Saturday, February 9, 2008

Turning Water Into Chocolate


Awhile back I was reading about Metromint's newest bottled water variation, Chocolatemint. You may or may not know these folks. Soma Beverages's Metromint is the company who have the tall eye-catchingly-designed bottles with the large dots on the shelves of your local delis and gourmet shops. Metromint's line of zero calories, zero sugar waters already includes Peppermint, Lemonmint, Spearmint and Orangemint. Since I'm not an enthusiast of drinking plain water, oftentimes I seek out beverages that have a flavor (Propel) or mask the taste of the water altogether (Vitamin Water). Before trying Metromint I always assumed that mint and water together would never really be a good fit. Turns out I was as incorrect as all those so-called "experts" who picked the Patriots to run rings around the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. (By the way, congratulations to the Giants. That game was the most amazing sporting event I've seen since the Mets came back to beat the Red Sox in '86. And that catch by David Tyree should be dubbed "The Helmet Heave.") What I love about Metromint and the Chocolatemint flavor in particular is that the beverage is quite refreshing. The taste of the chocolate and mint is most obvious at the end of the sip. It's incredibly chocolatey and minty and, considering that there's no sweeteners of any kind, that's quite a feat. One note about drinking all the Metromint flavors--for best results make sure to drink it very cold. Lukewarm mint flavor is pretty bad and doesn't do these beverages any justice. If you can't find the Chocolatemint flavor, try Whole Foods or gourmet shops like Balducci's. Maybe you can get a bottle for your significant other for Valentine's Day. Chocolatemint might compliment that box of chocolates you've picked up. But make sure it's Godiva or Vosges, not Russell Stover.

www.metromint.com