Altoids – the name frightens me. I immediately get an image of my head bursting into flames as a small white tablet of destruction sears the inside of my mouth and then wreaks its havoc on the rest of my body. My husband and my mother love Altoids. They laugh at me because I am afraid of them don’t care for them.

Of course I’m talking about the dreaded peppermint Altoids. Whoever created those things must have been a sadistic former Gulag prison guard. Imagine my inconsolable weeping hesitation when I received two packages of Altoids in the mail to review.

Fortunately, they were not of the peppermint variety. Instead I’ve been able to sample the wintergreen and cinnamon flavors from the new Altoids Smalls Sugar Free line.

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So there’s a disclaimer to this article. When I was asked if I wanted to review this product, the e-mail sent to me asked if I would be interested in reviewing cinnamon toothpicks. I am sorta neutral when it comes to cinnamon candy, tending to prefer the lot when it’s a mild cinnamon flavor.

But I figured these couldn’t be that bad because they’re only toothpicks after all, right? So I agreed to review them. Imagine my chagrin when I opened a small package in the mail that contained a small vial of toothpicks with the name Nuclear Hell Cinnamon Toothpicks. So umm… mild? Me thinks not.

The vial contains twenty-four toothpicks that are carved from American Birch and later coated in cinnamon oil. For those not familiar with cinnamon toothpicks, they debuted in 1949 as a drugstore product, which amassed great popularity into the eighties, but later fell out of fashion.

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I am, admittedly, not a big fan of sharing. At the risk of making myself appear greedy, selfish, and all-around less likable, I will openly acknowledge here that my own personal philosophy is that every effort should be made to minimize the amount of sharing one ever has to do. Sure, there are exceptions when sharing is okay – sometimes even nice (think first-date milkshake with two straws, cable bills, and household chores) – but as a general rule, I think it’s best avoided.

When I received my generous shipment of Ugly Truffles and Damn Good Cookies from Chocolate Gourmet, however, I immediately recognized that the only way I’d be able to review such a quantity of treats in a timely manner, without making myself deliciously ill, would be to invite my friend, a sweet-toothed vixen herself, over for a night of eating chocolate. And oh, what a night it was.

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Today I was quite shocked to find not one, but two unexpected packages containing delicious candy treats. One was from Jelly Belly (look for that review coming soon) and the other was from our friends at Licorice International (who, by the way, have a beautiful new site). Intrigued, I ripped open the box to see what treasures it might contain.

Inside I found two packages of Australian Waldov Liquorice, one raspberry flavored and one black, as well as two “Irish Potatoes” and a nice note informing me that these were newly stocked items. Well, I’m always up for a new kind of licorice to try, so I immediately tore open the black licorice bag.

I could smell the delicious scent of black licorice even before the bag was fully open. Gingerly pulling out a piece from the bag, I noted that they were sticky but soooooo soft. I’m talking butter soft here, people. No, seriously, softer than you’re imagining. Firm enough to hold their shape, but just barely. These are arguably the softest licorice bits I’ve ever tried. In my book, that’s a good thing.

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As I have mentioned before, I frequently make deliveries to various businesses in downtown Austin for work. One of the interesting things about it this time of year is that the lobbies of these hotels, offices, and skyscrapers are littered with merchants. It’s like a mini-bazaar of people selling jewelry, candles, and clothing as convenient holiday gifts.

None of these things really pique my interest, and I normally just brush right past them. However, on a recent trip to the twenty-second floor of 301 Congress, one little table caught my eye. It was a display of artisan chocolates. I hurried to the elevator to make my delivery so that I could quickly come back down and review the products for sale.

Upon my return, I noticed a stunning collection. There were molded chocolates designed for Christmas and wine bottles matched with wine glasses that were both decorated in a chocolate coating so that you could enjoy a drink and nibble on some Belgian chocolate concurrently. But the highlight of the table by far proved to be a series of molded chocolates that were depictions of paintings.

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