14 Chewing Gum Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

We've all done it — you see packs of gum strategically placed at the register and instinctively grab one, pay, and toss it in the bag. If you're anything like me, you probably aren't obsessively checking online reviews to ensure the pack of gum is truly worth buying. After all, it's only a pack of gum ... right?

I don't know about you, but I hate spending money on goods that are subpar, especially when there's something better, and even potentially cheaper, available. And though most of us won't think twice before picking up an arbitrary pack of chewing gum, the truth is that there's often a vast difference between them, especially when it comes to aspects like texture, longevity, and flavor.

In this post, I'm giving my jaw a workout, all with you in mind. I'm taking the time to chew, price, and critique each gum brand available at my local mart to get the details you need to make an informed decision the next time you're tempted to throw any old gum in your cart. Sound interesting? Stick around, as I rank 14 chewing gum brands worst to best. 

At a seemingly low price of $1.29 per five-pack, Hubba Bubba Max Strawberry Watermelon Bubble Gum actually costs more than most options on the list at a whopping 26 cents per piece. Right out of the pack, the first thing I noticed was its neon-green exterior and bright-pink center. Visually, this Hubba Bubba variety screams watermelon, though, oddly, its flavor didn't translate the same way. I could taste the watermelon, sure, but it didn't have the vibrancy I expected. Its flavor was mild overall, which really surprised me.

Hubba Bubba Max Strawberry Watermelon Bubble Gum pieces don't appear super-huge, but once I started chewing, I found myself annoyed. The gum has a very thick texture that made it feel like I had three pieces of gum in my mouth instead of one. I literally thought I was choking at one point; it felt like breathing normally might be enough to suck the gob of gum into the back of my throat. It was even hard to get a bubble blown without it developing holes as I blew, mainly because its texture was so thick. Overall, I consider Hubba Bubba Max Strawberry Watermelon Bubble Gum not worthy of a purchase — it's too bulky, and certainly not safe for children with tiny mouths. 

Ice Breakers Mint Crystal Ice Cubes Sugar-Free Chewing Gum comes in packs of 40 and sells for $5.99 at my nearest Walgreens in Wisconsin. This gum was totally disappointing, and I really didn't expect it to be. Back in the day, Ice Breaker gum was my jam — not because it was super long-lasting or anything (I didn't care about that back then), but because I found its shape and texture super-satisfying. That is still true today — these bite-sized little cubes are uniquely shaped, and their soft yet firm chew makes them almost irresistible. Still, I have to say, Ice Breakers Mint Crystal Ice Cubes aren't what I remember them to be. This particular flavor features a mint taste that is quite sweet and woefully weak.

After about five minutes, Ice Breakers Mint Crystal Ice Cubes' flavor waned significantly and had totally dissipated within 20 minutes. Its texture post-chew was also an issue — though soft and pleasing at first, this option gets harder, rather than softer, as you chew. Ice Breakers Mint Crystal gum might be good for kids, but the mint flavor and texture might be too weak to stand up to adult expectations.

Eclipse Winterfrost Sugar-free Gum was underwhelming from start to finish. Not only is the flavor weak, but its size was too small. In case you've never tried it, Eclipse is a hard-shelled, rectangular-shaped chewing gum that doesn't look much different than the others. Unfortunately, this widely available pick shriveled up to practically nothing almost as soon as I started chewing — I felt like I needed two of them to feel like I was noshing on anything substantial. Not only that, but its flavor was exceptionally bland — the mint is mild, and simply just not anything to write home about. 

Lastly, this version of Eclipse gum didn't get harder with each chew like some of the other options; it became annoyingly soft, even to the point where I wondered if I were chewing on anything at all. What's worse is that there was minimal flavor left after five minutes, making Eclipse Winterfrost Sugar-free Gum a complete waste of time and money.

I love that Pur Peppermint Gum is aspartame-free, but that doesn't mean I think it's worth grabbing. Pur Peppermint Gum is another one of those rectangular-shaped, hard-shelled grabs; it has some of the most minimal ingredients on the list and, unlike most options, does not contain aspartame. 

The first thing I noticed when biting into Pur Aspartame-Free Peppermint Gum was its intensity — it certainly packs a lot of minty flavor but still comes across as frustratingly neutral, being neither complex nor too sweet. As a result, Pur gum offers boldness in a muted kinda way, and when pitted against other contenders, simply isn't as pleasing.

Aside from its mundane taste, Pur Aspartame-Free Peppermint Gum doesn't offer much in terms of longevity. After chewing only a short while, its flavor died out and weakened to a lifeless, uninvigorating piece. Hey, at least the texture is decent — the pieces weren't skimpy, and it maintained a nice, pleasant chew. For around $4.49 per 55 pieces of gum, I'd say it's probably best to skip this one. Unless you're really adamant about avoiding aspartame, Pur Aspartame-Free Peppermint Gum isn't really the best out there.

