I normally like things that are pomegranate flavored, but I think it needs the mint. Perhaps that’s not an obvious combination — some things paired with mint in the gum world aren’t — but I think it would work. If you’ve tried it, tell us. What do you think?

As for the other three flavors, the pineapple flavor tastes much better than the hard candy iteration of Life Savers; it was subtly sweet and my second favorite. To me, the strawberry kiwi didn’t really taste like strawberry or kiwi — it was just vaguely fruity. Also, strawberries aren’t what I think of when I think of island fruits. And while we’re at it, why can’t things just be kiwi flavored, anyway? And the mango melon had sort of a fake taste to it to me; I would have preferred a mango-flavored Life Saver and a melon-flavored Life Saver, all by themselves.

Overall, they are nice and smooth and pleasing in that regard — they don’t stick together like some products of this ilk often do. Of course, this is just one person’s palate. Try them for yourself. At $1.99 for the peg bag you find hanging up in drugstores and supermarkets and 69 cents for the individual roll, you’re hardly breaking the bank for a little indulgence.

Wrigley’s, the makers of Orbit gum, sent a mess of new stuff to me.  The first items we’ll discuss are the three flavors of Orbit Mist, which deliver what the company calls a “hydrating sensation” with “micro-bursts.”

Orbit Mist Peppermint Spray is refreshing and keeps its flavor even after about 1/2 hour — the time at which I usually pitch gum because it starts to expire. But beyond the lasting quality, when you chew it, it seems as though it’s stimulating your salivary glands. In short, it’s kinda juicy. If I were really thirsty and couldn’t get to or ran out of water — like at a concert or stuck in traffic — this would be the perfect choice. Or if I suffered from nervous dry mouth or something. I have tried chewing it when I crave something sweet, and that works too. (It’s sugar free.)

Orbit Mist comes in three flavors: the aforementioned peppermint, Mango Surf (I’m not sure how I’d surf a mango, or whether I’d ride a mango wave, but I suppose it’s supposed to be a wave of flavor…) and Watermelon Spring (ditto). I didn’t much like the mango, but peppermint won followed by the watermelon; it didn’t taste fake, like Bubbalicious, but there was also a subtle minty thing going on there.

There are 14 sticks of gum and the package retails for about $1.49; a multi-pack with three envelopes of gum carries a suggested price of $3.49. Happy chewing!

The company Donya Marie’s Beyond Chocolate “designs, manufactures and sells ordinary foods turned extra-ordinary with dark chocolate.” There are no preservatives, MSG, or unnecessary additives. The products range from barbecue sauces and meat rubs — no big surprise there for the application of cocoa — to pancake syrups, salsas and vinaigrettes. But for me, it starts with dark chocolate sauce, flavorful enough without being cloyingly sweet, and full of the real stuff: the chocolate is imported from Mannheim, Germany. It is also available in three other permutations: peppermint, amaretto and Grand Marnier. You can buy them directly from Donya Marie through their web site — they are priced at $7 for an 8.9 ounce jar or three for $18.

I also tried the Dark Chocolate Maple syrup (12 ounces, $5) and she also sells a variety with huckleberries. I’m not sure how I feel yet about the combination of chocolate and maple syrup; while they don’t exactly clash, the taste is just … different.

I tried the syrup on plain pancakes to get the full, unadulterated experience. However, for me, I would rather these flavors remain discreet.  As I make my way through the generous care package Donya sent, my next post will involve the dark chocolate pancake mix, which I will top with the syrup, and perhaps that will change my impression.

There is some imagination involved in thinking up the application of chocolate in things such as bread oils, salsas and limeade, that’s for sure. Donya’s web site offers some recipes for using the salsas, vinaigrettes and other items in seemingly unorthodox applications. But here’s the most unusual move so far, I think: a marinara sauce with chocolate, which will debut in the coming weeks. How can you not be at least a little bit curious?

I must confess that this came from my friend Sue, who is a maven of all things homemade, but I suggest some tweaks to customize it.

Hot Chocolate

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla sugar
3/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Stir everything to combine and store in an airtight container. Add 3-4 teaspoons of mix to one cup of milk in a saucepan or to one cup of hot water. If you have homemade marshmallows, so more the better. I had some left over from Christmas (stored in an tight container) that were made from a Barefoot Contessa mix. When they dissolve, they become a floating island of vanilla goo. Oh, and if you don’t know what vanilla sugar is, it’s made from the spent pods of a vanilla bean that are left in at least a cup of sugar in an air-tight container (there’s that phrase again) — the sugar becomes suffused with the scent of vanilla and it’s lovely.

