Old Candy Critic Articles - No more mint, please.

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week we look at an article I wrote when I was being over run with minty candies.

Last year the big announcement in the candy world was that 'mint' was going to be the next big thing, the world is going to be all about the mint, and candy fans all over are nuts about the mint. I think there might be a grain of truth to this. Sure, I enjoy a mint or mint gum regularly, in fact I generally carry some sort of mint product with me all of the time. If you see me on the street, go ahead and ask me for one I'll bet I'll have one to share. So the truth is out, mint is a great treat but is it the next big thing. Is it the candy of tomorrow?

Well first of all I don't think the mint really went away, it's been around since the dawn of the confectionery market, and I think it's been pretty popular since it's conception. My grandparents used to always give me mints, they were mint people. In fact, almost every elderly person I know digs the mints. Does this mean that my and the next generation are a bunch of old softies, we want old people’s candies?

My final problem with the mint craze is a problem I find with any candy craze, it always goes too far. When gross out candy was cool, eventually it just got candy that was so nasty it was inedible. When the sour trend was at its peak, I do believe it’s gone down a bit; everything had to be sour no matter what it was. The candy industry has to give itself some boundaries. I know I'm preaching to a bunch of marketing business types that do know more about trends than me, but please, do we really need mint flavoured soda.

There I said it and you know who you are. Mints are great. Nothing is better after a garlic-filled meal than a refreshing mint. And hey for those people out in the world that can't eat sugar, the mint is one of the only alternatives even the sugar-crazed Candy Critic goes for. I just think that mint has its place in the candy world. I understand and respect the idea of candy companies being creative, but ask yourself before you start marketing mint in everything: “Does someone want to eat this minty treat, or am I just being creative for creative sake?”

CC