Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 4/24/03 Section: Features

Let's say you have a big date and you are on your way to meet that special someone. Just then, you realize that you forgot to check your breath so you quickly check it and find out that it smells like you were just feasting out of a pig trough. Oh no! Nobody wants their special someone to have to wear a gas mask during the date. You need a solution, and fast. Just then a gas station appears on your right and you immediately pull in. Upon entering the gas station, you see many types of breath mints. Which one do you choose to make your breath clean?

This is the question that I am now prepared to answer. I have done a study involving the trendy breath mints from a single gas station. I have put them to the test, judging taste, quantity, effectiveness, and price. I picked the peppermint flavor for each brand to keep the tests fair. Here were the results:

Most Effective: Certs Cool Mint Drops

Certs has put together an interesting mint capsule. The outside tastes exactly like a candy cigarette. Once you reach the middle you will be surprised by the strong mint taste. The inside of the incredible breath freshener is filled with retsyn, which is a strong mint agent that helps freshen up the mouth. The capsules themselves are big compared to other mints. One Certs Cool Mint Drop is three times the size of a Tic-Tac. Since there are about 27 of these per container then the container is much bigger than most others. However, this doesn't stop the mints from being effective. After taking one mint, I felt as if my mouth was cleaned by a dentist (Warning: This product in no way, shape, or form cleans teeth). At a reasonable price, this product is hard to beat. Price: $0.99.

Biggest Kick: Blitz Fresh-mint Powermints

Blitz's Powermints are named correctly for what they do. They provide a kick the moment you put them into your mouth and the flavor of the mint overwhelms your senses. You have to hold on for the wild ride this small pill puts you through. It's hard to believe that this mint explosion is produced by a tablet half the size of a Tic-Tac. Even though Blitz gives a powerful flavor, it isn't as effective as the Certs Cool Mint Drops. The bargain, though, is that Blitz is in a smaller container and easier to carry around. This breath freshener comes packed with 50 tablets per container, but the price isn't very forgiving. Price $2.09.

The Average Mint: Tic-Tacs

Every experiment needs at least one product that everybody can relate to. If you do not know what Tic-Tacs are, then you must have been born and raised in a common soap bucket. The Tic-Tac packages contain 40 tablets which may seem like a lot, but if you have to take a Tic-Tac every half hour to keep your breath clean, is it really worth it? These are your plain mints that have ordinary flavoring and average effectiveness. The only thing that made them popular is their commercials. Their price isn't too bad though-$0.69.

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