12 Trident Gum Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

When you hear the name "Trident," your mind likely jumps to something a bit more mythical and impressive than a stick of chewing gum — yes, we're referring to the Greek god of the sea's iconic three-pronged spear. In reality, though, the gum company's moniker may from a much simpler place. Some unconfirmed sources say that "tri" refers to the three ingredients said to fight tooth decay and that "-dent" may have something to do with dental health. Lore says that it still could be influenced by Poseidon's touch, but we'll stick to this more practical explanation.

Mythology aside, Trident has managed to build up a pretty impressive resume of its own since its introduction in 1960. It carries the patent for the very first sugarless gum, using artificial sweeteners like xylitol to stand out from the rest of the gum aisle. Plus, it even owns a spot in history as the very first gum to be chewed in space. Not exactly divine intervention, but still pretty cosmic.

To this day, the brand is still sticking to its sugar-free, lower-calorie, long-lasting approach. Only now, instead of focusing all its energy on its original flavor, it's grown into a rainbow of different tastes, from minty and fruity to candy-inspired. Curious to see which ones actually live up to these promises, on top of offering a strong, standout flavor, I gave an array of different packs a try. No matter where your gum loyalties lie, these rankings from worst to best will give you something to chew on.

"Vibes" is a mini line within the Trident family that features pillow-shaped gum with a candy-like shell rather than its classic rectangular pieces. It's been around since 2018, and coincidentally, that was also the year that the brand embarked on a mischievous candy collab. Trident and Sour Patch Kids teamed up to offer Vibes gum in Redberry, Blue Raspberry, and Watermelon. Then, in 2024, this Tropical Peach Mango installment joined in on the fun.

My first thought was that this flavor does not scream Sour Patch Kids to me — peach mango is not a core flavor of the candy, after all. What it does scream is extremely sour and mildly soapy. Prepare for your lips to pucker to the max. I think this gum may be more sour than Sour Patch Kids themselves, and you get more of an artificial fruit flavor rather than a candy-like sweetness. Then, just as soon as it all began, it's all over. First it's sour, then it's just gone.

This was a Dollar Tree find, and I don't think it's one that's going to make its way back to the main stage of major grocery store checkout aisles any time soon. It's more so a novelty destined for retro candy shops full of short-lived swings that sounded better on paper.

Trident isn't on the same level as Orbit, where it created an entire brand identity around that clean, fresh-mouth feeling. But it does quietly offer Trident White Peppermint, which promises to whiten your teeth and prevent stains. Even though these are the kind of claims I take with a stick of skepticism, I appreciate the attempt to go beyond simple flavor. At the same time, though, the flavor is what's lost in the process, and that's the main problem here.

Each chiclet of gum (this is the only Trident option I found in this form) starts out really dry when you first pop it in your mouth. It softens up, but the flavor doesn't make a lasting impression. It doesn't taste all that much like peppermint, especially when you compare it to one of the brand's better mint variations. Instead, it comes across as a pretty generic and muted mint, and to make matters worse, it starts to lose any taste it does have really quickly.

It may be more approachable than the extra sour Sour Patch Kids gum, but in contrast to the brand's myriad of other mint flavors, it's seriously lacking. Plus, Trident notes you'd need to chew two pieces four times a day after meals to get the full stain-fighting effect — who's realistically keeping up with that?

Trident isn't exactly known for its bubblegum. Its sweet spot has always been mint-forward creations and even the occasional fruity flavor. Alongside those, this flavor feels like an afterthought.

They have that classic bubblegum look, I'll give them that. They come in a light shade of pastel pink and have that layer of powdered sugar-like dust on the outside, similar to what you'd find on Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape or a hunk of Dubble Bubble. However, the taste is toned down even from the jump, just like it was with the white peppermint flavor. It's missing that distinct "tutti frutti" profile you expect from traditional bubble gum. So even though the taste lasts a little longer than other fleeting brands (and other Trident packs), it still ends up as one of the more average bubble gums I've tried — just faintly nostalgic at best.

Another upsetting realization is that a single stick doesn't transform into a big enough glob to blow a respectable bubble. So where does that leave us? With hardly any flavor and hardly any old-fashioned fun to go with it.

Now, this is obviously a verifiable Sour Patch Kids product, immediately making it far more successful than the peach mango variation. Blue raspberry is one of the candy's defining flavors, and it's on full display here. It even smells the part right out of the box — very loudly blue razz.

