Sweet(heart)

To celebrate receiving a plum assignment at work (because really, does anyone feel they have value in this profession if they aren't working 12 hour days?), I finished off the last of the whoopie pies last night. It was a nice compliment to my Lean Cuisine. I followed this delicious entree and side dish with a single conversation heart (white) to cleanse my palate. These little treats are quickly flying off the shelves only to be replaced by the heavier, creamier, chocolaty goodness of Cadbury Cream Eggs (yum), so you must act fast. Luckily, D'agastino's seems to have filled a groddy looking shopping cart with marked-down 50 cent bags just for me! I bought three.

As I rolled that mini sugar rush over my tongue and prepared for the much guiltier pleasure of the Millionaire Matchmaker, I contemplated "what am I tasting?". Is it black licorice fennel? Mint? A potpourri of chemicals? And finally, something I have rarely wondered in my life, "where is Mark Summers when you need him!?!".

So, I looked it up.

Interestingly, the label of Brach's hearts (pictured here) only states that they contain "natural and artificial flavors". I was not able to find additional details online so their contents will continue to remain a mystery. Drat! NECCO (which stands for the New England Confectionery Company - who knew?) provides all of the information a curious candy connoisseur would need on the handy FAQs page of their website. It turns out, the six flavors in the Sweethearts Conversation Hearts are (drumroll): cherry, banana, lemon, grape, orange and wintergreen.

But wait, what is the green flavor? I mean, the white is clearly wintergreen. Lemon? It does have citrusy undertones.... I am going with the lemon, just to set my mind at ease.

Sweet.