Tasty inexpensive chocolate mints (Tesco Value After Dinner Mints)

Member Name: CPTDANIELS

Product:	Tesco Value After Dinner Mints
Date:	13/05/09 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Taste fab

Disadvantages: Difficult to keep the box shut

==Background:==

When I was growing up I used to love as most kids do Christmas. One of the many reasons for this was the chocolates and sweets we were allowed as this special time. Back then one of these treats was After Eight Mints, these were always considered to be as expensive and the height of good taste.

I was looking for some After Dinner mints the other day and I saw the traditional After Eights but next to them I noticed Tesco's own Value After Dinner Mints. As I was on a strict budget and I was curious to try these I decided to purchase them. I have tried quite a few items from the Tesco Value range and on the whole I have been impressed by them, so I thought this too I must experiment with.

==Price:==

These compare very favourably with the conventional branded mints. My packet of After Dinner mints cost just £1.00 for a 200 gram packet. In the same store the After Eight mints cost £2.73 for a slightly large 300g packet.

==Packaging:==

The Tesco After Dinner Mints are similar in concept to the more established branded ones. They both come in a similar rectangular box and was it not for the very different design on the box you would think shape and size wise these were the branded ones.

I must admit I was impressed by the designs on the Value product. The idea behind all the Value range is to keep costs as low as possible so not much is spent on design and making the product look as good as the branded items.

Yes it is not as distinctive or as eye catching, but for me it looks effective and appealing. Displaying pictures of the tempting looking mints on all sides of rectangular package.
The product comes in a cellophane wrapper, that is easy to remove. Once this is removed I noticed were as the branded item is a box that you have to open and close every time to get a mint this one had lip which you peeled back and I found difficult to shut again once opened.

It is on only the base of the box I find all the useful information about the product itself. I found I had to be very careful turning the box over as the mints seemed to want to fall out the box.

On the bottom of the box, I was advised of the Allergic advice, Ingredients, the Nutritional values for 2 mints and for 100g packet and the Tesco Promise. All this information was well laid out and easy to read. The only thing I would like to see is the Nutritional value per mint and also per box would have been more useful than per half box.

==Nutritional information:==
2 mints (20g) contain:

Calories 90
Protein: 1.0g
Carbohydrates: 13.0g
Fat: 3.8g
Fibre: 1.0g
Sodium: Trace
Salt: Trace

==The Product:==

When I opened the box, I was initially surprised. I had expected to see the mints in their own individual wrapper like the branded items. But they were held in their own compartment all 20 of them without any additional coverings in a plastic moulded holder.

When I pulled one out it looked very similar in size, depth and to the branded ones. If anything I would say these look at first glance to be thicker and slightly more substancial in appearance than the more expensive branded ones. I would describe them as 'chunkier'.

There was a little wasted space in the box and I think 25 mints could easily fit into the box. The individual chocolate segments did not fit comfortably in their relevant slots a couple seemed out of position and I found it difficult initially to make them look as they should have done all neatly arranged and tempting to look at.


==Ingredients:==

Plain Chocolate (65%), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Peppermint Oil.

Plain Chocolate contains: Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Flavouring.

==Allergy advice:==

Plain Chocolate may contain milk
Contains Soya
Cannot guarantee the ingredients are nut free


==Smell:==

As soon as I took of the cellophane I was greeted by a very appealing thick dark chocolate mint aroma, it was a lovely smell. It reminded me instinctively of the branded mints and I spent the next couple of minutes enjoying the sweet and tempting smell. That alone was making my mouth water with anticipation.

==Storage: ==

This product should be stored in a cool, dry place.

Each box clearly has a best before date printed on it. Mine gave me 18 months to consume the product, but in reality it would last less then three days in my household.


==Taste:==

I bit into my first chocolate mint. It immediately tasted to me like dark chocolate. It was very pleasant and I could see the peppermint inside the remaining mint slightly oozing out. The peppermint was very pronounced as I worked my way through the mint, it was strong and lingered in my mouth. With a creamy, rich and satisfying mint taste.

The mint was more solid than the branded items, it is more of a bite into it to break it up. the peppermint and chocolate combine well leaving a satisfying taste in my mouth. I found them very morish and I was tempted to eat more of these tantilising little mints.

After a couple of minutes I realised I had a slight aftertaste of mint still in my mouth rather than chocolate. This made me want another mint to enjoy and lovely aroma and taste all over again.




== My Opinion:==

I found this a very good alternative to the more expensive branded alternatives. The mints for me tasted with similar with equal appeal to the others. They had the super satisfying peppermint flavour that melts on your tongue. The only noticeable difference is that the chocolate coating it is thicker and requires more of a bite to break the mint.

I found the mint very satisfying and I would not be ashamed at all to give this to my friends obviously after dinner!! The quality I believe is in this product and I found I really enjoyed trying this.

For me the main difference other than the packaging is the fact the mints are not individually wrapped. Which is both an advantage and a disadvantage for me. The advantage is you don't find lots of empty wrappers left in the box, very annoying!! But the disadvantage is it adds a feeling of luxury and each one had almost been individually crafted just for me.

The price is a big draw for me, especially as I think this is a quality little mint produced within an attractive looking box. I found it annoying that my box would not close up I must admit in the end I had to get a piece id cellotape to hold it in place.

I also think for such a treat it is amazingly low in calories at just 45 calories per mint. I'm sure that anyone could eat to many of these as I think after a few of these they could be quite a sickly feeling.

==More information about the product:==

Tesco Stores Ltd, Cheshunt. EN8 9SL
Freephone: 0800-50 55 55
Web site: www.tesco.com


==Conclusion:==

For me this is a very good alternative to the more expensive branded After Dinner Mints. The quality for me is in the taste of the mints themselves and I was more than satisfied with this and I must admit I will be purchasing these again. However if I attend a Dinner party I would not give these to the host or if I was giving a party myself I would use the branded items, only because they are more traditional and look more sophisticated. I suppose I could always put them on a plate and see what reaction I got!

Thank you for reading!!

This review is publishedon Ciao and Dooyoo under my user name.

@CPTDANIELS May 2009

Summary: Very much recommended