Of course, that mouth-puckering, eye-squinting sourness is back. It's so intense at first that it made my face a little warm (maybe I'm just not used to that level of sour punch). After this initial rush, it calmed down a bit, settling into a sweet raspberry flavor that is still sharp but much more manageable. It's definitely a vibe, just perhaps not everyone's vibe. I think kids, as well as Sour Patch super fans, would be drawn to it. For everyone else, though, it may be a bit much.

I will also say that for anyone who does choose to indulge, I would recommend you really savor it in the beginning because you only have about two to three good minutes before it loses the lion's share of its flavor.

Definitely peppermint. Not so sure about the "perfect" part. It is a solid flavor, though. It's much stronger and more defined than the bland bubblegum or candy collab attempts. Right away, those pearly white sticks hit me with a robust bouquet of aromas. This is easily the strongest-smelling option of the bunch, and it's all peppermint — none of the softer cinnamon notes you might pick up in the original.

Once you start chewing, its flavor comes on fast and a little aggressive. There was a light tingle in my nostrils as I sank my teeth into it for the first time. The flavor is very obviously pure peppermint — just like a chewable candy cane. I like the strength and bright taste, but at the same time, it's a tad overwhelming. It almost seems like its sole purpose is to clear out your sinuses.

The good news is that once you work your way past that initial blast, it gets more enjoyable. Plus, it's one of the longer-lasting options, so you can rely on your breath being minty fresh for quite a while.

Twist and chew? That seems to be the idea here. The "Twist" packs are essentially Trident's take on fruit-forward flavors — offering a quick, juicy break from the overload of mint. A lot of these varieties take a dip into tropical territory, and this one goes all in on pineapple. Or at least that's the plan. It's a tasty gum, but there's just one little problem: It doesn't really taste like pineapple at all.

It starts off with a sour punch before settling into something sweeter. It does remind me of sunny, island-style flavors, just not the vibrantly tangy taste of pineapple specifically. It's more like a generic tropical fruit medley. For some reason, it also conjured up visions of the zebra-endorsed Fruit Stripe gum in my mind. If you crammed a handful of those stripey sticks into one big wad, I think it would have a similar taste to this Trident gum.

Since it is more "twist" than pineapple, and it doesn't completely live up to its name, I couldn't rank it too high. But that doesn't mean I'd turn down a stick if someone offered it to me.

Cinnamon is quite the controversial gum flavor. Just like fiery Hot Tamales candy or Atomic FireBalls, people either seem to love or hate it. Personally, I'm more of an anomaly, sitting somewhere in the middle. I don't mind it, but it's also not my first choice.

Now that we're clear on where we stand, I will say that this is a decent gum. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it's not overly spicy. Yes, the rush of warm cinnamon leaves you with some prickles on your tongue at first, but it also offers a pleasant sweetness that balances things out. It's not as potent as something like Big Red — which isn't the first, but is debatably the most iconic kind of cinnamon gum — and that restraint makes it more agreeable to a wider range of palates.

As I kept chewing, I did notice an interesting squeakiness to this particular gum — something I didn't pick up in other Trident sticks. It's subtle, but it's a quirk that knocked it down a few pegs in the ranking, even though the flavor itself was well-balanced and better than I thought it was going to be.

This gum came in the exact color I expected: a vibrant shade of pinkish-red. What surprised me was how crunchy it was at first. I chalked this up to perhaps just a slightly older pack, though. And since it quickly relaxed into a more pliable consistency, I didn't let it sway my opinion too much.

This Twist variation automatically had a leg up against the pineapple just because of its more accurate flavor. It does taste like watermelon — or, at least the familiar candy version of watermelon. It's extra sweet despite its sugar-free status, and it has an obvious tang about it. When you really squish it down and get all the juice, it leans a tiny bit sour, but still nowhere near the level of the Sour Patch Kids flavor bombs.

Its bright, light, and summery flavor makes it a genuinely fun chew. Not to mention, I think it would appeal to a much wider crowd than the lower-ranked cinnamon flavor. Where this one falls short, though, is its longevity. The flavor fades faster than it takes to reach the rind on a real watermelon slice. So, I give it an A+ for flavor, but a C- for the flavor's staying power.

It's the OG, and it still holds its own against many of Trident's newer releases. I actually didn't know before that the original flavor is meant to be a perfect blend of peppermint and cinnamon. It seems like a daring clash — a fusion of hot and cold, fire and ice. But somehow, it just works.

