As a reminder January is nearly upon us, we at the Daily News recently received a box of each of the eight kinds of Girl Scout cookies that will be on sale beginning Jan. 13: Trefoils, Tagalongs, Cafe Cookies, Thin Mints, All-Abouts, Lemon Coolers, Do-si-Dos and Samoas. After days of painstaking research – I ate an entire plate of cookies – I bring you the Daily News’ Guide to Girl Scout Cookies.

• Thin Mints: The name of these classic standbys pretty much says it all – it’s a slim mint cookie covered with chocolate. They’re small enough you can pop an entire one in your mouth, and are also delicious when frozen.

  One co-worker described the allure of Thin Mints as follows: &#8220You just can’t go wrong with a cookie that tastes good and gives you fresh breath at the same time.”

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  In an unscientific office poll (I asked the people sitting around me), Thin Mints narrowly edged out Samoas and Tagalongs as the Daily News’ favorite cookie.

  &#8220Thin Mints have been my favorite since I was old enough to gum my way through a cookie,” said another co-worker, teetering precariously on the verge of too much information. &#8220I always look forward to January, because it means little green boxes of heaven.”

  We’re all a little worried about him.

• All-Abouts: Once upon a time, Thin Mints also reigned supreme as my Girl Scout cookie of choice.

  No more, friends, no more; for I have discovered All-Abouts, tasty niblets slathered with chocolate on one side and printed on the other with various things Girl Scouts are &#8220all about:” values, fun, leadership.

  (Mmm … delicious leadership.)

  These scallop-edged rectangles of joy are amazing – buttery and sweet, with just the right balance of softness and crunch. One co-worker, not inclined to wax poetics, summed them up in four words: &#8220Shortbread and chocolate – yum.”

• Cafe Cookies: These are the new kids on the block this year, and described in a Girl Scouts news release as &#8220a gourmet-style crisp cookie made with caramelized brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon spice.”

  To me, they’re more like a mild ginger snap – I can’t taste the cinnamon anywhere. My co-workers could, though, and we all agree the cookies are tasty, if a bit crunchy. If the office coffee machine wasn’t currently in use as a petri dish for new and mildly disgusting mold colonies, we could have made java to dunk them in. I bet they’d taste fantastic with hot chocolate, too.

• Tagalongs: These are great – a crisp vanilla cookie topped with a dollop of peanut butter, then dipped in chocolate. One co-worker said it felt like she was nibbling a glorified Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but really, is that such a bad thing?

  Tagalongs would be great lightly chilled, served with a cold glass of milk. Even at room temperature and paired with bottled water, they’re still pretty darn delicious.

  &#8220I would pay upward of $20 per cookie,” declared a co-worker.

  Hear that, Girl Scouts? I think it’s time to jack up those prices.

• Samoas: In my house, the Girl Scout cookie hierarchy goes like this: All-Abouts, Samoas, Thin Mints, Trefoils, and then everything else. Then again, I’m the only one in my house, unless you count the fish, and he doesn’t have much of an opinion.

  Anyway, Samoas earned their second-place ranking simply by being an amazing combination of caramel, crunchy cookie, toasted coconut and drizzled chocolate. They even have a hole in the middle, so you can convince yourself you’re not technically eating a whole cookie – better have two!

  At least one other Daily News person agrees with me on the Samoas’ second-place ranking: &#8220The chocolate and coconut is a close second to the Thin Mints,” he reports, but adds, &#8220Just not quite.”

  Another co-worker ranked Samoas as second to Tagalongs, but scrawled the following praise: &#8220Coconut, chocolate and caramel? Are you serious? Phenomenal.”

  We’re worried about him, too.

• Do-si-Dos: Let me preface this review by saying I’m not fond of peanut butter when it’s not paired with chocolate. That’s a matter of opinion, of course, and I don’t want a dearth of Do-si-Do sales this year just because I said I don’t like them.

  The cookies are two peanut-butter-flavored crisps stuck together with creamy peanut butter – a dream-come-true for peanut butter lovers and Jimmy Carter. One of my two sidekicks was mum on the subject – peanut butter makes him sick – and the other ranked Do-si-Dos as her least favorite. There has to be someone who likes them, though, since they’re listed as perennial favorites in a press release from Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana.

• Lemon Coolers: &#8220Tasty!” reads the scrawled comment on the reaction form I set out near the table of Girl Scout cookies here in the office.

  &#8220Has an unexpected zing,” reads another.

  The first bite of my crunchy lemon cooler made me squinch up my mouth like I’d just eaten a Sour Patch Kid, but the initial burst of lemon flavor soon gave way to a pleasant, animal-cracker-ish taste. The powdered sugar on top is a nice touch, too.

• Trefoils: This is the first year I tried a Trefoil; it never occurred to me what I was missing by only eating Thin Mints all my life. These little buggers are tasty, if a bit plain. They’re your basic shortbread cookie, printed with the Girl Scout logo on top and, strangely, packed with tiny air-holes. I’m going to use that as an excuse to go ahead and eat four of them – as with the Samoas, the holes equal less cookie, which equals, &#8220Please pass another Trefoil.”

  In the words of a co-worker, Trefoils are, &#8220Simple, yet satisfying.”

  I’m going to have another.

  The Warren County Cookie Kickoff will be 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Jan. 7 at Greenwood Skate Center. Troops should register by Saturday to attend by calling Kimberly Suggs at 843-3147 or e-mail my2000destiny@hotmail.com.

  Cookies, which are $3.50 a box, are delivered in late February with booth sales in the front of many retail stores March 1-19.

  – Our anonymous food reviewer will get back to reviewing restaurants next year – Happy Holidays, Bowling Green! New restaurants are given an eight-week grace period. Send comments to Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at malexieff@bgdailynews.com, or call 783-3235.