More and more flavors are being discovered almost daily, both at home and abroad. Unfortunately, this update of the FAQ sees the demise of three flavors here in the United States. We bid adieu to Cinnamon, Spearmint, and Strawberry. Van Melle ceased production on these three flavors at the end of 1997. No reason was given. These flavors were the also the only flavors not available in multi-packs here in the States. What can we do about this? See section 5a for more details on these Flavor Issues.

NEWS FLASH!Cinnamon rolls were spotted in Pennsylvania in May, 1999! These are new rolls, not ones sitting around for two years, and are reported to be even hotter than the old cinnamon! Could it be that Van Melle has decided to bring back some of our favorite flavors? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, here are some flavors that we're pretty sure you can still get around the world:

Andrea found 'Tropical Mentos' while vacationing in Jamaica. The candies come in orange, lime green, and lavender varieties, and taste like orange, guava, and something indiscernible, she writes. The packaging, like mixed fruit, has a picture of the various colors found inside. One other interesting note: The ingredients were printed in Greek as well as English.

Tara Prigge gave us some more details on the Tropical Mentos, as she finds them in Haifa, Israel. They're labeled in French & Hebrew and are Kosher for Gelatine consumers as decreed by the Chief Rabinnate of Israel. ("Kascher sous l'autorisation du rabbinat d'Israel pour consommeteurs de gelatine.") She tells us that they include Orange, Mango, and Guava, but she hasn't spotted the green in a while.

Isaac Salpeter sent us even more info on Mid-Eastern flavors. According to him, Strawberry Mentos are as common as Mint (!), and appears to be the most popular among the locals. In Israel, he too found the Tropical Mentos and agrees that orange, yellow, green, and lavender are the colors depicted on the package Corresponding to the colors, the flavors are, Orange, Grapefruit, Guava, and Passionfruit. He noted that Orange and Grapefruit are most commonly found in these packages, followed by Passionfruit and then Guava, which is extremely rare. Recently, he hasn't been able to find Guava at all, but it still appears on the package.

Isaac was lucky enough to find Orange in Amman, Jordan. As you surely know, Orange is available here in the states, as part of the Mixed Fruit variety and in Israel in the Tropical Fruit rolls. This is the first time we've noticed them being marketed separately.

Richard P Meres was disappointed to learn that Japan had only three flavors, these consisting of 1) Mint which came in a light green (almost white) wrapper, 2) Green Apple housed in a green wrapper (Richard consumed almost a pack a day of this variety) and 3) Grapefruit sporting a yellow wrapper (an acquired taste, he writes.)

Richard was later proven wrong by Erik Hinzpeter who had the pleasure of hosting a Japanese exchange student. The student, who called Mentos 'Japan Candy', brought with him a roll of Grape. Erik described them as being smaller than a normal Mentos roll, possibly containing 11 or 12 candies, and the foil was purple. Obviously, the ingredients were printed in Japanese, which would be hard to reproduce here.

However, Dave Leheny discovered even more flavors in the land of the Rising Sun. Without including the aforementioned taste treats, he located Peach and Sour Apple. (Possibly, the Sour Apple and Green Apple are one in the same, but I'm willing to include both until someone tells me different.)

Isra Wongsarnpigoon also found Peach while staying in Japan during the summer of 1995. Also available were the Grape, Apple, and Grapefruit Mentos.

I think that Hudi said it best when describing Japan as being "in a constant state of turbulent Mentos revolution."

According to Jeffrey F. Brent, Mentos also come in Licorice or 'Lakrits' flavor. Some Dutch friends apparently possessed these beauties, and they have been spotted in the U.S. by MLS. They had a white shell, and a black center. A black wrapper shielded them from the elements, and they [you guessed it] tasted like Licorice.

Eric Sklar notes that while in Europe (he thinks it was Prague) he discovered Eucalyptus flavored mentos. They were green and tasted kind of minty but had a very unique aftertaste. He also found the Grape flavor, as well as the Licorice.

Scott Whitmore says that while living in the Czech Republic (In western Bohemia, in a town called Marianske Lazne) he found Grapefruit Mentos. He says they are delicious, and are the only Mentos he'll eat now, even though they are difficult to find (even in the Czech Republic).

Tom Mathies found Apple Mentos while visiting Austrailia! The candies are a pale apple green color. They are labeled as being "Chewy apple flavoured bonbons" in both English and Hungarian. ("Alma izu cukorka" which means "Apple Flavored Candy" according to Grant Holly) They cost Tom about 65 cents (US). Special thanks to Tom for bringing back a few packs to the States for The Gathering.

Tom was lucky--Apple Mentos are no longer available in Australia. Apparently, Van Melle made Apple Mentos for just one year, as a special promotion. (Thanks to Kerrie Murphy for letting us in on this.)

Speaking of Apple Mentos, John Zmaczynski seems to recall finding Apple Mentos in (of all places) the Big Apple. He says he found them in the lobby of a New York City hotel, probably about 10 years ago.

In San Francisco, back in the late 80's, Hannah Meehan recalls eating "Chocolate Mentos"! She notes that they were "truly disgusting" and that is the likely reason why they were discontinued.

