I’ve been told that smell and taste can be one of the best triggers for memories. I’ve read about experiments where scientists would give people mints or mint flavoured gum and told them to study a subject while eating that minty treat. Then the scientists would test the people about the subject, some of the subjects would get mint treats while doing the tests, others they would not. I’ve heard that those who had the mint treat while doing the test would score better than those who did not. The idea is that your brain is connected to your senses, and when you sense something your brain reacts. Apparently the senses of smell and taste are closely connected to the part of your brain that experiences memories. It’s why cinnamon makes you think of Christmas, and pumpkin spice is now associated with fall. I say all of this because I had a very profound experience eating this Big League Chew.

I was walking down the street when I decided to take my first handful of shredded gum. I haven’t had Big League Chew since I was a kid, and I think I felt like it was a kids candy. Not that it’s ever stopped me from eating candies before. I took the shreds and put them in my mouth. At first I was a little disappointed. I was disappointed because this “Original” flavour seemed like the regular cop-out most candy companies seem to pull when they have a fruity flavour that they can’t define. If I was to hazard a guess I might say that it’s something close to cherry, but not exactly. For a few seconds I was thinking analytically about this gum as I usually do when I review a treat, but then everything changed.

After a few chews my memory twigged, and suddenly all I could think about was riding my bike through the lane ways of my old neighbourhood to the local ravine. I was with my friends and we had a few bags of candy from the local corner store. In those bags was often a pouch of Big League Chew. I’ve mentioned many times on this site that candy companies change the recipes of candies, and taste buds evolve. However, if science has proven anything to me, the minute the flavour hit the correct part of my brain I instantly remembered great days in my childhood. This means that the flavour of Big League Chew has not changed one bit since I was a kid. I continued to walk home as happy as I could be remembering those fond childhood days.

So what does this mean to you, the average candy consumer? If you’re a kid, you’ll probably enjoy this gum. I recommend trying it, and chewing it when you’re having fun with your friends or family. Chew it knowing that when you get older and you want to recall those wonderful days Big League Chew will not change. If you’re an adult I don’t know if you’ll really enjoy this gum that much, it’s pretty sweet and it’s a little difficult to eat. However, if you’re an adult that used to eat Big League Chew as a child, I can’t recommend it enough. While it’s not the kind of gum one would chew at the office, it’s perfect when you’re out on your own just thinking about nothing at all.

As an added bonus, it’s extremely good gum for blowing bubbles.