Black Black
 | |
| Product type | Chewing gum |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lotte Confectionery |
| Country |
 Japan |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Website | http://www.lotte.co.jp/ |
Black Black (Burakku Burakku) is a brand of caffeinated chewing gum produced in Japan by Lotte. It has been sold since 1983.[1] 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.[2] The gum's name is derived from its charcoal-like color.
Ingredients include sugar, starch syrup, grape sugar, erythritol, 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 different substance related to the B vitamins. The packaging contains some strangely phrased Engrish on the label that reads, "HI-TECHNICAL * EXCELLENT TASTE AND FLAVOR". Some sticks also say "YES, CHEWING!".
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
- ↑ "ロッテ 商品カタログ ガム, Lotte(Japan) products information of chewing gum" (in Japanese). Lotte (Japan). Retrieved 2008-01-25. "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."
- ↑ "What Wired staffers bought this month". Wired magazine. February 2003. p. 1. Retrieved 2006-09-12.