You can chew gum in this class!

You don’t have to stop learning just because summer is finally here. In fact, we love picking up little tidbits of information and trivia around The Candy Store, especially if it has to do with candy! That’s why we were so pleased to find out that some very special chewing gum was coming back into production for a very limited time. With the limited release of Beemans, Black Jack and Clove Gum, we’ve been able to learn a little bit more about three chewing gums that haven’t been available commercially for years. Since everything we learned is all so neat, we thought we’d share it with the rest of the class!

Beemans (or Beeman’s Gum after Dr. Edward E. Beeman, the physician) was invented with the idea of being a digestive aid in the late 19th century. The gum was discontinued in 1978, but not before earning the reputation of being lucky for pilots. It certainly wasn’t forgotten either as it was featured in three Hollywood films, The Right Stuff, Hot Shots!, and The Rocketeer. Cadbury Adams now owns the rights to this over 100 year old gum and produces it in small batches every few years, much like Black Jack and Clove.

Black Jack gum is an Adams original gum invented by Thomas Adams, Sr. himself in 1870. It also holds the distinction of being the first chewing gum manufactured with flavour and the first chewing gum made in stick form. If you haven’t tried this gum, you’ll be surprised to know that the flavour is licorice! The chewiness of the gum originally came from chicle, derived from a Central American evergreen tree (yes, this is where Chiclets got their name!) and Adams hadn’t been trying to make chewing gum, he’d been trying to make rubber! Good thing for us candy connoisseurs he realised the chewing gum was a better bet.

Another of Adams’ bets paid off in Clove Gum. After the success of Black Jack and mechanization of his chewing gum manufacturing process, Adams tested out another flavour, adding clove spice to his gum in 1914. The response was overwhelming and he had another winner on his hands. What may have fueled the popularity of this gum, however, was the belief during Prohibition that chewing Clove Gum would mask the smell of alcohol. Regardless of the reason, Clove Gum is one of the longest produced flavoured chewing gums available – and it too is only available in small batches as a limited release.

We highly recommend coming in for a taste of nostalgia and picking up a pack or two. They won’t be around for long and once we’re sold out, that’s it….for another few years at least.

posted by The Candy Store @ 3:57 PM