MMmmmint!

I'm not a big Altoids fan. Surprising, because I really like mint. One time my boss filled her candy jar with Wint-o-Green LifeSavers and I just about ate the whole darn thing. But Altoids, eh. I don't think there's enough sweet in them for me to consider them candy. So when I got a bunch of tins of VerMints recently, I couldn't help but compare them to Altoids. After all, they come in a similar tin box and have the similar pastille shape. I figured at least they'd be good to have on hand for after my morning, midmorning and afternoon coffees. But then I tried them, and YUM! These go beyond your typical mint experience and border on the realm of tasty candy. It has a lot to do with the flavors. There's traditional peppermint, but there's also WinterMint, CinnaMint, GingerMint and my two top faves, Chai and Cafe Express (made with Green Mountain Coffee). Besides yumminess, these have some other fabulous qualities as well: they're all natural and made largely with organic ingredients and they're made in Vermont, my dream state, the place I hope to retire to some day. And they're only 5 calories each, so they're perfect for my candy diet. I do have to mention something about the name, though. Obviously it's a play on mint/Vermont. But every time I look at the tin, the little voice in my head (one of them, anyway) pronounces it with the stress on the "ver," so it sounds like "vermin," which is a little odd for a food product. When I first opened one of the tins, I almost expected the mints to be shaped like mice, but no, they're round. Look for these goodies at your local natural foods store.