At beginning of each new year, I like to spend some time devoted to thinking “deep thoughts” and pondering important philosophical matters. So my question to you is: Twizzlers or Red Vines?
When I first developed my love of licorice, I was living on the East Coast. I grew up eating Twizzlers. No funky flavors like they have now, mind you, just yummy, plain old strawberry Twizzlers.
Then, I moved to the West Coast. I was a bit perplexed because, at the time, I couldn’t find any Twizzlers. All I could see were these things called Red Vines. I asked a friend where the Twizzlers were, and she was horrified. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: How come I can’t find any Twizzlers at the stores here?
Friend: TWIZZLERS?!?! Ewwwwwwww. What are you from the East Coast? Here, have some Red Vines. They are WAY better.
So I had some Red Vines. Our follow up conversation went something like this:
Me: Dude, these taste like plastic. Sugary, vaguely strawberry-flavored plastic, but still plastic.
Friend: They do not!
Me: Do too.
Friend: Well, Twizzlers taste like wax. Maybe all that wax coated your tongue and damaged your taste buds. Have some more Red Vines. You’ll see they’re way better and give up your evil, Twizzler-eating ways.
And thus I got involved in the Great Licorice Debate. I did an informal poll and found that all the people I knew back east were Twizzler people and all my new friends in the west loved Red Vines. Both sides scoffed at each other for their preferences and so far, no real accord has been reached.
Fortunately, I can now get Twizzlers on both coasts – and Red Vines, if I so choose. I got used to eating Red Vines because they were everywhere but, as so often happens, I never got over my first love. I have to say I’m still a Twizzlers girl at heart.
What about you? Which is better? Twizzlers or Red Vines?
Buy Twizzlers Online:
- at Amazon.com
- at Candy Direct
Buy Red Vines Online:
- at Old Time Candy Co.
- at Candy Crate
- at Candy Direct
- at Amazon.com
ok, i’m from nz but i’ve recently spent 4 months in north america. my friend just asked me what i was doing online, and before i even read what you had to say, i said “gross american licorice showdown. twizzlers taste like wax and red vines taste like plastic. those ‘mericans need to get themselves some darrell lea.”
January 9th, 2009 at 6:47 ampoint proven!
i’m not usually a blog commenter, but FYI: none of the things you mentioned above are LICORICE! they are red candies. licorice is black and anise flavored. so please don’t call yourself a licorice lover!
January 9th, 2009 at 9:44 amoops, i meant to say are NOT LICORICE. shows how much i’m paying attention. sorry! i’ll try to be more anal retentive about my anal retentiveness next time
January 9th, 2009 at 9:45 amBeing a West Coast girl, I have to say I prefer Red Vines. I had no tolerance for Twizzlers when I was younger, but I have learned to like the taste over the years.
I will add that I like real black licorice the best though.
January 9th, 2009 at 9:57 amI’d have to agree that the Australian soft licorice trumps both Twizzlers and Red Vines any day.
But since I live in Canada, I grew up eating Twizzlers, so out of the two I’m definitely a Twizzlers girl. Red Vines just taste funny. :/
January 9th, 2009 at 10:27 amTwizzlers!!!! I like SF Red Vines tho, I think they’re softer and taste better than the regular. LOOOOOVE Twizzlers tho. But I absolutely adore REAL black licorice.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:01 ami grew up in buffalo, ny. i’ve lived in los angeles for 5 years. red vines are nasty nasty nasty. i’ve never grown accustomed to the taste.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:07 amI grew up in Iowa, but I was born in Oregon and when I went back to visit one summer at age 7, my Grandma had a big tub of Red Vines waiting for us. That big tub of delicious candy was at the ready all summer long, and these days, at age 22, I get the occasional craving for Red Vines. But Twizzlers are completely different, they too are delicious, but without such a strong flavor. I’d really say it’s an apple and oranges situation here…even if they are trying to sell the same “Strawberry rope” concept.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:42 am@ Frith: I LOVE Darrell Lea! I wrote a post about how much I miss my old grocery store, Trader Joes, because I don’t get my Darrell Lea fix. Darrell Lea rocks.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:11 pm@ Darcy: Glad you decided to join in the discussion! I love black licorice. Actually, I know it’s weird, but I crave it something wicked sometimes.
@ Angie and Miss Tiffie: Have you guys tried the Panda black licorice? I think it’s yummy. Callard and Bowser also used to make this awesome black licorice toffee chew thingy that rocked. If you see some, I highly recommend it.
@ Meredith: I hate to tell you, but if you live in LA long enough, the Red Vines grow on you. They are everywhere. People have huge tubs of them on their desks. I just kept trying them until one day I realized that they’d grown on me!
@ Krista: I didn’t have anyone from the states “in the middle” on my poll. Silly me! Thanks for your input and I loved the Grandma story!
I live on the East Coast and I love Red Vines.. I can’t stand Twizzlers
January 9th, 2009 at 2:14 pmGrew up in Syracuse, NY, now live in New Hampshire. I’m a huge fan of Twizzlers. I’ve tried Red Vines, and like you said, they taste like plastic. Found them to be a much tougher chew than Twizzlers, too.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:44 pmI was born in Seattle but grew up in Virginia… apparently those few formative years on the West Coast made their mark, since I absolutely adore (fresh) Red Vines. I only discovered them in my college years, but ever since then I’ve been unable to enjoy Twizzlers as much as I did as a kid. The trouble is finding those elusive fresh Red Vines – many of the packages I get are stale, which just ruins the entire experience. Still, given the choice, I’ll always go with the Vines.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pmI can’t stand Twizzlers. They are too strawberry-ish for my taste.
