The Best Popping / Cracking Gum
I’m a notorious gum popper/cracker. Give me stick of gum and I’ll soon be driving you mad with my consistent *pop* *pop* *pop* sounds. It’s something I do almost unconsciously. It’s a bad habit I can’t seem to break myself from.
You might ask, “How do you pop your gum?” Well, if you look around the internet you’ll invariable come across the “spread the gum across your front teeth” gibberish, which is a bizarre method. For me, I simply place the wad of gum around the third & fourth tooth back from the canine, compress the gum, creating a vacuum between the gum and my teeth by pressing sideways with my tongue, then unclench my teeth. This creates a negative pocket of air that snaps the gum quite loudly. It’s difficult to explain, but once you get it, it becomes second nature. Popping this way allows you to snap your gum without having to open your mouth. Some would classify this technique as “cracking” your gum, but whatever.
Here’s a quick scientific study I performed this weekend; curious to see which gums allowed for the easiest pop/crack, I gathered together this small selection of gums from the checkout line:
Orbit: This is the Gold Standard as far as I’m concerned. After a few minutes of warming up the gum, it’s ready to pop. Orbit has that perfect tackiness that creates a nice suction between the teeth and cheek to produce a consistent loud *pop* with nearly every chew. This gum is so perfect for popping that it’s almost like cheating.
Trident: This is probably the worst gum to pop. In fact, I couldn’t produce one single snap from this gum. It feels as if there’s a thin film to it which prevents this gum from the sticking to the teeth. Great if you’re chewing gum while wearing dentures, but it makes for a less than satisfactory chew for gum poppers.
Stride: A softer chew than Orbit, making popping the gum a bit difficult. You really have to concentrate to get a good series of pops. Pleasant to chew, but places low on the snapping totem.
Five Gum: Finally, a gum that produces consistent, meaty pops with just a bit of effort. Traditional-sized stick of gum gives you more material than you need, but popping still occurs with ease.
Extra Fruit Sensations: This gum shares the same packaging as Five Gum. A quick internet search shows that 5 Gum and Extra are both produced by Wrigley’s. I’d have to say that Extra is on par with 5 Gum when it comes to popability (is that a word?). If my life depended on making a choice between 5 Gum and Extra, I’d have to go with Extra. There’s just something about it that makes snapping slightly more enjoyable.
WinterFresh: Again, another Wrigley’s product, and a standout to boot. Easy to pop, but the winterfresh flavor quickly begins to wear on you.
Eclipse: Any gum that comes in a package that requires you to pop out a serving like you’re popping out a cold tablet is to be avoided. You’re not given enough material to work with, and the gum is far too soft to get a good, consistent pop/crack. Avoid this gum.
And that’s it. What it comes down to is avoiding the “Bubbleicous” sugary gums. These are impossible to work with. Gums that come in traditional sticks are harder to pop than smaller serving sized gums. Do not buy gum with a candy coating, as those are usually too soft to crack.
