Jan 22, 2007 Without this man you might still be chewing flavorless gum made from rough gum substances. Black Jack Gum was discontinued in the 1970s as sales slowed disappointing the licorice gum chewers of the day. John Trivolta, disco, and Freshen-up gum was happening while licorice gum.
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Black Jack is an aniseed-flavored chewing gum made by Mondelēz International, originally the American Chicle Company. As of July 2018 Gerrit's Brands, Inc. acquired the rights to Black Jack gum, along with Beemans and Clove, relaunching reformulated versions in November 2018.
In 1869, exiled former Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (famous for losing the Texas War of Independence) was living in New Jersey.[1] He brought Mexican chicle with him in hopes of selling it to raise funds to help him return to power in his home country. He persuaded Thomas Adams of Staten Island, New York, to buy it. Adams, a photographer and inventor, intended to vulcanize the chicle for use as a rubber substitute. Adams' efforts at vulcanization failed, but he noticed that Santa Anna liked to chew the chicle, which the ancient Mayans had done.
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- Reintroduced in 2019, Beemans is one of the oldest gums still in existence! The gum was invented in Ohio by a physician named Dr. Beeman in the late 19th century. Since then, it has become one of the most popular and most difficult to find chewing gums on the market. If you've been searching for Beeman's, we are here to help.
Disappointed with the rubber experiments, Adams boiled a small batch of chicle in his kitchen to create a chewing gum. He gave some to a local store to see if people would buy it; they did and he began production.
In 1871, Adams received a patent on a gum-making machine and began mass-producing chicle-based gum. His first product ('Snapping and Stretching') was pure chicle with no flavoring, but sold well enough to encourage Adams in his plans. He began to experiment with flavorings, beginning with sarsaparilla. In 1884, he began adding licorice flavoring and called his invention Adams' Black Jack, the first flavored gum in the U.S. It was also the first gum to be offered in sticks.
Black Jack Gum was sold well into the 1970s, when production ceased due to slow sales. It was re-introduced in October of 1986.[2]American Chicle was purchased by the Warner-Lambert Company in 1962, which became part of Pfizer in 2000. In 2002, Adams was purchased by Cadbury, which merged with Kraft Foods in 2010 and became part of Mondelēz in 2012 following the split.
Black Jack chewing gum returned to the market in the 2000s, in limited quantities, often sold in candy specialty shops.
In popular culture[edit]
In the book Deviant, author Harold Schechter mentions that American serial killer Ed Gein chewed Black Jack gum during his sanity hearing.In the TV series Homeland, Saul Berenson is fond of those chewing-gums. Black Jack gum was also used in the television show Boardwalk Empire. It was featured in Nucki's flashbacks in Season 5, Episode 6.
In Seinfeld Season 3, Episode 5 ('The Library'), Seinfeld is reminiscing with an old friend. He asks if they were chewing Black Jack gum. She says, 'Ugh licorice gum? Never!'
In the 1990 movie Pump up the Volume, Christian Slater's character prefers Black Jack gum .
Referenced in the song 'back to the hotel' by SF Bay area group N2Deep.
In the Sanford and Son episode 'Coffins for Sale' Fred makes a reference to Black Jack Gum being chewed by General Pershing.
In Season 3, Episode 10 of the Showtime original series Homeland, acting director of the CIA, Saul Berenson ensures his secretary has an adequate supply during a tense moment. (Later it is referenced as his lucky gum). 'I'm out of Black Jack. Anymore out there?' Secretary brings him a pack from her desk. 'Is this the last pack?' Secretary: 'I've got you plenty more. Don't worry'.
Rage (1977) by Stephen King. In chapter 22 the lead character, Charlie Decker, says: 'Black Jack gum - there is no finer'
In Season 3, Episode 16 of the American TV series Northern Exposure, 'Three Amigos,' Ruth-Anne offers Maurice a pack of Black Jack gum to bury with their late friend, Bill. She said he always liked it. Then, before they completely finish Bill's burial in the wilderness, Maurice offers Holling a stick and then he stuffs the pack of gum between the rocks that are covering the burial mound.
References[edit]
- ^http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/6-things-you-may-not-know-about-santa-anna
- ^https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/25/business/new-revival-old-time-gum.html
The world of gum is huge these days. No longer is it just a world of soothing mint & peppy cinnamon. There are at least a half a dozen formats: sticks, gumballs, nuggets, chicklets, tape & goo filled pieces and the flavors are all over the map with the general array of mints & fruits but now there are sour gums, exotic flavors and even more combinations & special ingredients than ever.
Chewing gum started out, early on, as a simple little stick of chicle base with sugar and a little flavoring. Some of the earliest varieties, launched in the late 1800s still survive today in pretty much the same format. For your chewing enjoyment I have a few classic gums: Black Jack, Clove and Beemans plus Clark’s Teaberry.
First is my favorite gum of all time: Clark’s Teaberry.
