Looking for the Energizer Bunny of gum.

August 15, 2012 9:36 AM

What's the longest lasting (in terms of flavor) gum?

Note: I realize this is an inane question, but it keeps popping up in my brain. So, I'm asking it anyway.

I've been chewing "Extra" gum. It seems that over the past few years they've changed their formula to provide a huge initial burst of flavor that drops off very quickly. After just a couple of minutes the flavor degrades so much that I want to spit it out. There's lots of other option out there. What's your favorite in terms of gum that'll keep its flavor for a while?

posted by StimulatingPixels to food & drink (20 answers total)

Anything with lots of sugar (maybe BubbleYum, if I'm remembering correctly from years back) will sort of stick the flavor to your mouth and coat it in suggary bubble scum...but of course, the flavor is mostly "sugar".

As for grown-up gum, my impression is that Trident generally is longer-flavored than, say, Orbit. (And Extra is just about the worst.)
posted by phunniemee at 9:43 AM on August 15, 2012

Mint gum tends to last much longer than fruit or cinnamon gum.
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:45 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

My current standby is Orbit (I like the sweet mint flavor.) It seems to have some staying power and it's not cloying. (Extra was totally the best back in the day - it's a damned shame they screwed it up.)
posted by restless_nomad at 9:53 AM on August 15, 2012

I agree that something changed about Extra. Years ago, Extra (especially the spearmint) seemed to last forever and have a consistent flavor, but now it changes pretty quickly and I have to get rid of it. Trident's flavor lasts about as long as Extra used to, but the gum seems to get harder and bother my jaw. I've tried Five a few times and found that it it lasted well without getting too firm, but I didn't care for the flavors I tried. So I guess my recommendation if to try Five and see if you like the flavors.
posted by gimli at 9:59 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Since I also had to give up on Extra, I've found Stride is at least better, but it's not the extra spearment of 1995. I remember the flavour being excellent for an entire day, but occaisionally the texture would get odd after a few hours. Now, I consider it a pretty amazing feat if I haven't had to spit out gum after 30 minutes. I also agree on the point of mint gums generally being longer lasting than other flavours of the same brands. Spearmint is the only mint that tastes good to me.
posted by nobeagle at 10:01 AM on August 15, 2012

Trident's Minty Sweet Twist seems to last for-ev-er. Unless it is old/stale, in which case it doesn't last more than 5 minutes. But a fresh pack? You could chew one piece for hours.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:09 AM on August 15, 2012

The Lifesavers cubes last forever, but the texture is revolting from all the vegetable oil that's in it.
posted by scruss at 10:12 AM on August 15, 2012

Mentos makes a gum that lasts a noticeably long time.
posted by zoomorphic at 10:24 AM on August 15, 2012

This former smoker who chews gum *all the time* prefers Trident. It holds its flavor and doesn't fall apart in my mouth like other gums.
posted by headnsouth at 10:34 AM on August 15, 2012

Definitely try Orbit (from Wrigley's). The Peppermint and Cinnamint are both very long-lasting.
posted by parilous at 10:37 AM on August 15, 2012

I'm putting in a vote for Stride, any of the mint flavors.
posted by Fig at 11:35 AM on August 15, 2012

i have good experience with trident original flavor.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:44 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Gum that comes in pellets almost always lasts longer than sticks. (In canada, it seems that the vast majority of gum is pellets, i'm not sure why that hasn't caught on in the states.)
posted by Kololo at 12:29 PM on August 15, 2012

Wrigley's classic DoubleMint (the regular one, NOT sugarfree) is the correct answer. I gave a piece to a coworker a while ago and she actually said, "I can't believe how long this is lasting!" I can chew one piece for hours and it stays minty. I also really like Stride's Whitemint flavor but I think DoubleMint lasts longer.
posted by jabes at 12:32 PM on August 15, 2012

I use IceBreakers Ice Cubes... stays chewy forever with a minty flavor. It's not super-strong, but it works well.
posted by bookdragoness at 2:33 PM on August 15, 2012

I love all flavors of Orbit. Seriously - I've tried every flavor and never found one I didn't like.


Having said that, the antithesis of your question is Fruit Stripe gum. It tastes so, so amazing, but by the time you get it softened, it has turned into a wad of nasty wax. So disappointing...
posted by tacodave at 3:01 PM on August 15, 2012

Trident's citrus flavour used to be the most long-lasting of all. I still find anything lemony lasts quite well.
posted by snorkmaiden at 3:56 PM on August 15, 2012

nthing trident. specifically, trident tropical twist!
posted by changeling at 5:52 PM on August 15, 2012

Based on these responses, I picked up a pack of Trident Spearmint at lunch. Much, much better than Extra. I'll be giving some of the others a shot over the next few days.

Thanks to everyone for making the internet awesome.
posted by StimulatingPixels at 6:49 PM on August 15, 2012

Seconding Five. I generally like rain the best, the green color, and it seems to last longer than anything else I can think of. Is Winterfresh still around? That used to be my go to gum, but I think they reformulated it a few times.
posted by Karmeliet at 10:24 PM on August 15, 2012