Here’s the deal…
If I’m chewing on a wad of Big League Chew (gum) and then I throw in a few ice chips, I get a sudden amazing blast of flavor, as if the gum had released all of its sour goodness in one shot.
Why does this happen?
Why doesn’t it happen with, say, Bubble Yum?
I would attempt to recreate your experience, but I haven’t seen Big League Chew in years. My (mostly uneducated) guess is that the colder temp of the saliva containing the flavors allows more of the molecules to come into contact with the taste buds. Or, the ice in Trenton, NJ just happens to taste like Big League Chew.
Giggidy giggidy goo!
It may be even simpler - just a result of the extra water releasing more of the flavouring as it helps the gum dissolve. Try a control test by sipping some water too. If you like.
On the occasions when I have reached for a nearby glass or bottle of room-temperature water to encourage the blast of flavor, I have been disappointed.
When I tried the opposite approach, of embedding ice chips in a lightly chewed wad of gum, I was rewarded with an even stronger burst of flavor.
Sadly, Flander, Big League Chew is very difficult to find these days. Whenever I spot the familiar cardboard boxes in some unkempt corner of a shelf in the candy section of a pharmacy, I snap up several pouches. I know full well that it may be months before I see another pouch of BLC.
Not if you don’t have a problem with shopping online and can afford to buy it in quantities greater than “a few packets”. Wrigleys just brought out a big Cal Ripken promotion last spring, so the gum is by no means on its way to becoming obsolete.
Nationwide Candy, which features the Bucket O’ Gum.
Enjoy. 