Very Imaginative (Wrigleys Extra Thin Ice)

Member Name: LauraElliott

Product:	Wrigleys Extra Thin Ice
Date:	16/02/03 (356 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leaves breath feeling fresh for ages, Good size packaging and quantity, Quick and easy to pop on your tongue, and looks much better than teeth chomping away at normal chewing gum

Disadvantages: Quite expensive in price, Can't buy them everywhere you go, as they are quite new out and not all retailers stock them, Packaging is very small, so you might lose them at the bottom of your bag

All of my friends were talking about the new 'type of chewing gum that you didn't have to chew', so looking like a ninny, I went into my local newsagents and was about to ask them for the 'chewing gum that you didn't have to chew'. Luckily, in my favour, there was a box of 'Extra Thin Ice' on the counter, so I picked up a packet. I couldn't believe the size of it, or the lack of it. It was no bigger than the size of the joint in the middle of my thumb to the tip of my thumb!

Normally chewing gum costs between twenty nine to thirty two pence where I purchase it from, and even cheaper if you buy it in the multi-packs for like four for one pound. I was expecting these new strips to cost about the same, fifty pence at the most, because with packs of chewing gum you usually get between twelve to fifteen pieces or five to seven strips. In these packs though there were twenty-four strips, which seemed ideal - not only small packaging but also a good enough quantity to last me a few days (bearing in mind I get through about three quarters of a packet of chewing gum a day - I love it!). So, I had my pound coin ready waiting for half of it to come back to me in change, but no, it cost seventy-nine pence, leaving me with only twenty-one pence change! I have seen it cheaper since though, but only four pence cheaper than what I originally paid.

Anyway, forgetting the price and everything, I was all prepared to pop one in my mouth. The packaging is like a little clear flip lid container to seal the freshness in. I opened it up (with my long nails - which you need to get into it), and tried to pull out only one strip. It was very hard to make sure that only one came out though and not a couple, because they are so thin. I took one out and it felt just like film. It was kind of shiny but matt at the same time. The strips are almost clear but they have a blue tint to them. It felt a bit like greaseproof paper, and looked


slightly like those papers that you use for removing grease from your face (by Johnson and Johnson). I didn't really know what to do with it. It was resting on the end of my index finger and I wondered whether I should just place it on my tongue or try and swallow it. I stuck my tongue out (very rude of me, I know) and placed the strip in the centre. All of a sudden I felt a kind of bubbling sensation where the strip was fizzing and gradually shrinking into a nothing. I felt as if I couldn't keep my tongue out for much longer whilst this reaction was taking place, so I put my tongue back in my mouth and in the process flicked the roof of my mouth. Ah, the shock! Where it was so hot and minty, it felt really tingly and as though something had scratched the top of my mouth. I wanted to stick my finger in and give it a scratch, just like you do when you drink very hot tea.

The taste was so nice though, extremely minty, like a strong mint rather than a casual peppermint, even though they are described as peppermint flavour on the container. It tasted a bit like those Smint's in the blue box. It definately proved to keep my breath fresh for quite a while though, because I could still taste it in my mouth after I had had a drink of water. Once though I had a can of cola after placing a thin strip on my tongue and it tasted awful!

The best thing about these new thin strips is that they are totally sugar free, which means that I can eat as many as I want and still stay healthy - excellent! The only problem is that with a lot of mint products, they can cause laxative effects, so I am wondering if this product could be the same? Arghh!

On a last note: A very imaginative idea, which I am sure, will be a success.

UPDATE: I was very pleased to actually receive an e-mail from Lee Wickstead (a man who works in a managerial capacity for the Wrigley company). Quoting his e-mail, 'Just to let you know that the p
roduct is totally sugar-free and as for the laxative affect - you'd have to consume one hell of a lot of product in one day for the affect to work so don't worry about that too much.'

This is very reassuring to know, along with the good news that Extra Thin Ice Spearmint are going to be released in April (not long to go now).

Please 'watch this space' for a review which I will do as soon as I have tried this new product.

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