I think its success has to do with the fact that mint is more upfront while cinnamon works more quietly in the background. The white sticks coat and cool your mouth with a crisp mint flavor, and the aromatic spice is very light, like cinnamon that's infused into a chai latte. It's not as bold or aggressive as the standalone peppermint or cinnamon flavor. Instead, it leans more heavily on that mellow and refreshing taste of mint. It's a great baseline for all the other flavors, and it's clear to see why it's stood the test of time over the last 65 years. Its envelope-like pack also proudly boasts that it's "refreshingly long lasting" (just as the brand does on all its products), and it does actually hold true here. It has some stamina. 

It will always be a Trident powerhouse. But at the same time, it's been eclipsed by a few other packs with either brighter or smoother flavors that feel like an improvement on its earliest formula. 

I thought it was interesting that the spearmint pack is listed before Trident's original flavor on the brand's product page. I really can't see any clear reason for this. It's obviously not alphabetical, and there's no other blatant explanation for the order. I started to wonder if maybe it's based on popularity, and after trying the spearmint, that actually feels like a very real possibility. I ended up liking it better than the OG itself, which definitely says something.

Flavor-wise, it's a smooth spearmint operator. It eases you into that sweet and herb-forward taste instead of hitting you over the head with it like some other minty flavors do (ahem, Perfect Peppermint). It is definitely toothpaste-like, though not in a bad way, and even left my mouth feeling a little bit numb, like I just left the dentist's chair. That's the perennial herb at work.

There could be some bias behind this decision. I typically opt for spearmint when I'm picking out my chew of choice. But there's no denying this is a great gum — one with a standout taste and the same long-lasting powers as the OG. So, I stand by my ranking, even if spearmint couldn't quite outshine the more inventive options coming up.

Tropical is the best of the Twists, hands down. This is exactly the kind of gum flavor I would have reached for as a kid (or begged someone to share with me in my middle school class), and it still tastes just as good now.

Trident explains that the flavor is "like gum dancing with a hoola skirt on." While I love the visual, this description doesn't tell me a whole lot. The packaging does a much better job of hinting at the fruits that are in store. You can see an orange, a kiwi, and what looks like a mango slice on the front of the pack. Orange and mango are what drive much of the juicy experience, however, while kiwi gets a little lost in the shuffle. No matter, though, because it's still plenty sweet and fulfills its tropical promises without overcomplicating things.

Compared to the Pineapple Twist, and even the Watermelon Twist, it has a significantly deeper flavor, and one that lasts a heck of a lot longer as well. It also manages to still taste refreshing despite its fruity note. It almost cleans up your breath in the way a mint gum would. 

I'll be honest, I thought the addition of Mint Bliss was redundant and unnecessary on top of Trident's collection of other mint-inspired flavors. I didn't know what the light blue pack could bring to the table that was different from the peppermint or the original. But I found myself eating my words after I tried it and realized it's the best of them all.

The brand doesn't give a lot of indication of what this flavor actually is, yet the gum itself quickly reveals what it's all about. It almost tastes like a blend of peppermint and spearmint, but with a subtle twist. There's an almost creamy quality to it that smooths everything out, giving it a softer edge than your typical icy mint. It eases you in just like a light flurry to kick off the winter season rather than a full-on blizzard.

You still have all the sweetness you could want, plus a light cooling sensation and a flavor that isn't quick to melt away. So, it feels like the new and improved version of Trident's original flavor. It stands out not only in the crowded mint category but also in Trident's entire lineup. I think I just found my new favorite flavor.

There are far more Trident flavors than I had originally thought. Sure, you see the classics like Spearmint, Tropical Twist, and of course, the Original flavor as you wrap up your grocery trips — these are the variations I snagged at my local Kroger. But there's a wider world of Trident flavors out there, and I found a gold mine of these rarer finds at a nearby Dollar Tree. Between these two stops, I ended up with this collection of different Trident gum flavors to sample and rank.

In order to properly rank them and give each a fair shot, I chewed one piece from each pack for a few minutes, with a splash of water in between to cleanse my palate. This gave me a pretty clear idea of where each option stood in terms of overall strength of flavor, sweetness, and longevity. I tried to weed out anything that tasted too artificial or too intense, especially when it came to things like cinnamon spice or sourness. I also ruled out any sticks that lost their luster too quickly. There's nothing worse than having to reach for another piece of gum just minutes after you popped one in because it's already turned into a flavorless blob. Trident has a few flavors that meet all these requirements, but Mint Bliss was my absolute favorite.