Suggestions for tweaks:

Add 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon or add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder (which dissolves in water). If I am feeling the need for extra caffeine, I’ll add a couple of teaspoons of this mix to coffee, which makes it something close to but not altogether resembling a cafe mocha.

Many recipes for caramel apples I encountered call for Granny Smiths, no doubt because of their tart taste and firm texture. I think any crisp, tart-sweet apple works well and would be able to stand up to the sweetness of the caramel; I’d probably stay away from Red Delicious and perhaps McIntosh. This recipe is even quicker because it uses caramels, although you could certainly create your own caramel from scratch if you were so inclined. One more tip: if your apples are especially waxy, it helps to remove the residue by dipping them briefly in boiling water before beginning this process.

Ingredients:

6 apples, chilled in fridge or briefly, in the freezer
6 wooden craft sticks
1 14 oz. bag of individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
2 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Carefully remove the stems of the apples and insert a wooden stick in each one. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Combine the caramels and the milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about two minutes, stirring once. Note: Times may vary depending on the strength of your machine. When in doubt, set it for less and check it — much like you’d do when melting chocolate in the microwave. Allow the caramel to cool very briefly once it’s melted.
3. In a swift, quick motion, dip and turn the apple in caramel to coat. If too much coats the apple, take a knife and run it around the apple to remove the excess. Place it on the prepared baking sheet to set.
4. Transfer baking sheet to freezer to set, about 15 minutes.  You can eat them just as they are, unadorned, or you can roll them in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, crushed cookies, sprinkles, or other festive treats before you put them in the freezer to set. The caramel sets quickly once it comes out of the microwave so it may be necessary to reheat it to liquefy it.

As you can see, it’s going to require some practice before my apples look like they belong in a candy shop. In the meantime, who cares? It still tastes good.

After eating a few squares, I had to stop. It was enough. You know how people say you should have really good sweets in moderation? Green & Black’s makes that very easy to accomplish. Normally, you might be able to scarf down a Hershey bar or some other comparable, mass-produced chocolate item quickly and without much contemplation. It’s simply not possible with this chocolate. The flavor is intense without being overwhelming and it is lusciously thick. My surprise with this bar came from the discovery that the pieces of toffee were finely distributed throughout the chocolate and were, therefore, nearly imperceptible by sight, although not by taste.

The company sent a sample and made available its head of taste, Micah Carr-Hill — a chocolate sommelier of sorts who came to his current position after working in the wine industry and studying food science. I wanted to find out more about how these thoughtful, precisely tailored flavors come together. The usual suspects are available — mint, caramel, almond, white, milk, and a couple of different permutations of dark chocolates (70 and 85 percent) but its more creative offerings include Maya Gold (its flagship item), ginger, hazelnut and currants, and cherry; all of these are paired with dark chocolate.

I asked Carr-Hill about where his flavor inspirations come from, and the answers suggest a foodie whose taste buds never shut off. He cites everything from cooking at home, eating at good restaurants and taking inspiration from there to attending trade shows, researching recipes, and “an innate understanding of food and what flavors are likely to match.” He also mentioned good old-fashioned experimentation — “playing about with different ingredients and chocolate in my kitchen at work and at home.”

I was particularly curious about the choice for milk chocolate, rather than using dark or white, especially because the whole world seems to be obsessed with dark chocolate these days. Carr-Hill said, “The molasses flavor of the toffee recipe I’d developed really stood out in the milk chocolate, but not so much in the dark.” And as for the stellar taste? Carr-Hill said that the cocoa beans for this bar are known as Trinitario, “one of the rarer ‘fine’ or ‘flavor’ beans, as opposed to the ‘ordinary’ or ‘bulk’ beans of the Forestero variety.”

Indeed, there’s nothing ordinary about this incarnation of flavors.  This is not your average Heath or Skor bar. With a commitment to organic, sustainable cocoa sourcing in Belize and the Dominican Republic, Green & Black’s name reflects qualities–green for organic and black for the darkness of chocolate. (There is no Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. Green and/or Black). It is a premium chocolate bar, retailing around $3.49, but the more I eat well-crafted chocolate, the more I’d rather have a premium experience. The taste buds have awakened.