Karen Ann also recalls trying Chocolate Mentos in 1989. She worked in a general store which sold Mentos, and, consequently received a sample box of the Chewy Chocolates. "They were brown and chalky with no mint-y-ness to them whatsoever" she says. Upon further reflections, Karen Ann says, "The texture of Mentos, so appealing in a mint or fruit flavor, is not to be tolerated in chocolate flavor."

Steph Mandell responded to our holler for the elusive Licorice Mentos. Dutch economic skills place each individual Mento at $.02 US! Interestingly enough, they came in a three-roll-pack. So, you can go and buy a three pack of Freshness for a dollar! Upon our musings why the rest of the world doesn't get this variety of fresh, Steph writes: "The Dutch don't think that anyone but them likes black licorice." Well, we can only hope that not only "Drop Lakrids", but more flavors will come out of the Netherlands.

In Holland, according to Just Schimmelpenninck Drop Mentos are as popular as the Mint Mentos. He warns: "People who didn't learn to appreciate drop as a child will never like the stuff."

A. Michael Shashoua discovered another exciting new Mentos flavor in Israel: Strong Mint Mentos. He compares them to the curiously strong" Altoids mints and says that they are better than Mint and Spearmint.

It turns out that Strong Mentos are available in The Netherlands as well. Alfred Verhoeven found Strong Mentos 3-packs. (A very special thanks to Alfred Verhoeven for sending these!)

In Southeast Asia, Lee S. Weinberg was disappointed when he found only the classic Mint flavor in Jakarta. Later, in Singapore, was lucky enough to find Apple flavored Mentos.

Also in Singapore, Dale Edmonds says that he found Spearmint, Mint, Tropical Fruit, Mixed Fruit, Strawberry, Apple, and Grape! Singapore certainly is blessed with an amazing assortment of flavors!

In Rabat, Morocco, Paul Rippey reports they have Mint, Fruit, Strawberry, and Spearmint. Each roll there has 14 Mentos.

While in the Bahamas, Steve Giles found Fruit, Spearmint, and Grapefruit. Each roll cost $1 (US)

Thad Knouse was vacationing in Lichtenstein a while back and he found Lemon and Apple Mini-Mentos! (In four-packs, mind you.)

Edwin Ostrin found both Licorice and Tropical Fruit in South Africa and Hong Kong.

Jason Osada sent his girlfriend, Jen, to France in order to help our quest for Mentos. She uncovered "Chlorophylle" Mentos, which is, apparently French for "Spearmint."

Hal Larson reports that some friends of his travelled to France recently, and returned with gifts of Tropical, Apple, chloryphille, and Reglisse (Mint-licorice).

Hal also mentions that he came across a pack of Bitter Lemon Mentos in Belgium.

A second sighting of Bitter Lemon in Belgium was reported from Bill Sigmon

Mike Hoffman did some traveling recently and, while in Copenhagen, Denmark he found some more Drop Lakrids. Also, while in Stockholm, Sweden, Mike came across "Fruit" Mentos. They were, upon closer inspection, simply Mixed Fruit with a different title.

@lfred Verhoeven found Mini-Mentos in The Netherlands. These included Apple, Lemon, Orange, and Strawberry all in one bag! (See more on this in Section 2a: Packaging)

Mikkel Andersson found lemon mini-Mentos in Denmark.

Mikkel also discovered another rarity: Orange Mentos in FIVE packs! Five tubes of Mentos for one low, low price!

Villa Weisberg asked her father for some Mentos from Taiwan when he came over for a recent visit. Among the Taiwanese flavors were Grape, Mint, and Mixed Fruit.

Reporting from Germany, Torsten Krake finds Tropical Fruit and the infamous Mint-Licorice Mentos, along with the ever-present Mint flavor.

We also have a report from Germany from someone who found Tropical Fruit and Grapefruit, along with Orange Mentos. He says the orange Mentos tasted more like an Orange Tic-Tac than a Mento from the Mixed Fruit packet.

While in Canada this summer on vacation, Donna Nucera found Tropical Fruit Mentos. (Tropical in Canada? Yes!)

What about Wintergreen? In an article from May 1991's issue of Candy Industry, there are some pictures of Van Melle products. In plain view is a box of Wintergreen Mentos! This picture was taken at their American plant, so at some point, Wintergreen Mentos must have been available!

While in Russia, Karen Moyle' reported that the flavor selection in Russia was quite barren. She did however manage to find, along with Mint, Apple!

Chad Jones found DropMentos in Solvang, California in early 1997. A recent visit to the store, called "Vinhus", however, turned up nothing. Chad reports they charged $1.20 for Drop, and .90 for domestic flavors.

Chad recently visited London, England and brought back a few rolls of Mint and Fruit. His boss, Peter, just got back from Italy with a 3-pack of Mint. (Peter looked for Mentos in the former Soviet republic of Azerbajian but, alas, none were to be found.)

