Lotte Glamatic Cassis Gum

I've seen "Glamatic" brand gum around for quite some time and have actively avoided it. The packaging is super sparkly and the writing is stylized in a fashion that makes it clear that Lotte is trying to attract 12-year-old girls, or those who think like them. I figure anything that is trying so hard to show style carries a high risk of lacking substance.

As I've mentioned before, sometimes I like to have gum on hand for throat moistening purposes. There's nothing that gets the old saliva going like gum. That being said, I still don't like to chew gum. It makes me feel like a cow chewing its minty-flavored cud.

Lotte mustn't think much of this gum because it's buried in the list of "other gums" on their gum page. I guess it isn't getting the push that Fit's is in terms of promotional potential. Given my bad impression of Fit's, I can't say I believe Lotte has it's priorities straight.


I chose this gum mainly because it is flavored "cassis" (essentially, a grape-like berry) without the addition of mint. I'm not a fan of the fruit plus mint flavors that dominant the chewing gum sections in Japan and it was slim pickings. So, I had to buy the frilly girly gum for prepubescent girls and look like a pathetic 45 year old who doesn't know her age.

A pack of 14 pieces about the size of a Chiclet or Dentyne gum costs 100 yen ($1.10). The gum is sugarless, which is important to me because I care about my teeth. It's made with both Maltitol and Aspartame. It smells a bit perfume-like at first, and tastes a bit like it as well. One of the slogans for the gum is something like "a makeover for your breath". I think it's supposed to make you think you'll smell pleasantly of perfume. After that first hit passes it has a pretty pleasant grape flavor which is relatively short-lived. I'd say it holds its flavor for a maximum of 10 minutes.

This is actually pretty decent gum. The grape flavor is not a kid's flavor, but actually similar to cassis. The shell is crisp and the gum inside is soft and easy to chew. I'd definitely buy this gum again if I was sick of sucking on herbal throat drops and wanted to chew gum to keep my throat from getting dry, even if it does look like I'm outside of the market for it by at least 2 decades.