Behold the Mint Smoothie

Whenever I eat good - I mean really good - chocolate, my face kinda sweats.

I don't think it's noticeable, but I can definitely tell. Has anyone else experienced this? I imagine it has something to do with arousal, but it's not exactly something I feel comfortable discussing with my doctor. Not that it happens enough for me to issue a concern. Once a day. Maybe twice. Okay, it has happened more often, but rarely!

While it's quite a peculiar phenomenon, I can't say I really mind. It allows me to gauge quality. Narrows the ranks. Separates the amateurs from the aficionados who sacrifice countless hours, energy and unbridled enthusiasm to produce a remarkable product.

Chocolate, in all its glory, has the power to transform even the darkest day into one where you have no choice but to close your eyes, throw your head back and sigh heavily as the words, "Life is gooood" escape from your lips.

Such a remarkable product lives here in Stratford, at Rheo Thompson Candies.

Walking through the tall double doors and inhaling will be worth your visit. I gain five pounds each time I do this, but I happily trade the extra minutes on the treadmill. I think there must have been some sort of clerical error in the midst of, well, a tempest, and what William Shakespeare intended to write was "Mint smoothies are such stuff as dreams are made on."

Now I know what some of you are thinking: "I don't like mint chocolate." I wasn't a huge fan either, having sampled those mint green coloured squares from another Canadian chocolatier. However, a Rheo Thompson mint smoothie is pure, digestible joy. If you haven't, you must try one. If you have, try more. Chocolate is good for you! And it could very well be the best $1.30 you ever spent (for an individually wrapped bar, which, by the way, is now available in dark chocolate).

It's local - you can find it at 55 Albert St in Stratford, and all 100+ products (beyond the mint smoothie, there are other delectable chocolates, fudge, hard candies and caramel corn) are handmade on site, from whole ingredients using dairy from local farms. Does it get any better? Oh yeah, and it's been in business for 40 years. Quelle surprise.

Rheo Thompson's mint smoothie: another feather in Stratford's cap.

It'll even put the glow in your cheeks.