TiffsPixieDust: Pine Bros Review

About the product:
Ulysses S. Grant was President, the population of America hovered at 39 million, and the telephone was still a pipe dream, when in 1870 J. Herman Pine hung out a confectionery shingle on 8th Street above Walnut in Philadelphia and, along with his brother, sold their first batch of what they called 'Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets.' In an attempt to relieve his own sore throat and those of his family members, Mr. Pine, a former German confectionery maker, determined that by combining the soothing natural qualities of glycerin with the healing properties of gum acacia, he could sooth and mitigate the mild discomfort of a sore throat. Add in some natural flavoring and a sweetener and voila, Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops were born. "I have discovered something," Pine wrote, "which will give quick throat relief to thousands afflicted as I was." He added,"Perhaps I won't make much money out of this. But I can make people happy, and that's more important than money." Mr. Pine was being unduly modest, as his "discovery" would become one of the most successful, most delicious and most unique throat lozenges in the world. Nor has the recipe changed appreciably since it was first introduced to the public over 140 years ago.In 1930 Pine Brothers was sold to the Life Savers Company and continued to flourish. Known for its 'soft drop consistency,' Pine Brothers lozenges became a favorite of adults and children alike. The product, which attracted healthiest sales in the eastern and northern states, due to its icy winters, reached its peak popularity in the 1970's. The company was sold by Life Savers, and then, having been re-sold and acquired a number of times, found itself essentially rudderless and under appreciated; this despite a legion of loyal consumers. Cost cutting changes were made to the original recipes, packaging became stale and marketing non-existent; Pine Brothers began to be made overseas. Sales declined.Recently, Pine Brothers was acquired by the creator and former owner of Airborne, Victoria Knight-McDowell, for her new company 3 Sisters Home Products™. Much time and effort has been spent locating the original Pine Brothers recipes, redesigning the packaging, and creating an exciting yet classic new look. Pine Brothers is once again being made in America, and was launched nationally in fall 2011. And indeed, old Mr. Pine has succeeded yet again in "making people happy." God bless him!

My take on it:
When introduced to Pine Bros, I excited to give it a try. With the weather changing, I knew that sore throats and colds would be just around the corner. Actually when I received it at my doorstep I did not have a sore throat and was curious how I'd give an accurate review.
Here's where I think the fates were for or against me. I haven't decided yet. Wouldn't you know I woke up this past Sunday with one of the worst sore throats I've had in a while. It was terrible and I could barely swallow. I personally think that I was jinxed but it worked out in the end cause I did get to thoroughly try out the products.
Onto the product....I was sent two flavors - Natural Honey and Wild Cherry. They come in two different sized packages. There's a compact plastic case that contains 26 drops and the value size that is a bag that contains 32 drops. I would keep the plastic case handy to keep in my vehicle, purse, work locker, etc and use the value size for refills.

The product is labeled as softish throat drops and that is a perfect way to describe them. They aren't hard, but not exactly soft enough to be like a gummy bear. The directions advise best if not chewed, however, as you keep the drops in your mouth to dissolve it is rather difficult not to chew on them a little. I just have to keep reminding myself that letting it dissolve is what is actually helping my throat, so I need to let it do it's thing.

The taste of the Natural Honey was interesting. There is definitely a flavor there, but it is sort of vague. I like the taste of honey and it grows on you after a while. My hubby was comparing it to the taste of a plain chapstick. You know it's there but it's not overbearing. The Wild Cherry was much more of a crowd favorite. Again, it's not overbearing either but the cherry flavor is very appealing to the senses.

While I was sick, I kept both flavors closeby and alternated back and forth.
They really did keep my sore throat at bay. My throat would start feeling better from the cough drop and I'd fall asleep, only to wake up with a sore throat again. All I had to do was continue my Pine Bros routine and it was manageable again. I am really pleased with the product.

From browsing their site, it appears that soon they will be offering a Lemon-Citrus flavor and a Licorice flavor.
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