Mint chocolate

Mint chocolate, also known as chocolate mint, is a popular variety of flavored chocolate. It is created when mint flavoring, such as peppermint, spearmint, or crème de menthe, is added to plain chocolate. Chocolate mint also refers to an herb, specifically a hybrid mint plant, that tastes and especially smells like a combination of mint and chocolate. The National Confectioners Association has declared February 19 the Chocolate Mint Day.

The flavor

The chocolate component can be milk chocolate, regular dark chocolate, or white chocolate; due to this, mint chocolate has no one specific flavor and so, each chocolate-plus-flavor combination can be unique.

The smell

Depending widely on the ingredients and the process used, mint chocolate can give off a very distinctive mint fragrance.

Uses

Mint chocolate can be found in a wide variety of edible products, such as candy, mints, cookies, ice cream (see Mint Chocolate Chip), the beverage hot chocolate, and others. In addition it is marketed (non-edible) as a beauty/bath product.

Mint chocolate can be marketed under many different names and descriptions, some of which can be technically misleading. For example, Haviland Thin Mints and Hershey's York Peppermint Patties are actually mint patties—peppermint-flavored centres dipped in a chocolate coating. While the resulting flavor combination is that of mint and chocolate, none of these products actually contains mint chocolate.

Varieties

Mint chocolate

• Lindt Mint Intense
• Andes Chocolate Mints
• Hershey's Chocolate Mint Collection - Limited Edition Miniatures
• Laura Secord French Mint
• Marshall Field's Frango Mints
• Velamints
• Aero Peppermint
• Hanover's Michigan Mints

Mint patties with chocolate

• Haviland Thin Mints
• Hershey's York Peppermint Patties
• Junior Mints
• Pearson's Chocolate Mint Patties
• After Eights
• Fry's Peppermint Cream

See also

• Mint Chocolate Chip (ice cream)