Not so juicy fruit.

Don’t leave Orbit lime-melon gum in your car, unless you want the car to smell like spoiled fruit. This was the unfortunate discovery Cinnamon and I made on our trip to Kansas City for a wedding this past weekend.

After taking off the cellophane, we were taken aback by the pungency of the gum — its melony fruitiness quickly filled the car. That was fine while the car was cool; once it was left in a hot parking garage overnight, we discovered the gum’s dark side. I find the flavor of ripe melon to be just shy of smelling spoiled anyway. Add a citrus note and some heat and you’d have thought we left a slice of cantaloupe under the seat. The smell lingered even after I took the gum out of the car. Only a full change of air — at 70 MPH up I-35 — fully eliminated it.

The gum itself was OK. I was expecting something fruity, so the rather strong undercurrent of mint was unexpected and not particularly welcome. The melon flavor was pretty accurate, but the lime and mint fought each other and the lime lost.