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When I opened the wooden box and took a bite of one of John & Kira’s Garden Mint Chocolates, I literally stopped what I was doing, as the chocolate melted on my tongue and the flavor of fresh mint engulfed me. This was real mint. Fresh mint, not dried or artificially flavored as in most minty candies. It was one of those magical tasting moments—like the triple cream I had at a cheese tasting in Wisconsin years ago, or the Alaskan Salmon less than 24 hours out of the icy waters–a bite you can’t forget.

I was even more delighted to learn that this Philadelphia-based company donates a portion of its sales to the local public schools for sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship programs where the students actually grow the mint! These chocolates are exclusively available online so you can’t run to the store for a fix. But that fresh mint flavor is worth mail ordering—that is, if John & Kira’s can get their act together when fulfilling their orders. My two shipments were delayed, resulting in heat-struck chocolates. So when I ate these mints the second (and third) times around, they weren’t as good as the first bite, which is why they’re not a featured bite. But they are still good enough to tell you about.

www.johnandkiras.com