I never realized that Red Vines were supposed to taste like strawberry. The fact that I don’t get that flavor from them at all is probably what I like about them. :P
And I’m from California.
My sister, who grew up in Missouri, just told me that she prefers neither. Maybe the middle of the US prefers both or neither as a general rule, and it is the coasts that fight over which is better?
January 9th, 2009 at 3:12 pmIm from Australia too, and I had a packet of twizzlers about two weeks ago… and they were NASTY. Really. I’ve never had Red Vines, but I don’t plan to. If Ifeel like red twists, ill have some of those ones from Wonka, thanks. But I agree with frith, if i feel like licorice, I’ll go and get some from Darell Lea. You Americans really need a few actual darrel lea stores :)
January 9th, 2009 at 4:57 pmLicorice for me!!! The smell of Red Vines creeps me out!
January 9th, 2009 at 7:09 pmTwizzlers…definitely…Twizzlers rock! Both their flavor & texture are more substantial.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:58 pmRed Vines all the way, twizzlers are like eating shoe leather.
January 9th, 2009 at 10:19 pmI grew up in Southern California, and I love love love Red Vines. Twizzlers are soooo gross. I can’t handle the aftertaste at all. It’s Red Vines all the way!
January 10th, 2009 at 1:21 amI’m very much a twizzlers girl. And I agree with the fact that red vines do taste like plastic. I’m guessing maybe they are an acquired taste. I’m an east coaster who just recently moved to the West coast. And thankfully there is no problem finding twizzlers here :)
January 10th, 2009 at 5:24 amIm from CA and i LOVE REDVINES. twizzlers always seemed flavorless and like they were made of rubber and wax. It has nothing to do w/ my location, i just find redvines WAY better.
January 10th, 2009 at 9:37 pmdespite being a west coast boy at heart, i always hated red vines and adore twizzlers. i know, i know… like eating a candy. but some of those scented candles smell really yummy!
January 10th, 2009 at 10:53 pmTwizzlers top the list of things I hate about the East Coast. They’re disgusting…but I am guilty of munching on those rubbery things once or twice. I was desperate. Red Vines hands down for this Cali native.
January 11th, 2009 at 1:22 pmTWIZZLERS all the way! Red Vines aren’t even all that red, they’re all pinkish and anemic-looking.
January 11th, 2009 at 3:26 pmAcutally I’m west coast and I like them both at various times. I’m just weird that way I guess.. :D
January 11th, 2009 at 9:57 pmI’m an East Coaster and only know Twizzlers. Besides, Red Vines sounds too much like the late country music singer Red Sovine. You know, King of the Narrator Singers … “Come on back and talk to Teddy Bear.”
I could never eat a dead country star.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:28 ami was born and raised in minnesota and i like twizzlers but my fave is the chocolate twizzlers. i’ll eat the red, but only every once in a blue moon.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:34 pmRed Vines are not licorice. They’re not candy. They’re not even edible — they’re wrong in every way. Just wrong. I LOVE candy, pretty much all candy, but I would rather starve than eat one of these sugary-muck coated recycled soda bottles. Ugh. Red Vines. Yuck!
January 12th, 2009 at 8:57 pmI grew up entirely on the west coast, and I grew up with Twizzlers. I don’t really consider either one to be licorice, but let’s just pretend it is for this comment- I really do enjoy the taste and the texture of Twizzlers, in any format. Red Vines are crumbly and always make my stomach hurt. As far as black licorice goes though, I think they’re pretty even in quality.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:04 pmI grew up around Olympia, Washington and had never realized there was a zonal difference in licorice-type candy preferences. I just always preferred the flavor of Red Vines (which to me are more a strawberry/raspberry mix) and I like a stronger texture to my licorice-type candies. When I tried Twizzlers (which fyi were actually a prodominent choice among my friends) I thought since they were so popular I would love them. I was wrong. There is something in their flavor that reminds me heavily of nail polish remover (acetone solution), and I can’t stand the waxy stickiness. I also can’t stand Red Ropes. Red Vines are the only red licorice-type candies for me. :)
January 14th, 2009 at 6:12 pmi like twizzlers as the red vines we can get out here are stale. but the best licorice candy i’ve ever had is the stuff my folks bring back from PA. i can’t even tell you the brand. it could be store brand for all i can remember. they are shorter than twizzlers, but have a much better flavor than twizzlers or redvines and they are a bit thicker which makes the hole in the middle bigger too so it’s easier to use as a straw. we would also get black licorice flavor for my mom as well as chocolate flavor. no plastic taste and no funny after taste. though the chocolate ones kinda coated your tongue after awhile but you were headed for a stomach ache at that point anyway.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:57 pmi’m on the east coast btw
RED VINES!!!!!!!! I’ve never really cared much for Twizzlers; I don’t even consider them to be licorice. They do taste kinda bland and waxy. I grew up on the West cost with both candies, and I still prefer Red Vines.
February 7th, 2009 at 12:35 amI live in Texas, and we have both redvines, and twizzlers down here, but I will ALWAYS LOVE TWIZZLERS!!!!!!!
June 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pmGrew up in the North East and I live in Las Vegas. Twizzlers all day! Red Vines are very plastic, plus I have found that after a bunch of Red Vines that they kind of affect the back of my throat and roof of my mouth. It’s just a gross experience.
August 13th, 2009 at 3:05 pmhey darcy!! just cause candace likes twizzlers doesn’t me she doesn’t like plain licorice!
October 4th, 2009 at 4:32 amI live in Missouri-no coast war for me. But I have to say that Twizzlers win with me, hands down. Red vines are…just…wrong. Like those wax lips you get on halloween…shudder.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:28 am