A similar contest runs still today, as it seems the company is always looking out for fun, fresh, real-life twins who could popularize their image into the next decade.) The look of the wrapper may have changed over the years, as well as the sweetener used in the gum’s formula, but what hasn’t changed is Doublemint’s wide appeal and classic image.

Building on that popular impression of “double??? the flavor and fun is the gum’s long-lasting peppermint taste and low price. Now selling for just six cents a stick, Doublemint provides a rich and savory experience. I’ve enjoyed this gum since childhood, when the wrapper was a bit more lime-green in color. On rare occasions, my mom had some stashed in her purse, and I would go scavenging for a piece on our outings. Of course, she didn’t buy too much of this gum, as it isn’t sugar free. I was more likely to come up with a rectangle of sugarless Trident gum, which I just didn’t think was satisfying enough. Still, Doublemint contains some artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Those who like to stock up can buy a Plen-T-Pak of 17 sticks for under a dollar at most gas stations. But the 5-stick packs are convenient to shove in your pocket or purse without the added bulk. If you start offering gum to your friends, beware that there won’t likely be enough to go around—everyone loves Doublemint gum. For that reason, you might want to consider hoarding a Plen-T-Pak each in your office, car and home, at all times.