Recently I had blogged about trying a new type of gum. I had ordered a sample batch of various flavours of Zapp gum from the independent manufacturer, ElimiTaste. My goal was to see how big of a difference there was between gum that contained aspartame and gum that replaced aspartame with xylitol. There are numerous medicinal benefits to chewing gum with xylitol, not to mention the fact that the use of aspartame still is a heavily debated health issue. I will leave you to look those up online. I chose this gum because it was healthier than chewing gum with aspartame but my role here is to provide what I deem as the real test of gum — the big question — how does it taste? I received 5 different flavours and here is my opinion of each after chewing on them for hours on and off over the past few weeks:
Zapp Intense Electramint – Excellent initial burst of flavour. Strong mint — comparable to what most consumers would be used — between peppermint and freshmint. Medium lasting flavour and good gum texture.
Zapp Ragin’ Red Hot – Very nice initial spike of Cinnamon spiciness. Short-medium lasting flavour although spiciness seems to last quite well.
Zapp Cinnful Apple – This was my favourite flavour out of the five. A nice initial blast of apple that seemed to gradually shift to a medium strength cinnamon spice flavour. The apple flavour did not last too long but I could taste the cinnamon for quite some time.
Zapp Cool Apple – I wish I could give this flavour better marks. Cool Apple would have been an amazing flavour if it could last longer. Idea wise, I love the gum … but flavour wise, it dies very quickly after a very nice flavourable start.
Zapp Fresh Fruit Paradise – Good classic flavour. Reminds me of the old Juicy Fruit sticks of gum. Fairly decent lasting flavour, but does not compare with the lasting flavour of other brand name gums.
Overall
I felt satisfied that I was getting a pretty good deal. I enjoyed the fact that there were a couple of flavours that weren’t really widely available on the market and the fact that this was gum that would be healthier for a gum fiend like myself. That being said, if the folks at Elimitaste really want to compete, they will need to focus on making each piece of gum last a little longer. It does not need to be insanely long but I think there is an extrremely large exponential drop in flavour between the first bite into the piece of gum and the first minute into chewing it.
Will I buy Zapp gum again? Yup. But as I had said before, I am interested because of my health and I look at it as something that outweighs long-lasting flavour. I look forward to the day when Cool Apple will become a long-lasting flavour.
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thank you so much for the post! I wasn't sure if I wanted to order some, but now i am sure =]]
thank you so much for the post! I wasn't sure if I wanted to order some, but now i am sure =]]