Breath Mints

[irodguy]

Ginger Altoids are great.

However at work nothing better than Penguins three of these are equivalent to a cup of coffee. So when we work late just pop mints and no problem, you can stay up without coffee etc.

[Gastro888]

Listerine breath strips. Hands down, the best mints I've ever had. Effective and fits in your evening bag. Fantastic!

[skyflyer3]

Can I vote for the absolute worst? I bought some Italian licorice pastilles, and they were absolutely nasty. I tried so hard to like them, as they were kind of pricy, but they were just so bitter. I think they were called liquirizia spezzata.

[mrbigjas]

You know what are surprisingly good mints?  Target's house brand.

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you know what are surprisingly bad? neiman marcus house brand.

[MarketStEl]

I'll cast my vote for the Listerine breath strips for effectiveness--and in terms of inventive food chemistry, maybe Ferran Adria might want to offer them between courses at el Bulli. But as for flavor, they're hit or miss. The new citrus strips have an off-flavor that I find a bit unpleasant--and surprising, given that the citrus mouthwash is probably the best Listerine flavor out there. The cinnamon strips are excellent, and the two mint varieties are pleasant enough, like their liquid siblings.

[Mabelline]

I love the Altoids in cinnamon and ginger. At our local Costco, they set up a table right as you are on your way out, and hand out samples to all of us 'grazers', heading out of the store smelling of garlic, onion, etc. Shrewd move. They sell you an industrial-sized sleeve of breath freshener tins.

I also like fennel seeds. They seem to change taste the more you 'Cowcud' them around in your mouth. But I am the person who adds fennel seeds to any Italian sausage I buy, as if I'm afraid there's not going to be enough in the meat. I'm also a fan of the pieces of licorice root I get from GoodEarth, my local healthy-foods store.

[JennyUptown]

I think any of the breathstrips are kind of scary. Once the novelty wore off, I said "never again" and gave 'em all away.

Stuff I do like:

* Tangerine Altoids (the best, my absolute favorite)

* Cinnamon Altoids (though I phased them out for awhile after eating so many they burned a hole in the inside of my cheek - no lie)

* Breath Assure (I can't believe no one has mentioned this wonderful remedy yet; parsley oil capsules that work from the inside)

[jhlurie]

Aren't the Tangerine Altoids "sours" instead of "mints"? We have to draw the line somewhere.

Then again, even when confectioners DO attempt to make a true citrusy mint, I don't think it ever works. It's part of why that Citrus Listerine flavor sucks, as has every other citrusy-minty hybrid I've ever tried. The Tangerine Altoids are good because they are, in the end, just sour sucking candies and not a lame attempt to mint-ize that flavor.

[Jason Perlow]

Jon: The orange Tic-Tacs are not bad, but I am not sure how effective they are at freshening breath.

[irodguy]

Everybody just needs to give up coffee and softdrinks and pop Penguins instead. Great tasting mint and plenty of caffine

[Jason Perlow]

I have a large supply of Penguins. I actually feel their best product is the Caffeine-laced Cola-flavored gum, though.

[jhlurie]

Jon: The orange Tic-Tacs are not bad, but I am not sure how effective they are at freshening breath.

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Right. I don't think they are actually a "mint". Heck, I'm not sure ANY kind of Tic Tac is a mint, although the peppermint or spearmint at least approximate one.

I remember when brands like Certs stopped being about mints. It was refreshing when Breath Savers came out, because at least they re-prioritized the mintyness, but I think they may have slipped into non-minty flavors in recent years as well.

Technically, I suppose something like Cinnamon isn't a mint, but at least it's a strong clear flavor. That's why I can accept the idea of a Ginger "mint". But citrus? Please. Citrus is good for sour, but it ain't a mint. Heck, even "Vanilla Mint" is kind of a stupid concept, even if it does taste good.

My favorite non-mint "mint" is actually Chocolate Velamints. I can accept it's non-mintyness because, again, in my opinion it's a strong, clear flavor.

[irodguy]

I have a large supply of Penguins. I actually feel their best product is the Caffeine-laced Cola-flavored gum, though.

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Yep it's quite interesting at about 3 AM when we are trying to get a final build out the door. Drinking Fastlane tea and popping Penguins. Last time we had to do this I was shaking for two days afterwards. But my breath was nice and minty.

Sure wish I could actually earn a full time living off catering