BECKY SHER | Hype You'll be sweet on these sours

And you thought the mints were curiously strong! Wait till you get a hold of Altoids Sours, the new fruit-flavored hard candies from the famous mint maker. We're talking serious pucker power here -- these things are so sour they'll send those wimpy old Sour Patch Kids running for cover. We're thinking these would make great ammunition the next time you're face-to-face with an adversary. As in, "Can I offer you a piece of candy, (insert the name of your nemesis here)?"
But frankly, we're fans of supersour candy, so these little guys are right up our alley. The Sours come in two flavors -- citrus (a lemon-grapefruit combo) and tangerine. And really, once the sour stuff wears off, they're just tasty little candies -- completely sweet and innocent. You're probably wondering whether they come in Altoids' signature tins, right? Actually, the Sours tins are quite a bit cooler than the original ones, if we do say so ourselves. (And we do.) Look for Altoids Sours for about $2 at supermarkets, drugstores or wherever you usually get your Altoids fix.
Better water
Congrats -- your five-mile afternoon run is behind you, and you're looking forward to some quality time with your couch. But don't veg out until you rehydrate. Not to lecture, but with hot summer weather hitting its stride, drinking plenty of water is super important. Lucky for you, we've found some H2O that you'll want to gulp whether you're a serious athlete or a medal-winning armchair quarterback.
Le-Nature's Flavored Ice Water is pretty revolutionary in a beverage world where sweeter sells. (And don't get us wrong, we've got a sweet tooth too. But there's a time and a place for these things.) Basically, the company takes purified water, adds a squeeze of flavor (but no sweeteners) and then bottles it for your pleasure. Their catchy little slogan is: "It's water ... only better," and we tend to agree. The flavors -- such as Squeeze of Lemon, Twist of Lime and Pink Grapefruit Splash -- are subtle, but yummy. And the water is enhanced with Vitamin C and minerals. Look for Le-Nature's water in supermarkets across the nation (it's gradually rolling out nationwide) for about a buck a bottle. Or, if you're in love with the stuff, order a case online at www.le-natures.com.
XBecky Sher writes Hype for Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. You can write to her at bsher@krtinfo.com.