Glee Gum is “all natural gum made with rainforest chicle.” Chicle, I learned, is the original “gum” part of chewing gum, no longer used by large-scale commercial gum makers because - you guessed it - a cheaper synthetic substitute was developed. Glee Gum’s site has an excellent FAQ with lots of information about chicle and its benefits to gum chewers, workers, and rain forests, but how’s the gum taste?

The nifty retro-styled, business-card-sized box contains eighteen pieces of gum about the size of Chiclets. (Hmmm, interesting name… Chief Candy Addict Brian noted this a few years back in a history of chewing gum). Glee Gum peppermint has a nice minty flavor on the first bite, and the gum texture is exactly what you’d expect: kinda rubbery, like any other gum. I like the peppermint flavor of this gum because it actually reminds me of the plant, but this gum loses its flavor fast. Nearly all taste is gone in under three minutes. Good thing there’s seventeen more pieces.

I don’t know about provoking any glee, but this gum is nice if you want a fresh-tasting natural gum without a bunch of artificial gunk in the way of the flavor, or in your body. Glee Gum also comes in Spearmint, Tangerine, Cinnamon, Triple Berry and Bubblegum, and the company is open to your new flavor suggestions on their site.

• Glee Gum Website

Buy Glee Gum Online:

• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

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It’s not easy to find innovation in mints nowadays. How many different round mints in rectangular tins can the market sustain, really? That’s why I was so pleased to stumble on the “Great Bite” product line. They have some of the coolest packaging and product shapes I’ve come across in a while. The tins, the round sour packs, the Tic-Tac-like packs - all have a “bite” taken out of them and so do the candies themselves.

The mint tins are your typical Altoids tin shape and size, but the top left portion of the tin is bitten off. Each mint inside is about the size of a Life Saver (with no hole) and a portion of the mint is bitten off too. This theme continues across the whole product line. The mints (and tins) come in peppermint, spearmint, and orange and all taste great except the peppermint - it has a strong licorice taste to it that even my seven year old daughter picked up on (which isn’t good if you dislike the flavor of licorice). The orange was especially tasty and hits you immediately with a strong orange kick.

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When I opened a package addressed to me at Candy Addict, I expected the usual assortment of sugary treats sent by most candy manufacturers. Instead, a bright blue box with the words “Cavity-Free Kit” shone up at me. I wondered if the delivery was my dentist’s idea of a joke. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t want rotten teeth, and have only had one cavity in my entire life (in a baby tooth!) - but as a lover of sugar, I was hoping for a box of sweet stuff.

Curiosity was definitely beginning to overtake disappointment, so I opened the box to find out exactly what a Cavity-Free Kit really is. Inside, I found boxes of gum and mints, a tube of toothpaste, and a bottle of mouthwash. Directions were included with the kit, and after poking through all the boxes to check out the gum and mint flavors, I read about Epic’s ideas for a healthy mouth. Apparently, the sweetener xylitol is key.

Problem number one that I have with Epic is that the directions for obtaining a healthy mouth include using Epic products six times per day. Yes, six. The manufacturer stresses that you can choose the combination of products to add up to six, but I don’t like requirements on my gum and candy. I do, however, love sugar-free gum, especially in pellet form, and was quite excited to give the four flavors a try.

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I love it when I go shopping for one thing and end up finding something else instead. That’s what happened when I went holiday shopping the other day. I went in looking for a certain gift and ended up walking out with a box of the new Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch. Isn’t the box pretty? I love how festive it is!

Junior Mints and I have a sordid history. As a kid I’d only really have them at Halloween since they weren’t something I’d ask for. Each year when I’d give them a try, I knew why. I was never a big fan of mint and chocolate (although I’m warming up to it now) and they’d always end up in the trash.

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If I’ve learned anything about gum recently it’s this: gum isn’t just for chewing anymore. No, nowadays it freshens your breath, entertains your taste buds, even sends caffeine coursing through your system. X-it Sugarfree is no exception. In addition to X-it Sugarfree Gum, I also received several different types of mints and bonbons. I have enough gum and mints to keep my breath fresh for a decade.

What’s my favorite thing about these X-it products? Honestly, its the packaging. Each product comes in an attractive tin that tucks easily into your purse or pocket, guarding the lining against spillage. Even better, the tiny mints come in tins with black plastic lining that dispenses a couple at a time - even more protection against spillage!

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What do you look for when you pick up a pack of gum? Do you want it to freshen your breath? Maybe you’re trying to quit smoking cigarettes and you need something to chew on to help deter you from continuing the bad habit? Or do you want something with long-lasting flavor for a long, dull day at the office?

I discovered out that gum can have more than one duty when I found a package from the Action Candy Company in the mail. The company is releasing a new line of five sugar-free gums in January 2008, and three of those gums have a dual purpose - not only do they please your taste buds and freshen your breath, but they also help you out in other ways. The other two are intensely flavorful and breath-freshening.

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Having a popular candy blog does have its rewards. One of them is unexpected free candy in the mail. Today I came home to a package from Just Born, makers of Peeps. Inside was a package of brand new Peppermint Peeps, coming soon for the Christmas holidays.

I have to be honest though - I have never been a big fan of Peeps. I don’t hate them, and can eat them if I must, but they aren’t something I’d ever buy for myself to eat. They’re just not really my thing. I’m also not crazy about candy cane peppermint flavor either. If I buy something minty, I usually go for wintergreen or spearmint. So I wasn’t sure about the Peppermint Peeps.

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It seems there is an endless stream of variations of Hershey’s Kisses nowadays, and we can add one more to the list: Candy Cane Kisses. I picked up a mini 1.12 oz package at a Walgreen’s for 49 cents about two weeks ago and promptly forgot about them until now.

The Candy Cane Kisses are mint-flavored white chocolate Kisses, with “stripes and candy bites”. Unfortunately, these made of the dreaded (to me anyway) white chocolate, so they don’t really appeal to me. They have a slight mint taste to them, and yes, there are tiny crushed up candy cane pieces in the Kisses, but the combo just doesn’t work for me.

The hint of mint, and the underlying white chocolate taste are enough to turn me off. The candy cane pieces do add an interesting twist to the usual formula, but they’re nothing special and are clearly intended to just be used as stocking stuffers. I don’t envision people going nuts over these like the Cordial Cherry Kisses. The Candy Cane Kisses are “limited edition”, so if you want to give them a try, act fast.

• Candy Cane Kisses at Hersheys.com

Buy Candy Cane Kisses online:

• at Amazon

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Melding the chocolate chewiness of a Tootsie Roll with the classic crunch of a peppermint candy cane seems obvious, since chocolate and mint have intermingled happily with each other forever, but Candy Cane Tootsie Pops are a new (to me) addition to store shelves. Tootsie Roll doesn’t seem to have a separate webpage for this flavor either, so I’m guessing it’s not going to stick around after December.

Each pop is the same size and shape as a Blo-Pop, and I wonder if they used the same molds to form them. They’re wrapped in clear plastic like a candy cane, which shows off the eye-catching design of the lollipop. Red and white swirls. Very festive and a really nice touch.

I love crunching down on hard candy, and candy canes are no exception. As tempted as I was to get to the Tootsie Roll center, I took one for the team and just licked and spun the pop in my mouth instead. The outer shell is a familiar peppermint flavor. A little sweet, a little minty, and neither side overwhelmed the other. As I got closer to the center, a subtle fudge flavor started to mingle in with the mint. I really liked this gradual introduction of chocolate, which later intensified as more of the center was revealed.

And then? And then I couldn’t help myself. I munched through the rest of the shell and chewed the Tootsie Roll off the stick, which is my usual way of finishing a Tootsie Pop.

I’m a Tootsie Pop fan, and these Candy Cane Pops are a great seasonal addition to the regular lineup. The chewy, chocolatey center mixes much better with peppermint that it does with the regular fruity flavors. So if the idea of eating grape with chocolate isn’t your thing, maybe you can give these Tootsie Pops a try.

• Tootsie Roll Official Page

Buy Candy Cane Tootsie Pops online:

• at Candy Crate

More candy articles about: candy, sweets, tootsie, lollipop, lollipops, candy cane, peppermint

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Pop Rocks was one of my favorite candies as a kid. It’s one that wasn’t available at every store you went to, so it was kind of special when you got it. The popping candy was simply awesome. Now, Pop Rocks has come out with special Holiday-themed Candy Cane flavor Pop Rocks and when I saw them at my local candy store, I had to get some.

The Rocks themselves are mostly red (cherry?) with some scattered white ones thrown in. I’m pretty sure the red ones are cherry flavored and the white ones are peppermint. I didn’t really like the taste of the mix of cherry and peppermint - it just doesn’t work for me. It didn’t taste like a candy cane, and cherry-mint just isn’t a very good flavor combo.

It’s a good holiday gift and would make a great stocking stuffer for the kids, but I won’t be upset when the holidays are gone and Candy Cane Pop Rocks leave too. Give me some classic Cherry Pop Rocks any day.

• Buy Candy Cane Pop Rocks at Candy Crate

Buy Pop Rocks online:

• at Amazon
• at Old Time Candy Co.
• at Candy Direct

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