Juicy Fruit Original Bubble Gum is certainly a blast from the past, though its packaging and physical appearance is a bit different from what most of us remember. I found this old-school pick at my local Pick 'n Save, where is was priced at $5.49 for 40 pieces in a bottle.

Upon opening the Juicy Fruit Original Bubble Gum packaging, I was surprised to see what used to be flat, stick-like gum in the shape of modern-day rectangular hard-shelled gum pieces. Each piece featured a distinct speckled popcorn-colored hue that, honestly, just didn't look appetizing. Despite my initial hesitation, I gave it a go and found myself pleased. Though not the best on the list, Juicy Fruit Original Bubble Gum Bottle still possessed its iconically mysterious fruit flavor, with the crunch of its outer shell making it even more enjoyable. 

One thing I didn't love about this version of Juicy Fruit is its general texture and lack of longevity — once chewed, the pieces became annoyingly flat, and the gum lost much of its flavor after five minutes. All in all, I suppose I would recommend Juicy Fruit Original Bubble Gum to those looking to savor its throwback taste once again, but it isn't anything I'd personally rush to add to my stash. Though its flavor remains the same, there's no point in purchasing chewing gum whose pleasant taste and texture wane after only a few minutes.

I couldn't find the newly released Bubblicious Gummy Gum, but was still hoping the original would suffice. Bubblicious Chewing Gum comes in classic bubble gum flavor and contains real sugar without the use of aspartame or artificial sweeteners. The gum chews thick, though not as thick as Hubba Bubba, which is a relief. I found its flavor as expected — straightforward and traditional, with no frills. It blows decent bubbles with no holes, essentially making Bubblicious Chewing Gum a solid substitution for the Hubba Bubba catastrophe I had experienced earlier. 

That said, Bubblicious Chewing Gum isn't so impressive when it comes to longevity. Unfortunately, this gum is one of the worst performing in terms of flavor retention (wearing off in less than five minutes), though I suppose that's pretty common for classic bubble gum varieties.

With all things considered, Bubblicious Chewing Gum tastes okay, but isn't ideal for those in search of a long-lasting chew. By the way, it also bombs in terms of value — expect to pay $1.99 for only five pieces, making each piece 40 cents a pop. No, thanks. 

My experience with Orbit Gum Peppermint Sugar-Free Chewing Gum was a positive one, though truthfully speaking, the first impression wasn't great. Orbit Peppermint gum costs $1.99 per 14-pack; upon first chew, it came across as having a very humdrum peppermint taste that I found almost unpleasant. As I continued chewing, I noticed that the box advertised the gum as now featuring an "even cleaner" feeling. That got me thinking: This gum, though not as flavorful as a few others, does make my mouth feel fresh. After 25 minutes, I realized my mouth still felt minty and very, very clean. 

Because of its uncanny way of freshening my mouth, I decided to rank Orbit Gum Peppermint Sugar-Free Chewing Gum higher than I originally intended to. Though still not the most enjoyable of the bunch, it's one of the few that made my mouth feel genuinely refreshed, and for a really long time (about one hour). Thus, if fresh breath is your aim, Orbit Gum Peppermint Sugar Free Chewing Gum is the pick for you. This unassuming peppermint pick was a bit of a dark horse, but still worth the buy.

Dentyne Ice Peppermint Sugar Free Gum is a decent pick — it goes for $3.99 for a three-pack and comes with 48 total pieces. It sports a pleasing, almost vanilla-like flavor that harmonizes well with the sharpness of peppermint. I found it somewhat refreshing, and the package states that it'll deliver at least 60 minutes of refreshment. So, does Dentyne Ice Peppermint Sugar-Free Gum live up to the hype? I suppose, yes.

While Dentyne Ice peppermint gum isn't the best chewing gum on the market, I think it's okay for people who don't like "spicy" mint. Because its flavor isn't very strong, it won't linger in your mouth the way the others do. At the 60-minute mark, the gum retained a little flavor and did leave my mouth feeling decently clean. All in all, I think Dentyne Ice Peppermint gum is good for folks who want something to cleanse their palate — it just doesn't feature the intense blast of mint that some of the other, higher-ranked gums do.

I may not remember every flavorful gum from back in the day, but Doublemint will forever stay at the forefront of my memory. Unlike most regular chewing gums on the list, Doublemint gum doesn't contain sucralose but instead features real sugar (along with aspartame, BHT, and other additions) as its primary ingredient. Doublemint has a soft, smooth mint flavor — one that tastes so good, in fact, that the extra sugar just might prove worth it. Its taste is very unique, being mostly sweet with a subtle hint of what seems to be soft spearmint  lingering in the background.

Listen, this isn't the gum to choose if you're looking for something super-robust. Nevertheless, its mellow, minty sweetness is perfect for when you just want to nosh on something tasty. One thing I do want to note is that most of the flavor was almost gone after about 30 minutes, but to me, the benefits are enough that I still recommend Doublemint as a great, old-school chewing gum grab.

