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After Eight

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For the band formerly known as Aftereight, see Capital Lights. For the Taco album, see After Eight (album).

After Eight
Product typeChocolate confection
OwnerNestlé (1988–present)
CountryUK
Introduced1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Previous ownersRowntree's (1962–1988)
Websitenestle.co.uk/aftereight

After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply After Eights, are a brand of mint chocolate covered sugar confectionery. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988.[1]

The mints were originally manufactured at Rowntree's York factory, before production transferred to Castleford, West Yorkshire, in 1970. For the UK market they are now manufactured in Halifax following Nestlé's closure of the Castleford factory in 2012, with over one billion After Eights produced every year.[2]

After Eights were originally made from dairy-free dark chocolate. In 2002, however, Nestlé started adding butterfat to After Eights made at certain production facilities so as to increase resistance to chocolate bloom. 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 After Eights.

Manufacturing

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The fondant in the centre of After Eights is made from a stiff paste of common sugar, water, and a small amount of the enzyme invertase. 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 and fructose, resulting in a more liquid consistency.[3] Once manufactured, each completed chocolate is packaged in a sheath and then loaded into a box.

Religious certification

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After Eights are certified kosher dairy by the Orthodox Union.[2]

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Current products

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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. There are also Limited Edition Thin Mints with added flavours such as orange, lemon, strawberry, cherry, blackcurrant, gin & tonic and others.
  • Marzipan – Sold in Germany 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.
  • Chocolate Santa Claus – During the Christmas season, Nestlé Germany features a 125g Santa Claus made out of white or dark mint chocolate.
  • Easter bunny – During Easter time Nestlé releases an After Eight Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny. 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,[4] before being brought under the After Eight brand in 2006.[5][6]
  • Mousse – A chilled dessert consisting of mint mousse with layers of dark chocolate.
  • Dessert – A chilled smooth mint and chocolate flavoured dessert.
  • Ice cream dessert - A frozen mint and chocolate flavoured ice-cream dessert in a slicing block, similar to Viennetta.
  • Strawberry and Mint – This variation on the thin mints was a special edition for Spring/Summer 2020.[7]
  • Gin and Tonic – Limited edition Thin Mints with a light flavour akin to that of the classic cocktail.

Discontinued products

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  • Chocolate Truffle Pancakes
  • Dark Chocolate Fairy Cakes
  • Ice Cream Van
  • Lemon Sorbet
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  • A silver plated 'After Eight Mint' Royal Coach (mints not supplied) novelty table holder was available from Argos in the UK in the 1980s.[8]
  • Pfefferminz – A variety of Ritter Sport 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, Crème de menthe and Baileys Irish Cream.
  • Royal Mints – A product manufactured by Halloren very similar to After Eight.
  • Mint Nights – A product manufactured for Poundland 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.[9][10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Hyde, Dana (March 1991). "The Nestlé takeover of rowntree: A case study". European Management Journal. 9 (1): 1–17. doi:10.1016/0263-2373(91)90044-q.
  2. ^ a b Treanor, Jill (10 December 2010). "40 years and billions of mints later, Nestlé to close After Eight factory". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. ^ Dziedzic, S. Z.; Kearsley, M. W. (1995). Handbook of starch hydrolysis products and their derivatives. London: Blackie Academic & Professional. p. 62. ISBN 0-7514-0269-9. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  4. ^ "Our brands - Chocolate and Sweets". nestle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2015. Mint Munchies [were launched] in 1957, this product changed its name from Mintola to Mint Munchies in June 1995
  5. ^ "After Eights re-invented for a new generation". utalkmarketing.com. 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015. Mint Munchies [..] are being changed into the After Eight brand. [..] "New After Eight bitesize combines the popular Mint Munchies product with the strength of the After Eight brand."
  6. ^ "Mint Munchies join After Eight brand" [dead link], irn-talkingshop.co.uk. Article dated 13 October 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  7. ^ "Nestle After Eight Strawberry & Mint Flavour 200g (Germany Import)". Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Argos No.17 1982 Spring/Summer". Issuu. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Cadbury in Australia". Cadbury. Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Bring back Red Tulip After Dinner Mints". Facebook. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
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