But that's only part of the answer.

Ron and I harvest the resin we use ourselves here in Canada, and I process it into chewing gum here in Alberta. Between harvesting, making it, testing batches and chewing it ourselves, spruce gum is a pretty normal part of life in our house now. One thing we've learned is that people experience the flavour very differently.

Some people describe their first piece as strong or intense. Others call it mild. We've heard piney, woodsy, earthy, herbal and even clove-like.

She came to spruce gum from regular bubble gum and now chews our spruce gum almost every day. She considers the flavour mild. Honestly, “tree” is pretty accurate.

Is Spruce Gum Sweet?

No. Traditional spruce gum doesn't taste like the chewing gum most of us grew up with. There is no sugary coating and no blast of artificial flavour. When you put a piece in your mouth, you're tasting the natural resin itself.

That difference can be surprising if your reference point is bubble gum, cinnamon gum or strong commercial mint gum. Interestingly, though, not everyone finds spruce gum's flavour particularly strong. Our daughter considers it mild despite coming to it from bubble gum. We've also had customers who love the flavour immediately. Others need a little more time.

What Does the First Bite Taste Like?

The first few moments are generally when you'll experience the strongest resin flavour. Depending on the piece, you may notice something evergreen, resinous, woodsy, earthy, piney, herbal or slightly bitter. Some customers have even described a clove-like note.

I wouldn't describe spruce gum as tasting exactly like spruce needles, either. You're chewing resin from the tree, so it has its own distinctive flavour. If you've ever smelled fresh resin in the forest, though, you'll recognize the relationship immediately.

The Flavour Changes as You Chew

This is one of the things that's difficult to explain to someone who has never tried traditional spruce gum: the first bite isn't necessarily what the gum will taste like five minutes later.

As you chew, the initial resinous flavour mellows. What remains is a much more subtle woodsy flavour and the chew itself. That's also why judging spruce gum from the first few seconds can be misleading.

That's an experience we've seen more than once. Spruce gum can be an acquired taste. But apparently sometimes it only takes three pieces.

Does All Spruce Gum Taste the Same?

No — and I think this is important for people to understand.

Spruce gum is a natural forest product. We're not creating a standardized artificial flavour and adding it to a gum base. We're starting with actual tree resin.

Ron and I spend a lot of time in the forest looking for and harvesting resin. I process it and taste our batches as part of quality control. When you work directly with this material regularly, you quickly learn that natural resin isn't perfectly uniform.

What Does Spruce Gum Look Like Before It's Cut?

During production, our gum doesn't immediately look like the little pieces you see inside the finished tin. We work the processed resin into long sections before cutting it down into individual pieces.

Every batch is processed and tested before it becomes the spruce gum we sell. And yes, I actually chew it. If Ron and I are going to harvest this resin, put Alberta Wildcraft's name on a tin and tell somebody else to chew it, we're going to know what that batch is like ourselves.

Is Spruce Gum Bitter?

It can have some bitterness, particularly during the initial chew, but I wouldn't describe every piece of spruce gum as bitter. Someone accustomed to sweetened gum may notice the lack of sweetness immediately and interpret some resinous notes as bitter or sharp. Someone else can chew the same kind of gum and simply describe it as woodsy or mild.

Does Spruce Gum Taste Like Pine-Sol?

No. I understand why people wonder — we're talking about chewing something that came out of a conifer. But there's a huge difference between the aroma and flavour of natural tree resin and an artificially scented household cleaner.

Does Spruce Gum Taste Like Regular Gum?

Not remotely. And that's kind of the point.

Modern chewing gum has trained us to expect sweetness and powerful flavouring. Traditional spruce gum is something completely different. There's no attempt to make tree resin taste like watermelon, peppermint or blue raspberry.

It tastes like where it came from.

What Should You Expect From Your First Piece?

Expect something unfamiliar. Expect no sweetness. Expect a natural evergreen and resinous flavour that may seem stronger during the first few chews and become milder as you continue.

And don't be surprised if your first reaction isn't your final opinion. We've seen people love it immediately. We've seen people need a few pieces. We've seen regular gum chewers make the switch.

And now we have a kid in our house who reaches for spruce gum every day and describes it in one word: “Tree.” Fair enough.