Dark Chocolate Dipped Altoids sounded so good after reading Joe's initial review that I decided to keep an eye out for them while shopping. Target seems to be a veritable gold mine of new and limited edition candies, so it didn't surprise me when I saw a box near the checkout and picked them up.

At least, I thought I saw a box of the candies I was looking for. I didn't discover that I picked up a tin of Dark Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon Altoids instead until I took a closer look at the package later that day. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon candies in general, but I have to admit that the chocolate-coated cinnamon Altoids were pretty addictive. The chocolate was not too sweet and melted fairly easily in my mouth, cutting the normally sharp cinnamon flavor substantially and leaving behind an almost Mexican chocolate-type flavor.

I still haven't had a chance to sample the regular chocolate covered Altoids, but I think I'll be satisfied with my accidental purchase for a while yet.

Altoids fans will be pleased to learn that the company has launched several Altoids Curious and Original Chocolate Shoppes in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Actually, they're anti-Valentine's Day. Each of the three temporary "pop-up stores" is billing itself as a "sanctuary from all the romantic overtures" for the "lovesick, lovelorn and Cupid-wary."

The stores are located in Chicago, Miami and New York, and each has free activities, such as "Therapeutic Crafts for the Broken-Hearted" and "Love Stinks" needlepoint kits. They also stock samples of Altoids' new Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints and are passing them out with free lattes. Chicagoist stopped by their local store and reported that it also stocked "cupcakes from Angel Food Bakery, anti-Valentine's Day cards and a variety of other Altoids and V-Day related schwag."

Everything in the stores, in case you haven't gotten the picture yet, is free, so it's definitely worth a stop by if you live in one of the three cities mentioned

Earlier this summer Nicole tipped us off to the impending arrival of dark chocolate-covered Altoids. This afternoon while impatiently waiting in line to purchase some much-needed dental floss after an afternoon spent eating Korean barbecue I spied a tin of Dark Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Altoids.

When I got home I took the tin out of my shopping bag and brought it to my nose only to find that I could smell chocolate and mint through the plastic wrap. Upon opening the tin I was greeted by an even more intense aroma.

I crunched one up and found it pretty tasty. Soon I popped a few more. Although the intensity of the peppermint was tempered by the dark chocolate coating, I was left with a refreshing minty cool chocolateness that lingered on my palate for some time.

By the end of the year, you can expect to see some new things from the company that produces the "curiously strong mints." Altoids are being released in three new chocolate-covered versions: chocolate mint, chocolate ginger and chocolate cinnamon. The three popular Altoids flavors will each be coated in a tin layer of dark chocolate, adding an interesting contrast to the slightly powdery, strongly-flavored candies.

This move should not come as a surprise, since chocolate is a natural pairing with all three flavors - not to mention the fact that many people have already been combining Altoids and chocolate on their own.

If you can't wait a couple of weeks to try them yourself, three tins are up for auction on eBay, one in each flavor. The proceeds of the auction are to be donated to the American Red Cross - which is a nice gesture, considering that the price for the three tins is up to over $180 and there is still a day to go in the auction!

[via Candyaddict]

I've been a little reluctant to go through my larder, largely because I've been busy overhauling my swinging bachelor pad. Frankly, I was starting to think PSP's dustball campaign was inspired by my crib. In any event,  here's what  I found  in my pantry:

• Seven containers of ginger Altoids. When these first came out a couple of  years ago they were impossible to get. So I snatched up about a dozen at a Trader Joe's in Westchester.
• An unopened 10-pound bag of Kohinoor basmati rice. Time to fire up the old National rice cooker.
• Two miniature bottles (one red, one green) of El Yucateco habanero hot sauce.

If anyone has any ideas about how to combine these ingredients (savory biryani with ginger habanero crunchies, maybe) please keep them to yourself. I plan to use the rice when I try my hand at Indian cooking. I'll save the hot sauce for scrambled eggs and such. As for the Altoids, maybe I'll throw some into tea.