...... the cocoa bean

Now that I have my taste buds back in working order, I was able to dip into some of my birthday chocolates ......one of them being a new box of Junior Mints Deluxe....

Can I just say......aaahhhhhhhhh

They take everything that is good and right about the original junior mint (dark chocolate and gooey peppermint cream) and supersize it into a hard candy shell that is thick and dark...more like the kind you would find on a chocolate covered cherry, enough to satisfy any oral fixation.

The soft fondant center oozes out quickly and if you don't pull back after the first bite, the huge reservoir will drizzle down your lips. It can be a bit messy but that's what I like about it. The only other option is to pop it into your mouth in one bite. But that almost seems like it would be a shame. This is a sweet treat that should be savored.

I am not saying the new deluxe version tops the original, nothing could...but surprisingly it does give the candy a decadent new twist.

One of the things I love about the original junior mint is how the soft waxy outer coating when bitten into ever so lightly, gives way to a mini explosion of creamy delights that send minty chills pulsing through your taste receptors. You actually get goose bumps in your mouth.

This bigger, harder deluxe version does all that. But it is so rich and sinful that you can't partake in too many at a time.... which makes it all the more gratifying when you do.

I am sinking my teeth into one as I type...