#23 - Mondelēz International Daim Mint

When one has been married for some time, one begins to discover remarkable yet previously unknown skills of one's spouse. In my case, I have learned that my wife has a fondness for smelly snacks and an uncanny ability to select the right one to spoil the taste of whatever I happen to be eating. For instance, if I am eating cake (but not at the suggestion of Marie Antoinette), my wife may choose to chomp away at a raw green onion (which says a lot about our respective diets). Raw green onions are not typically found in cake recipes, and I believe there is a very good reason for that: some things just don't belong together (socks and sandals, anyone?).

Another thing raw green onions apparently do not pair well with is mint. I know this because my wife once believed that brushing her teeth with a mint-scented toothpaste would result in triumph over the onion's foul odor. Needless to say, she was wrong; the two smells combined forces to launch a unified attack against our senses.

Granted, I've never been a huge fan of mint anyway. There are many types of mint (you knew catnip was part of the mint family, right?), but I have not been able to acquire a genuine fondness for any of them, which is unfortunate, given that I am a sweets fiend and there is no shortage of mint-based candies. Alas, what is one to do? I do have the occasional breath mint (any excuse to eat candy), and I never miss an opportunity to have a Shamrock Shake when available (I pity those who never get the chance). I've even been known to indulge in the rare minty chocolate candy offered to me. But mint has never made it onto my list of favorite flavors (it's quite a list; I should have it laminated), and I remain convinced that it has limited potential for mingling with items that do reside on said list.

Imagine, then, the mixed emotions I am dealing with as I prepare to review the special mint edition of my favorite (so far) Swedish candy: Mondelēz International's Daim Mint!

For those times you can't decide whether to eat a Daim or brush your teeth.

If the internet is to be believed, there are (or have been) numerous special editions of the Daim bar. Having tried and loved the original Daim as well as the Milka & Daim, I had high hopes for the Daim Mint, in spite of my shaky relationship with mint itself.

The wrapper is a modified version of the standard Daim two pack, with a "fresh" mint-inspired background instead of the usual red. Personally, I prefer the original version, as this looks like a cross between candy and toothpaste, two products (and possibly color schemes) that tend to be diametrically opposed. It's a little like when one of your best friends arrives sporting an outfit that does not suit him (or her) in the least. It just feels off. But it's not that bad, and it does get its point across. I find it interesting, however, that the words "mint" and "limited edition" are in English when this is a Swedish candy manufactured for Swedes and other Nordic individuals. I mean, most of Sweden understands English, but it still strikes me as an unusual and random choice.

Overall, the wrapper is... okay, I guess. Nothing too special.

The wrapper is recyclable. I'm not so sure about the chocolate.

A quick look at the back reveals the "best before" date. As luck would have it, I made the deadline (just barely; the bar was consumed several days before this blog entry was completed, as I'm ever so lazy), so there's cause for rejoicing: I'm sure to be in for a good Daim!

There are also several phone numbers here in case the consumer has any questions (such as "What's up with the English on the front?"). The mass of the candy is listed, as well, which is important, since I've come to learn that Swedish candies often have "interesting" portion sizes in the nutritional information section. Then again, I'm often baffled by the suggested serving size of American products (if you decide to twin-wrap a treat, you'd best assume I'm going to eat BOTH in the same sitting), so I suppose it's an international (or at least first world) problem.

Speaking of the nutrition facts panel, the Daim Mint package designers took full advantage of the length of the wrapper:

Not my favorite aspect ratio.

It wasn't quite so... wide on the original Daim. Zoo-Wee-Mama, that's a narrow band of data! I almost got whiplash trying to take it all in. And it shares its predecessor's "feature" of wrapping the information off the back side onto the thin edge, conveniently hiding the indicated portion sizes. I'm thinking Mondelēz International is just trying to meet the minimum requirements here rather than focusing on utility (sort of like I do when writing my blog). But, if I'm not mistaken, each bar seems to be 153 Calories, and there are two in each package (strangely there is no indication on the wrapper of that fact), for a total of 306 Calories. So you may want to share your Daim Mint with a friend.

The ingredients list (in multiple languages, of course), is, as always, a mess of words whose meaning I cannot decipher:

More multilingual shenanigans.

I'm just going to assume it's the same as in the Daim bar, but with the addition of mint of some sort. Unlike the original version, there is no English list here. Oddly enough, though, the Rainforest Alliance certification note does happen to be in some form of it. Mondelēz International seems to feel that changing languages on a whim is perfectly normal behavior. I suppose that's true in some countries, but, as a bona fide monoglot, I can assure you it holds no truth for me. If I appear to suddenly shift to another language, it would probably be wise to seek medical help for me (or maybe I've just slipped into geek speak; it's hard to tell sometimes).

Does my Daim Mint have tan lines?

Opening up the wrapper showed a familiar discoloration at the top, resembling that of the Daim I had sampled before (it actually looked exactly like a regular Daim). Perhaps this is a common condition of the Daim family of candies; either that or it is due to the fact that both bars were shipped to me in the same box and underwent the same unknown trauma. No matter the reason, I know from experience that it should cause no harm to the flavor or general enjoyment of the treat.

The minty fragrance emanating from the chocolate was more appealing than I'd have thought. My wife disagreed, but I suspect she was just in a contrary mood (or that may tastes are just better). It wasn't overpowering, at any rate, and that's a positive sign.

So I broke off a chunk.

I had expected to see some indication of mint flavor inside the chocolate coating, but there was none to be found. There were absolutely no defining characteristics (aside from the aforementioned smell) to distinguish it from an ordinary old Daim bar. Frankly, that seems a little lazy to me. Unless there is some kind of "Guess the Daim" game in Sweden (which I would gladly play), I'd prefer if the mint edition had some visible uniqueness to it. Dress it up a little and make it feel good about itself. It's the details like this that keep a candy from achieving true greatness, and so I was really hoping that any oversights were due to a laser focus on getting the taste right.

This is the chunk I broke off. Fascinating, isn't it?

In my opinion, they did get the taste right, mostly. Balancing flavors of chocolate, toffee, and mint takes a deft hand and is no task for an amateur. I think Mondelēz International managed it quite admirably. The flavors blended in total harmony, no single one dominating the others. I thought it was quite tasty, in fact.

Again, my wife disagreed. She did not feel toffee and mint should ever cross paths. As she more often partakes in mint-flavored candy consumption, chances are the Daim Mint may not be an ideal treat for mint enthusiasts. But I'd suggest it's worth trying, at least.

Is it as good as the original Daim? Not by a long shot. And it has done nothing to improve my relationship with mint. But it certainly hasn't done any harm to it, either.

Having said that, it should come as no surprise that I rate the Daim Mint a respectable 2. While I would rank it as one of the better mint-flavored chocolate bars I've had (mostly due to the constraint shown in the mint flavoring), it is not a product I'd purchase for myself (or for someone else, for that matter). I can't strongly recommend it in any way, really. But if I were to be given one as a gift, I would most definitely eat it and enjoy it.

So, nice try Mondelēz International, but you got it right the first time.

As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Thinking back to a better Daim,
The Sweets Fiend

Honestly, I might as well have reused an image from the Daim review here.