I’ve made a few mistakes in life-a few. I invested in Webvan, I didn’t like “Boogie Nights” the first time I saw it, and I predicted that “Sphere” would out-perform “Titanic” at the box office.

Clearly, I’m smart.

I also slammed Mentos in an early review of mine, citing them as bland and boring. I’m not really sure what I was thinking, but regardless, I’ve completely changed my tune. Specifically, regarding their “rainbow” variety.

Recently the nice folks at thecandylandstore.com sent some over for me to sample. And I must say…I LOVE these.

Back in the day, Mentos were either mint flavored, or you could find the “fruit” variety. Today though, there’s all sorts of potent flavors, most of which they’ve collected into the Rainbow variety.

From left to right:

Watermelon: classic watermelon candy flavor.  Tastes nothing like real watermelon, but yummy.

Cherry: my least favorite of the bunch, still flavorful.

Orange: a mild orange flavor, but really nice, especially when eaten with a mix.  Very good.

Raspberry: Here’s where the flavors ramp up.  Very bright raspberry flavor, it definitely stands out as different from the Cherry.  In the world of red candies, this is important.

Grape: absolutely amazing.  This harkens to the Asian candy take on grape: deep, earthy, and especially nice, it has that alcohol note that grapes really have- this is perhaps the best flavor in the bunch…

Pineapple: …Or is it?  Pineapple vies for top honors here with grape.  Like the grape, this also has a complex extremely authentic taste, complete with a bit of that alcohol note grape has.  These taste and smell wonderful.

Strawberry: Sure.  Darn good.  Basic strawberry.

What makes this pack excellent is the combination of all these flavors.  However, I also have to give a nod to the overall Mentos consistency: they’re perfect.  Hard, chewy, and tough, just like I like ’em.  Best of all, you can eat a whole pack of these and not feel (overly) ashamed of yourself, as they pack a smaller caloric punch than you’d think.

Recently I’ve been picking up rolls of grape mentos and green apple as I can find them, but now?  I’m a rainbow guy.