As someone who was well and truly obsessed with the old Fleer brand Dubble Bubble gum when I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s, I was thrilled when Concord Confections -- who bought the brand in '98, and then itself was acquired by Tootsie Roll Industries in '04 -- kept that original 1928 flavor alive. Even though they didn't keep the original "format" of the gum (the single-wrapped thick cylindrical chunks with a light dusting of powdered sugar), it was still great to be able to enjoy the flavor.
In other words, if I were rating the true, original Fleer Dubble Bubble gum, it would get six stars out of five. :)
Sadly, particularly in recent years, two of the formats they use for the 1928 flavor -- the smaller flat squares in theater boxes, and the bigger chunks in the Big Bars -- have been horribly inconsistent, both in terms of flavor and texture. Their manufacturing and quality control processes are clearly quite sub-par.
More often than not, the taste turns out to be far closer to the modern sickly sweet Dubble Bubble flavor, instead of the satisfying, vaguely-wintergreen-ish, sugary 1928 flavor. Additionally, the texture is frequently very hard and way too thick, meaning it's tough to chew.
I'm giving two stars because occasionally you can luck out and get a good batch that tastes correct and has good texture. But that is quite rare, and given the high prices, it's very disappointing to receive a dud batch and be stuck with a few pounds of bad gum.
I'd love to be able to recommend this gum for others like me who prefer the better, original flavor of this gum, but unfortunately I can't. Nothing against Groovy Candies; it's not their fault. I hope Tootsie / Concord Confections improves their manufacturing methods at some point, but I may never find out because I don't plan on dumping $40 to roll the dice again after being burned several times recently. Very disappointing.