These little dark and sweet nuggets are made with extremely high-quality dried blueberries that actually taste (and look!) like the fruit they are supposed to be. The dark chocolate is not chalky, waxy or bitter; it’s just right. This is a somewhat healthy snack, as far as chocolate-covered items go. We already know that dark chocolate is good for us. Although a 1/4 cup serving contains 170 calories and eight grams of fat, only 4.5 of that is saturated, and you’re also getting two grams of fiber. There are not a lot of unpronounceable ingredients in these blueberries, either.

The product line also includes similarly antioxidant-laden strawberries, cranberries and cherries, and they each retail for about $3.99 and come in a graphically pleasing, resealable, six-ounce bag. You can find them in Costco, Target and Wal-Mart, along with Walgreens and Whole Foods and a number of regional supermarket chains.

Emily’s, based in Fife, Washington, also makes chocolate-covered nuts, graham crackers and fortune cookies, along with seasonal or holiday-themed chocolate offerings. I have a suggestion, in case anyone is listening: for those of us who want a little bit of everything, how about offering one with mixed berries?

The cacao comes from worldwide sources and is produced in conjunction with Hershey’s and combined with Starbucks coffee, Tazo tea, and other flavors you’re likely to find paired with both beverages, such as vanilla and caramel, along with nuts, spices, and fruits. You can buy it in the form of squares, bars or truffles; the bars and squares come in milk, dark and mocha dark varieties. However, the squares are also available in more sophisticated concoctions, too: Tazo chai, passion and citron tea-infused flavors. When I went looking for the chocolates last week, I could only find a single-serving, .85 ounce package of truffles, conveniently located near the checkout aisle and retailing for $1.35 apiece. I bought espresso, described as “intense, indulgent dark chocolate delights infused with our bold espresso roast coffee,” and chai, described as “creamy milk chocolate invitations to linger with sweetly spiced Tazo chai black tea.” (I’m not really sure I like the marketing grammar of the latter description. Chocolate as invitation?) The other truffle varieties include caffe mocha, caramel macchiato and Madagascar vanilla bean.

The packages come with two truffles apiece, which strikes me as the perfect amount for sharing or for satisfying an intense craving. The chai truffle was redolent of cardamom; so much so, in fact, that even after I was finished eating it, that spice permeated the aftertaste more than chocolate or even cinnamon. I enjoy chai but I think the flavors here can be tweaked a bit; I would rather have paired it with white chocolate, a mildly sweet and less obtrusive presence, and a better foil for those strong spices. The espresso truffle, on the other hand, vaguely constructed in the shape of a coffee bean, was an unqualified success, possessing a deep smooth, round flavor that was not at all bitter (unlike Starbucks coffee, I might add; yes, I am one of those detractors). There was nothing false, soapy, or cloying about the taste of either the espresso or the dark chocolate that housed it. I would buy another other truffle the next time I see them.

I’m also inclined, the next time I am in the grocery store or CVS, to try the squares, but the individually packaged truffles are a sweet, risk-free introduction to Starbucks chocolates. I realize that some people might think it’s crazy to say it’s risky buying chocolate — what’s not to love about chocolate — but that, my friends, is precisely the risk.

A couple of weeks ago here on Sugar Savvy, I wrote about the white chocolate-blueberry meringues I made with organic vanilla beans that I had acquired through a friend-of-a-friend who managed to obtain them wholesale at some ridiculously low price. After I used the beans for that recipe, I took the spent pods and put them in a plastic container with about two or three cups of sugar. After that recipe, I used a couple more beans for a vanilla shortbread recipe (again, thanks Nigella–Forever Summer, to be precise), and saved a couple more pods. I now have in my possession an incredibly fragrant container of vanilla sugar. And the longer it sits, the better it smells.

By now maybe you’re asking, what’s the big deal with vanilla sugar?

Well, prior to making my own, I bought jars of it from Penzey’s, but other spice and herb companies peddle them, too. In the winter and fall, I sprinkle it on top of oatmeal, along with cinnamon. In the summer, I sprinkle it on fresh strawberries and fresh peaches. You can also use it to flavor homemade iced tea (herbal or otherwise), or in coffee or tea, or substitute vanilla sugar in recipes where you want to accentuate the sweetness of a baked good, but not overpower it. It would also be lovely in a vanilla pound cake and I can’t even wait to make some homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Little jars of vanilla sugar work well as gifts to foodie friends at Christmas and birthdays and other special occasions — or just because. Or if you are like me, you can make some shortbread with vanilla bean in the dough and then dip the little fingers in vanilla sugar after they come out of the oven. If you have a suggestion or use for vanilla sugar, please share it with readers here. Inquiring minds, as they say, want to know.