Black Black

Black Black is a brand of caffeinated chewing gum produced in Japan and South KoreaFact|date=January 2008 by Lotte. It has been sold since 1983, [cite web|url= http://www.lotte.co.jp/products/catalogue/gum/03.html
title= ロッテ 商品カタログ ガム, Lotte(Japan) products information of chewing gum
accessdate= 2008-01-25|publisher= Lotte (Japan)|language= Japanese|quote= 昭和58年6月に「眠気スッキリ！ブラックブラックガム」を発売 In June, Shōwa 58 (1983), the sales of black black gum started. ] and is popular in Japan, partially due to its well-known television commercials that star Jean-Claude Van Damme. It became popular in the United States after being mentioned in Wired Magazine.cite web|url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/play.html?pg=14 |title=What Wired staffers bought this month |accessdate=2006-09-12 |year=2003 |month=February |publisher=Wired magazine |pages=1] The gum's name is derived from its charcoal-like color.

Ingredients include sugar, starch syrup, grape sugar, erisuritol, oolong tea extract, ginkgo extract, chrysanthemum flower extract, gum base, flavorings, coloring agents (cacao, gardenia), caffeine, and nicotinamide. A persistent urban legend holds that the gum contains nicotine, the misconception stemming from confusion with nicotinamide, a much different substance related to the B vitamins. The packaging contains some strangely phrased Engrish on the label that reads, "HI-TECHNICAL * EXCELLENT TASTE AND FLAVOUR". Some sticks also say "YES, CHEWING!".

In western Japan (Osaka, Shikoku, etc.) the gum sells for around 105 Yen a pack in most supermarkets and convenience stores.

In the United States, Black Black may be procured through a variety of mail order and online companies and in many Asian supermarkets.

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.lotte.co.jp/products/catalogue/gum/03.html Product information of Lotte's chewing gum]