After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply "After Eights", are a brand of

mint chocolate Mint chocolate (or chocolate mint) is a popular type of chocolate, made by adding a mint flavoring, such as peppermint, spearmint, or crème de menthe, to chocolate. Mint chocolate can be found in a wide variety of edible products, such as cand ...

covered

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

confectionery Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988. The mints were originally manufactured at Rowntree's

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

factory, before production transferred to

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, in 1970. For the UK market they are now manufactured in Halifax following Nestlé's closure of the Castleford factory in 2012. However on the limited edition 2020 casing it states "made in Germany, with sugar not solely of German origin". "More than 1bn After Eights, thin fondant mints, are made every year in the Castleford factory scheduled for closure in 2012 by the Switzerland-based confectionery giant." After Eights were originally made from dairy-free dark chocolate. In 2002, however, Nestlé started adding

butterfat Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain. Composition Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. Butt ...

to After Eights made at certain production facilities so as to increase resistance to

chocolate bloom Chocolate bloom is either of two types of whitish coating that can appear on the surface of chocolate: fat bloom, caused by changes in the fat crystals in the chocolate; and sugar bloom, due to crystals formed by the action of moisture on the s ...

. This practice expanded to all production facilities in 2009. Nestlé has also made special editions of After Eights, including orange After Eights and

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a solid chocolate confectionery containing cocoa, sugar and milk. Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. Major milk chocolate producers incl ...

After Eights.

Manufacturing

The fondant in the centre of After Eights is made from a stiff paste of common

, water, and a small amount of the

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

invertase Invertase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis (breakdown) of sucrose (table sugar) into fructose and glucose. Alternative names for invertase include , saccharase, glucosucrase, beta-h-fructosidase, beta-fructosidase, invertin, sucrase, ma ...

. This fondant can readily be coated with dark chocolate. After manufacture, the enzyme gradually splits the common sugar into the much more soluble sugars

glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

and

fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...

, resulting in a more liquid consistency. Maturing of the mint is said to take over three days. Once manufactured, each completed chocolate is packaged in a sheath and then loaded into a box.

Religious certification

* Certified

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

dairy by the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...

Related products

Current products

The After Eight family of products includes: * Thin Mints - The original After Eight product, these comprise square dark or (less commonly) milk chocolate, enclosing the mint

fondant Fondant is a mixture of sugar and water used as a confection, filling, or icing. Sometimes gelatin and glycerine are used as softeners or stabilizers. There are numerous varieties of fondant, with the most basic being poured fondant. Others in ...

. There are also Limited Edition Thin Mints with added flavours such as orange, lemon, strawberry, blackcurrant, gin & tonic and others. * Marzipan - Sold in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

by Nestlé Deutschland AG * Mint & Blood Orange - This variation on the thin mints was a special edition for Summer 2011. The flavour was reintroduced as Orange Mint in Autumn 2022. * Delights - Round sweets of dark chocolate with a mint fondant filling. * Straws - Long, thin sticks of soft dark chocolate with a mint fondant filling. * Bars - Dark chocolate bar with a creamy mint centre. * Biscuits - The newest addition to the After Eight family, these combine dark chocolate with mint in a

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...

. * Chocolate Santa Claus - During the Christmas season, Nestlé Germany features a 125g

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

made out of white or dark mint chocolate. * Easter bunny - During Easter time Nestlé releases an After Eight Dark Chocolate

Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" orig ...

. It does not have a mint filling but is made from peppermint flavoured chocolate and comes in the well known After Eight green wrapping * Bitesize - Plain chocolate with mint fondant filling, similar in appearance to original Munchies. Originally known as Mintola, then renamed Mint Munchies in 1995, before being brought under the After Eight brand in 2006. * Mousse - A chilled dessert consisting of mint mousse with layers of dark chocolate * Dessert - A chilled smooth mint and chocolate flavoured dessert * Strawberry and Mint - This variation on the thin mints was a special edition for Spring/Summer 2020.

Discontinued products

* Chocolate Truffles * Dark Chocolate Irish Creams * Ice Cream Dessert * Lemon Sorbet

Other related products

* A silver plated 'After 8 Mint' Royal Coach (Mints not supplied) novelty table holder was available from Argos in the UK in the 1980s * Pfefferminz - A variety of

Ritter Sport Ritter Sport is a brand of chocolate bar from the family-owned Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Waldenbuch, Germany. Each square bar is divided into 16 smaller squares, creating a four-by-four pattern. In 2013 the co ...

which has similar taste to the original After Eight, in the shape of a Ritter Sport. * After Eight (cocktail) - A layered shooter consisting of

Crème de cacao Chocolate liqueur is a chocolate flavored liqueur made from a base liquor of whisky or vodka. Unlike chocolate liquor, chocolate liqueur does contain alcohol and is often used as a sweetening ingredient in mixology, baking, and cooking. His ...

Crème de menthe Crème de menthe (, French for "mint cream") is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. It is available commercially in a colorless version (called "white") and a green version (colored by the mint leaves or by added coloring if made from ext ...

and

Baileys Irish Cream Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur, an alcoholic drink flavoured with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey. It is made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. It is the original Irish cream, invente ...

. * Royal Mints - A product manufactured by Halloren very similar to After Eight. * Mint Nights - A product manufactured for

Poundland Poundland is a British variety store chain founded in 1990. It once sold most items at the single price of £1, including Closeout (sale), clearance items and proprietary brands. The first Pilot (experiment), pilot store opened in December 19 ...

very similar to After Eight. * After Dinner Mints - an Australian product which was similar to After Eights. The manufacturer, Red Tulip, was bought out in the 1980s by

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

Notes

External links

* * {{Rowntree's Rowntree's brands Brand name confectionery Chocolate confectionery Nestlé brands 1962 establishments in England Products introduced in 1962 British confectionery Kosher food