Do you need something dark colored to put in the Christmas stocking of someone who’s been naughty? You could use coal, but the coal could get onto your hands, which could cause you to leave a fingerprint somewhere, which could lead to the naughty one figuring out it was you who left the coal in his or her stocking.

If you want something less incriminating, might I suggest using a piece of Wrigley’s Hubba Bubba Hot Cocoa Bubble Gum. Actually, you should use several because you’re not gonna want to chew on them.

The 12 pieces are individually wrapped and come in a small coin bank. The gum is also available in 5-piece packs.

The small coin bank is the best part of purchasing this gum (second best is the gum’s soft chew, but those two are it). I can store my loose change in it and when it gets full I can take it to my nearest Coinstar machine and get an Amazon or iTunes gift certificate. This paragraph was not brought to you by Coinstar.

The pieces seem smaller than Hubba Bubba that come in the standard 5-pack. Or maybe I’ve gotten much bigger since the last time I’ve had Hubba Bubba gum. But size doesn’t matter when it comes to ruining someone’s holiday by putting an unpleasant gift into one’s stocking.

Since the gum is made with real cocoa, I expected it to taste somewhat like hot cocoa. But to say the gum tastes like hot cocoa would be a lie. To say the gum taste like despair, would be more accurate, hence the reason why it makes a great coal replacement. Its flavor is part Tootsie Roll and part plastic. I hoped after a minute of chewing it would get better, but it didn’t and the flavor became mostly plastic.

At this point, it’s best to spit it out. Or if you really want to punish those who have been naughty, you could dump the chewed piece of gum into their stocking. That’ll teach ‘em a B+ is not an adequate grade.

If I want to chew something for a long time that has chocolate flavor, I’d chew on a Tootsie Roll. If I want a gum that allows me to blow decent bubbles, I would buy regular Hubba Bubba gum because these smaller pieces just don’t cut it. Yes, I could chew two pieces at one time, but having to tolerate their flavor in order to blow bubbles the size of my head isn’t worth it.

I don’t know why companies continue to make chocolate-flavored gum. Over the years, they’ve come out with several, but none have stuck around. Have you heard of Hershey’s Chocolate Bubble Yum Gum. No? I rest my case.

Having chewed a few pieces of Wrigley’s Hubba Bubba Hot Cocoa Gum for this review, I now think my holidays are a bit less brighter and I feel as if I’ve been naughty this year. Thanks, Wrigley!

(Nutrition Facts – 1 piece – 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.)

Item: Wrigley’s Hubba Bubba Hot Cocoa Bubble Gum
Purchased Price: $3.99*
Size: 12 pieces
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: Soft chew. Coin bank the gum comes in. Constar. This pro was not brought to you by Coinstar.
Cons: At first it taste like Tootsie Rolls and plastic. After a minute or two it tastes mostly like plastic. Pieces are smaller than regular Hubba Bubba. Hard to make large bubbles with it.

*Had to buy it on eBay because I couldn’t find it locally. So it’ll most definitely be cheaper if you find it in stores.