This was a total impulse buy. I saw it on the shelf abutting the checkout line at my local Shop-Rite, while waiting for previous customers to finish their shopping trips. The box read, "Pur," (with an umlaut over the "u"), and "aspartame free" was also on the front of the package. When I saw it was a Canadian company, I thought "Why not?" The two flavors I bought were spearmint and coolmint.
As some explanation, I realize that including gum as a food (or a beverage!) is admittedly a stretch, since most people don't actually send the product through their digestive system. But, on the other hand, gum does have calories, so even if consumers spit it out, some tiny amount of it (presumably the sugar, or other flavoring) does actually make its way into their stomachs. Additionally, I have never reviewed gum on my blog, so I thought it might be a nice change. I should also note that historically I've not been a fan of gum in general. I tried many kinds as a lad, but was always frustrated by it, because even the ones that tasted good lost this flavor disappointingly soon. And then it was like chewing on a piece of plastic, which I found pretty gross and off-putting. Gag-inducing, often. So going into this I knew the odds of me enjoying this gum were fairly slim.
Pur was founded in 2010, by Jay Klein, in Canada. The company started out just making gum, but in 2015 they added mints to their fold. Aside from the kinds I tried, Pur also makes a wintergreen, peppermint, pomegranate mint, chocolate mint, bubblegum, and cinnamon type. The mint kinds are spearmint, peppermint, tangerine tango (mango?), polar mint, and mojito mint. The products are actually made in Switzerland, largely because this country is more amenable to avoiding nuts and GMO's. Other than lacking these two substances, Pur products are proudly touted as being free of sugar, gluten, and soy, and being vegan-appropriate.
Then there's the big issue--aspartame. The Pur company, and many others, think that this sugar substitute is bad. Some contend that it causes symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. In contrast, Pur claims that their sugar substitute of choice, xylitol, is beneficial, especially for oral health. But here's the thing--like a lot of health claims, the problems with aspartame seem unproven, or at least highly exaggerated. The FDA and other health organizations continue to approve aspartame, as no credible scientific evidence indicates that it's dangerous. Studies that purport to show that it is are questionable. For example, one small study seemed to find that aspartame can cause headaches in those who get migraines, but so did eating cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, ice cream, caffeine, and alcohol. It appears that the negative effect might have been psychosomatic, in other words. Furthermore, xylitol itself has some adverse effects, which are more proven than aspartame. The EU forbids its use in soft drinks because in large enough amounts it can cause a laxative effect, or diarrhea. Finally, the battle against aspartame seems a bit strange for another reason. While aspartame was very popular in the 1980's and 1990's, since then sucralose has been the most used sugar substitute, since unlike aspartame it has a longer shelf life and maintains its sweetness even after heating. I realize I may have blundered into a hornet's nest here, but as far as I could learn aspartame's dangerousness is overblown, perhaps completely. But I get that many people strongly disagree with me. (To be fair, xylitol does help with oral health, but this seems to mostly be because it stimulates saliva in the mouth, which washes away bacteria, not because it's necessarily anti-cavity in itself.)
Pur spearmint gum: The pieces were white rectangles, about .75 inches by .5 inch (or about 2 cm. by 1 cm.). Okay odor. Taste was alright, minty, but was lost within like 30 seconds. So it became revolting pretty quickly, forcing me to spit it out.
Pur coolmint gum: These pieces were the same size, shape, and color as the spearmint variety, and also had a decent smell. But once again the taste was fleeting. The flavor was maybe slightly better than the spearmint, but it was tough to tell. Once again I ejected it rapidly.
So, just to repeat, I acknowledge that I'm not the audience for this product, so bear that in mind. Folks who like gum may well enjoy these. But for someone who usually dislikes gum, these Pur kinds definitely didn't change my mind. I think they were a bit pricier than average gum, as well.
One final tidbit--no matter what one's stance is on aspartame, or xylitol, both sides agree that xylitol is very dangerous for dogs. So if you drop a piece of xylitol-flavored gum, make sure you grab it quick before Fido can get to it. However, apparently cats, rats, rhesus macaques, and horses can eat it safely. (I'm kidding here--even though xylitol won't hurt these species, I think allowing a pet to eat gum is cruel and perverse.)
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