Jelly Belly recently sent us a free bag of their new Licorice Bears to review, and I had the pleasure of sampling the delicacy.
At first blush, I thought these bears would be like the Katjes Kinder I previously reviewed and didn’t enjoy. They looked very hard, but I figured I should give it a try, at least. Luckily, looks can be deceiving. They were firm, certainly, but very easily eaten, with a texture that softened quickly and made them easy on the teeth and jaw.
The flavor was nothing extraordinary; while very good, they are clearly of an American recipe and a similar flavor can be found in many current candies. They are very sweet and lack the earthiness of a molasses-sweetened licorice, yet they should still strongly appeal to those of us who grew up on traditional American licorice flavors, which are normally sweetened by corn syrup or sugar.
All in all, these little bears won’t exactly usher in a new age in licorice, but they are certainly tasty. At $5 a bag, however, you may want to stick with your old standby, at least until these come up on sale.
Buy Jelly Belly Licorice Bears online:
