Mints have never been at the forefront of my candy addiction. I don’t know if my view is unusual, but I’ve always considered the tiny sugar-tablets more a quick breath-freshener than something tasty and crave-worthy. A flavorful hit in the absence of chocolate or gummies, but not really satisfying in the same way, y’know?
Well, if Archie McPhee has anything to do with it, the conversion of the lowly from afterthought to main event is in short order. From grog to garlic, no flavor is off-limits from the Seattle-based novelty maker. I recently received three tins of mints to review: Cupcake, Mochaccino, and Absinthe. As I’d expect from the company, packaging was kitschy and adorable. But would their taste transcend everyday minty doldrums?
Cupcake Mints
Cupcake mints come in a relatively large, cupcake-shaped tin. Inside are 130 mints in cheerful shades of white, pink and baby blue. The packaging designated these mints as “frosting-flavored.” Seeing as I’ve been known to eat really good frosting by the spoonful occasionally (who hasn’t?), I was hopeful. As it turns out, the cupcake mints taste more like sugar with hints of buttercream (white), cherry (red), and berry (blue). I’d take these over standard mints any day, but they’d be better if the frosting flavor was more intense.
Mochaccino Mints
These “Decaf Double Short Low-Fat” Mocha-flavored mints come in a spiffy faux-coffee mug tin. Bearing only 82 beige-ish mints, it’s smaller than the set of cupcake mints, but no less charming. When the tin is opened, an alluring coffee scent wafts up, teasing your nostrils. These mints taste mostly of coffee, with the slightest hint of chocolate – and although there’s no mint flavoring here, these are probably more effective breath-fresheners than their cupcake counterparts. The coffee flavor is fairly authentic, but the standard “sugar” flavor is stronger. Mochaccino mints may find a permanent home in my purse, as they help take the edge off my coffee-cravings. Yet, I have one piece of advice for the folks at Archie McPhee: caffinate these, please!!
Absinthe Mints
I saved the most unusual flavor of mints for last. For anyone unfamiliar with Belle Epoque drinking habits, Absinthe is an anise-flavored liquor laced with wormwood. Nicknamed “The Green Fairy” due to its strength and hallucinogenic properties, it was extremely popular with 19th and early 20th century bohemians. The drink was outlawed for a while, but is legal once more and has come back into vogue as of late, particularly with today’s artists and writers.
Okay, enough with the history – what are the mints like?
Like the other two flavors of mint, the Absinthe variety comes in a tin that’s stylish with a hint of camp: It features a green-clad fairy-lady with green mini-devils flitting about. Very fun! Inside, there are 100 white mints. The smell is of concentrated licorice, which one might expect given the flavor. There’s no alcohol scent whatsoever. The taste is of anise; reminiscent of the after-dinner chewing mixture provided at Indian restaurants. Unlike the other varieties I sampled, these feature a refreshing minty aftertaste. Of the mints I sampled, these are the least sugar-intensive and the best breath fresheners. The Absinthe mints are my favorites – they’re the only mints I’ve devoured like “normal” candy. I probably won’t be able to resist buying them again if/when I see them.
Although I’d read reviews of Archie McPhee products on this site, and glanced some of their mints in passing at ye olde Hot Topic, I didn’t have any first-hand knowledge of the candy novelties until now. I rather like these, particularly the anise variety, and daresay they’ve managed to change my perception of mints’ place in the candy “food chain”. Here’s hoping Archie McPhee continues to amuse, confound and delight us with their candy oddities!
The cupcakes ones sound like my cup of tea (or cake in this instance). Sounds like you lucked out over the meatball gumballs.
January 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pmI was just at their site the other day and thought the Mochaccino mints looked delicious. Now I know they are, and I’ll probably be ordering some! Thanks!
January 20th, 2009 at 12:50 amAll of these sound like worthy additions to my work-desk-drawer tin o’ mints collection. The cupcake ones sound the best – I’m a sucker for things that taste like cake but aren’t really (like the Birthday Cake ice cream at Marble Slab. Mmmm…)
January 20th, 2009 at 12:13 pm