Out of all the classic bubble gum flavors, Ford Gum Original Big League Chew is probably my favorite. And it makes sense — it was my favorite as a kid, too. Ford Gum Original Big League Chew comes in a 2.12-ounce bag for $2.49, is free of aspartame, but still contains a hodgepodge of ingredients including real sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and sucralose. Expect this bubble gum to look a lot different than the others — it comes in spaghetti-like segments, apparently meant to resemble tobacco. Ahem.

 Anyway, one thing I love about Big League Chew is the fact that you can control how much of the gum you eat — for those with smaller mouths and weaker jaws, this is a major plus. I ate the suggested serving size of eight strings and found it to have the perfect texture. It wasn't so plump that I had difficulty chewing it, but instead was pleasantly malleable. These attributes make it easier than Hubba Bubba or Bubblicious to blow bubbles, and I got some really huge ones just from the eight pieces alone. 

All in all, Big League Chew is an awesome pick. Though its flavor was lost in as little as 15 minutes, it's still every bit as flavorful as I remember, and just as fun to blow bubbles with, too.

5 Peppermint Cobalt Sugar-Free Chewing Gum comes priced at $2.49 per 15 pieces; it hits as average at first, but actually freshens breath like a dream. After eating a taco filled with onions, garlic, cheese, and other ingredients, this gum was more than able to manhandle those strong aftertastes, leaving me with nothing but a clean, fresh breath.

Now, don't expect the same instant burst of mintiness from 5 Peppermint chewing gum that you'd get from some others; interestingly, it wasn't until the eight to 10 minute mark that I personally noticed the clean feeling come through. While other gum brands had flavors waning at this time, 5 Peppermint gum seemed to be just picking up. In fact, my breath felt consistently clean for more than 60 minutes, and because of that, I'd definitely recommend 5 Peppermint chewing gum as an all-around pleasing option.

Mentos Pure Fresh Mint Sugar-Free Gum was remarkably satisfying, with its potency being its biggest selling point. I didn't expect much from the Mentos brand, mainly because I seem to remember original Mentos candies having a very chill, distinct flavor I assumed would be replicated here. Fortunately, that wasn't so. Mentos chewing gum was one of the strongest-tasting mint flavors of the bunch, perfect for those looking for a bold explosion of mint from the very first bite.

Mentos chewing gum contains many ingredients featured in other gum options, but also sports a few unsuspecting additions (like maltodextrin, rice starch, and others) I didn't see in most of the others. At any rate, Mentos sugar-free gum starts off as attractive little circular discs that are pure white with little ice blue flecks. They certainly don't disappoint — once you begin chewing, the mint takes off immediately, and definitely cleared out my nasal passages. 

Beyond its initial crunch, I found its texture not too hard or soft, though after 10 minutes its taste diminished significantly. Still, for $3.99 for 50 pieces, I consider Mentos gum a good value; I would buy this gum over and over again for its impeccable crunch and gutsy mint flavor alone.

Extra Peppermint Gum Sugar-Free Chewing Gum has been one of my favorites for years, and even when pitted against other brands, it still holds a special place in my heart. It goes for around $4.49 for a huge 35-stick pack, and its biggest draw is its docile flavor that manages to be both subtle and invigorating at the same time.

Extra peppermint chewing gum has such a pleasing vibe to it — not only are the sticks themselves satisfyingly soft, but their flavor is unique in that it trends sweet without sacrificing the intensity of the peppermint. This bright blue chewing gum provides an instant burst of flavor when chewed, though it is admittedly less "spicy" than other varieties on the list. Still, because its mintiness is so well-balanced, you probably won't miss the intensity. Its sweet and refreshing notes blend together harmoniously to provide a delightful flavor experience.

Even so, Extra peppermint chewing gum isn't one to grab if you're looking for a long-lasting chew.  While its texture remains soft and enjoyable throughout, its flavor wanes significantly after seven or eight minutes — which is why, despite being one of my faves, Extra gum still isn't listed as my number one pick this go-round.

I never thought I'd say it, but Trident Original Sugar-Free Chewing Gum is one of the best chewing gums out there. Trident has always been the go-to for my parents, and, to be honest, I never really knew why. To me, Trident gum appeared as a tiny, tough, boring little stick of nothing — so, why all the hype?

Welp, now I know. First off, Trident original-flavored gum has a strong minty taste that's beautifully complex. As you chew, the gum not only retains its flavor but actually becomes more intense with time. I actually found Trident to burn a little, even after chewing it for a long time. My mouth felt shockingly clean and refreshed, and I was surprised at how long its flavor continued. It was well past an hour, and the gum hadn't waned in taste — and though the gum starts off hard, it eventually gives way to a pleasantly soft chew I never knew it had until today. 

With all things considered, Trident Sugar-Free Chewing Gum is a top contender in the world of chewing gum. For the meager price of $1.69 per 14 pieces, it's more than worth the buy.

The 14 chewing gum brands featured in this post were picked based on availability at my local market. As always, thoughts expressed concerning perceived intensity of flavor, sweetness, longevity, and other characteristics are subjective. Pricing and availability may change.