Toni Sitoy went on a tour of Europe, and, like a good American citizen ought, she brought back loads of information (and Mentos) In Italy, she notes, Mint, Spearmint, and Mixed Fruit permeate the Market. While in France, she was lucky enough to find not only Apple Mentos, but also Mixed Fruit and Spearmint. In Switzerland, Tropical Fruit and Strawberry were the flavors she came across the most. And finally, in Germany, she found Spearmint and Mint Licorice in 3-packs!

While in Japan, George Scala found Mini-Mentos. About 10-15 rolls/bag seemed to be average. They were fruit flavored rolls, and the bag proclaimed "It's A Small Mentos World!"

Checking in from South of the Border, John Mozes reports that he had an extremely difficult time finding any Mentos at all--finally coming across a roll of Mint in the airport! Beware, though: The package he brought back home had actually expired weeks before he bought it! The ingredients were in Spanish.

It seems it's simply a crap shoot whether your area or country will stock your favorite Mentos flavor.

Good morning fellow Mentophiles,

This is MaintainerDave with an urgent message for all of our Fans of Freshness out there. As you probably already know, we in the States were dealt a pretty hefty blow by the distributors of our favorite source of the often misunderstood 'Freshness' that means about as much to us as the Force does to Yoda. We lost some flavors, true believers and I'm hoping that we can do something about it. Many of us were fond of the lost flavors. Cinnamon was a stunningly fresh addition to the line up and one of my personal faves, Spearamint was always a mainstay in my breath freshening arsenal. The loss of Strawberry still evokes violent reactions from MaintainerJeff.

What are we to do? Should we just lay back and be bowled over? Should we just settle for Mint and Mixed Fruit? I don't think that we are driven by greed when we ask for a variety of our little nuggets of nuttiness. I don't think it is blasphemous for us to hunger for flavors that aren't currently available. Some of us got downright addicted to the flavors that we are no longer able to enjoy! Some of us want GREEN APPLE MENTOS so bad that we are willing to sell our little sisters to medical institutions for some. Some of us really have way too much time on our hands! :-)

This, fellow mentophiles, is a call to arms. We have a power that many people fail to comprehend, use, and even see! Friends of Freshness, I say to you that the pen IS mightier than the sword... your keyboard is the key to regaining the freshness we want, the freshness that we yearn for, the freshness that we deserve as human beings!!!! I'm asking for all of our readers out there, and their friends, family and any extraordinarily smart pets to send e-mail to a designated account held by us to forward to Van Melle en masse so that we actually look organized. :-) I ask that all the letters be polite and to the point. We don't want any ranting and raving threats. Although we take a lighthearted approach most of the time...we are taking this very seriously. We must voice our opinion and let it be heard. Help us let Van Melle know that their decision to cut down our flavors is downright horrifying.

For those of you who think it won't help, well I ask you--why do you think Snapple rehired that lady to do more commercials? The fans spoke and they listened. It's not that hard and it only takes a few seconds to tap out a few lines of text and send them across the internet to our specially created mail account: mentos100@juno.com Please tell as many people as you can so that we can enjoy our fallen freshness bearers: Cinnamon, Spearamint, and Strawberry. And while you're up, ask for other flavors, like GREEN APPLE (You'll thank me for it, trust me.)

So write to mentos100@juno.com --we at the Gathering will forward all of your writings to Van Melle, Inc to let them know how you feel!

Hugs and Freshness,

MaintainerDave

We that have been entrusted with the Mentos FAQ, in order to provide you Mentophiles with full and accurate descriptions of Mentos in all forms, require your help.

If there is anyone out there with access to the flavors we have not yet encountered, we would really appreciate a pack or two. This is, of course, for research purposes only...not for the selfish reasons you might think. We will, of course, reimburse you--pay you for product and mailing, etc. We're even willing to trade something with you. Confection for confection! Please let us know if you are interested in trading!!

A very special thanks to Tom Mathies for sending us Apple Mentos from Australia, to Rene Lego who helped get us the Japanese Apple, Grape, Strawberry, Peach, and Grapefruit Mentos, to Steph Mandell for the DropMentos from the Netherlands, to Jay-O for the Chlorophylle Mentos from France, to Mike Hoffman for the Fruit and Licorice from Sweden and Denmark (respectively), Villa Weisberg for the Mint, Mixed Fruit, and Grape Mentos from Taiwan, to Torsten Kracke for the 8 packs of Tropical Fruit and the 2 packs of Mint-Licorice from Germany, to Matthew Hansen for the French Chlorophylle Mentos, to Chanda Dominiak for the 4-pack of German Mint Mentos, Donna Nucera for the Canadian Tropical Fruit Mentos, Mikkel Andersson for the Mini-Lemon Mentos, Alfred Verhoeven for the Strong Mint from the Netherlands, to Karen Molye' for the Mint from Russia, and to Toni Sitoy because during her trip to Europe, she stopped at many places and brought us, Mint, Fruit, Mint Licorice, Strawberry, Tropical, Spearmint, and Apple from countries such as Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany! Thanks again--we love you all! (To whomever sent the standard 14-Mento roll of Grape Mentos, please e-mail us!)

We encourage everyone to truly make it a "Small Mentos World" and write to your local Van Melle distributor immediately and ask them (be nice) to begin importing other flavors of Mentos you'd like!