Mummi Ksylitolipurukumi

Really, Finland? "Ksylitolipurukumi." Really?!?
I'm sure in that ridiculously long string of letters, there's a few different words in there like "gum", disgusting", and "unhappy". Trust me, I have pretty long last name myself ("Papadimoulis"), so I know a thing or two about this. Why not use spaces? Or at the very least, hyphens?

My regular camera is still out of commission (which is why there's no hockeypulver), but my cellphone was able to snap some unexpectedly detailed pictures of this salmiakki. As you may tell, it looks like regular, candy-coated gum.

It also has the exterior texture of real gum, but certainly not the smell. I'd normally expect some form of mint when taking a whiff, but these have a more neutral and (of course) subtle liquorice smell.

I'm generally not afraid of salmiakki-based gum, and the Ksylitolipurukumi gave me no reason to change my mind. It started off with a light liquorice taste but quickly faded into nothing. After chewing on several flavorless pieces for a while, I spit the gum out and took a swig of water to combat the salty aftertaste. Maybe I'm getting used to this stuff, but I have to score the Ksylitolipurukumi as edible.

Jenkki Frozn

I am surprised. Nay, I'm astonished. No, no... flabbergasted! Err, actually...  there's not a word in the English language that describes my sentiment after trying the Jenkki Frozn salmiac.

Brace your self, dear readers: the Jenkki Frozn salmiac gum is not only edible, but I'm still chewing on it as I type this very message.



And just to be clear, I have not yet intentionally seared my tongue in a desperate attempt to save pain on my quest for salmiakki. My sinuses are not blocked and I can smell scents as well as ever. And so far as I can tell, I still have functioning tastebuds.

When I opened the bag of Frozn gum, I was assaulted with the unmistakable aroma of menthol. If there was any doubt that my sinuses were clogged, a whiff of Frozn would have cleared them out. Like any other Finnish candy, I was a little hesitant to bite down on the gum, but decided to go all in. I chomped down on two of the square pieces and began to chew.

Within moments, my whole being was infused with menthol, almost as if I had taken a swim in a lake filled with Halls Coughdrops. But it wasn't unpleasant - it was actually soothing. Any hint of that dreaded salt flavor that accompanies Salmiac was overpowered by the intense menthol flavor.

And as far as gum goes, this one holds its flavor; I'm still chewing it and, while it doesn't have the same methol kick, the flavor is still there.

This rates as edible and halfway-decent!