Teaberry is a regional name for wintergreen (also known as Canada tea, which may explain the name of Canada mints which are also wintergreen flavored).
The D.L. Clark Company used to be a rather large & diverse candy manufacturer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which made both candybars and gums starting in 1886. At one point the company was making 150 different kinds of confections. In 1921 the gum side of the business (which was made in a separate factory anyway) was spun off into its own company: Clark Brothers Chewing Gum Company (later shortened to Clark Gum Company). They were best known for two flavors: Teaberry and Tendermint.
Though Tendermint is no longer produced, Teaberry is still available.
The gum is rather simple and mild. The wintergreen flavor is mellow, not too much like some sort of analgesic balm or Pepto Bismol. The flavor lasts for a while as well, long after the sugar is gone.
The biggest issue I’ve had with purchasing Teaberry gum in the past 10 years or so, besides it being rather difficult to find is freshness. The pieces, first of all, seem a bit thinner than I remember them. Second, they’re often stale & crispy instead of soft & pliable. (Yes, sometimes I like to roll up my sticks.)
Even so, I’ve never felt that gum needs to be “fresh” in order to be enjoyed, though sometimes the flavor isn’t quite a vibrant.
Like all the gums profiled in this review, Teaberry is still made with sugar and no other sweeteners. (Though it’s now made in Mexico.)
Here’s an old commercial from Teaberry’s heyday in the 60s called the Teaberry Shuffle performed by Herb Alpert.
Though the Clark’s Gum Company is only a vague shadow of what it used to be, Adams is the oldest gum company and some of the classic flavors are still produced today now that it’s part of the Cadbury Adams company. The Adams nostalgic line is still made sporadically (in Colombia), in fact, the gums are back on store shelves presently (and when the inventory is gone, it’s pretty much gone until they make more in a year or two). I got mine at Cost Plus World Market.
The Thomas Adams gum story is pretty interesting. (If you want to know far more than I’m prepared to cover, please read this great page.)
Black Jack gum is the first flavored gum in the United States, starting in 1871.
The package doesn’t even say what it is, but I found the flavors are anise, ginger & green woodsmoke.
If I’ve had Black Jack before this, I’d forgotten (for the most part all I chew is Peppermint Chiclets, Teaberry and bubble gum balls). It’s much more mellow than I would have expected after the scent. Caramel, molasses & licorice but it also reminds me of the woodsy ginseng gum I pick up in Chinatown from time to time. A little weird bitter metallic taste to it but also a very, very sweet note that doesn’t go away even when the sugar is gone.
I’m not much of a clove fan, but I thought I’d give Clove Chewing Gum a try anyway.
The scent is pure clove, just like sticking my nose in a bottle of the spicy, dried flower buds.
The chew is soft and mellow, the clove also has a hint of cinnamon to it, making the whole thing reminiscent of spiced cider and a baked ham.
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My biggest issue with clove is its association with dental problems. Clove oil is a natural analgesic and one that can be applied topically in the mouth without worry of poisoning. So the mere scent of it reminds me other teething issues ... probably not my own, probably more of an association with other screaming toddlers.
The numbing quality is a bit evident as I chewed it, I could swear that my tongue felt a little like putty towards the end. Overall, this kind of changed my mind about the clove flavor, it wasn’t as medicinal as I expected and the flavor certainly lasted a long time for a sugared gum.
The final in my assortment is simply called Beemans Chewing Gum without any further description.
Because of the white package I always assumed that this was peppermint flavored gum and I saw no need to switch from Wrigley’s Spearmint of Doublemint gum for this niche product.
Even though the sticks were white, once I opened the package it became apparent that this is a wintergreen flavored gum.
A little backstory about wintergreen & Beemans.
The gum was developed by an Ohio physician named Dr. Edward E. Beeman. Pepsin was a common treatment for digestive issues and working it into a gum was a good solution for delivering it in a slow dose. The Adams company purchased it from Beeman in 1898.
The flavor is a bit more intense than Teaberry. Actual pepsin doesn’t appear as an ingredient on the label. The chew is soft and smooth but after the sugar is gone it has a bit of a warming quality, like Ben Gay for the tongue. (Which may or may not be a selling point.)
I prefer Teaberry ... though I like the fact that the Beemans and Clove have no artificial colors in them.
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They’re all rather simple gums and lack a liquid center, fancy graphics and huge marketing campaigns. They’re quiet and contemplative ... comforting and a rather cheap little way to buy some nostalgia.
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Related Candies
Black Jack Gum
| Name: | Teaberry, Black Jack, Clove & Beemans |
|
|---|---|---|
| Brand: | Clark Gum Company & Cadbury Adams | |
| Place Purchased: | Dollar Tree & Cost Plus World Market | |
| Price: | $.25 and $1.25 | |
| Size: | unknown | |
| Calories per ounce: | unknown | |
| Categories: | Gum, Cadbury, Mexico, Colombia |