July 1, 1999 -- As anyone with experience as a professional taster will attest, one of the trickiest parts of the job is maintaining a clean palate while also avoiding stale and sour breath. Traditional breath fresheners like toothpaste and mints don't work because they spoil the palate for the next taste and their effect can take hours to relent. And unless you like watching people slowly back away as you are talking to them, doing nothing is not really an option, either.

So it was with some interest that a while back I read an email from the Canadian distributor of a lozenge called Breathpatrol. Said to produce an alkaline reaction that neutralizes the acids in the mouth, throat and stomach that cause bad breath, Breathpatrol was reputed to work against even breath odours caused by alcohol, tobacco and garlic. The Canadian rep offered me a bunch of packets of the lozenge to test out and I accepted.

As noted, I was keenly interested in this product, but I was also quite sceptical. After all, other products have claimed to "neutralize" bad breath and have to my experience been largely frauds, so why should I expect Breathpatrol to be any different? Nonetheless, I popped my first lozenge with an open mind.

After numerous tests, I had to conclude that by and large Breathpatrol really does work. I tried it after drinking beer and found out that my wife couldn't tell that I had consumed anything alcoholic, I used it after eating garlic and found it again to be successful, and I popped one while suffering from a bad case of coffee-mouth and once more found that it eliminated the smell. Cigars, alas, proved to be too much for Breathpatrol, for although it could make a dent in the smell, it couldn't eliminate it entirely.

The downside for some people is the taste of Breathpatrol, an herbal-lemony flavour that presumably comes from the chlorophyll and lemon syrup it contains. Personally, I had no trouble with the flavour, and even grew to enjoy it, but others to whom I gave lozenges were less enthusiastic.

The other drawback to Breathpatrol is that the lozenges are not, to my experience, widely available. You can find out more about them, order some or get a free sample through the web at www.breathpatrol.com.

Search The Real Beer Library For More Articles Related To: Breathpatrol Lozenges

Feedback?

We're very interested in your news, notes, comments and questions, so please feel free to contact SBWoB by clicking on the link below. Or you can add your comments when you sign up for the World of Beer Update, a mid-month e-mail newsletter that brings even more of the world of beer to your computer.

Send Feedback To: beaumont@worldofbeer.com