Amid random carpet crumbs and tufts of dog fur, the next crucial step would then be to sort, categorize, and ultimately pawn off all candy rejects upon easily swayed siblings and casual acquaintances who failed to grasp the unspoken yet inarguable confection hierarchy that still exists to this very day.

In my post-Halloween candy sorting circle, anyone with a shred of sugar sense knew that scoring willing Good & Plenty adoptees was an exercise in sheer futility.

Flinging those much-reviled miniature boxes directly into the closest garbage can was the far more appropriate, time-saving action. Even when afflicted with absolute sugar desperation, you could attempt to vigorously chew the white and Pepto-Bismol tinted, candy coated, black licorice bits and still end up swallowing them partially whole thanks to their chronically stale state.

Someone out there must still have a soft spot for Good & Plenty based on the fact that – even in 2012 – the purportedly edible yet rock-hard classic is inexplicably still available at a wide range of mass merchandisers. For the rest of us, there is Panda’s Candy Coated Licorice, and oh, what a relief it is.

There are several ways in which the Finnish company’s latest greatest entry blows Good & Plenty straight out of the water, the most obvious one being that each individual candy-coated piece is easily twice the size of its pitiful forerunner. With a legitimately soft and chewy black licorice interior – flavored with genuine rooty goodness – there is far more toothsome, easily pliable, unrefined sugar to love.

As candy selections go, Panda’s Candy Coated Licorice is a bit healthier than typical marketplace offerings based on the fact that it is absent of high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors/flavors, or preservatives.

When seeking out authentic-tasting black licorice, molasses should be the main sweetening agent, as it is in this product. The thick brown highly concentrated syrup – which is a by-product of the sugar refining process – is conveniently rich in beneficial minerals such as manganese, iron, copper, magnesium, and potassium as well as calcium but it also happens to impart licorice with that unmistakable earthy flavor.

What else makes Panda’s sugar coated escape well worth hunting down at your favorite market? Well, if you walk the dietary straight and narrow by actively avoiding all animal-based protein sources, you’ll be happy to learn that their Candy Coated Licorice is 100% vegan-friendly. You won’t find a scrap of gelatin in it, nor eggs or milk for that matter.

Let’s put aside the “health” aspect of this treat and get down to the sugar nitty gritty. Each piece of Panda’s licorice is dunked in a crisp yet easily yielding sugar shell. Somewhat surprisingly, the light yellow coating is distinctively citrusy, with a sharp yet pleasing lemon edge that you’ll want to experience again and again.

On the opposite end of the tasting spectrum, the white shell surrounding Panda’s perfectly textured, molasses sweetened licorice is laden with anise and peppermint, both of which would complement a cup of tea quite nicely. Even on their own, Panda’s refreshing white candy coated licorice bits would make an excellent after dinner mint.

Each relatively petite 3.5 ounce bag, priced at under $2.00, makes absolute mincemeat of the candy-coated licorice competition. Instead of working overtime to pawn your Panda morsels off on the sugar-clueless, you’ll realize with the very first bite that these ebony gems are in a hoard-worthy class all of their own.

• Panda’s Candy-Coated Licorice

I grew up around just plain black and cherry licorice and usually only the thin laces, so trying this soft eating licorice was very unique. I received 4 flavors of the Darrell Lea Soft Eating Licorice for review: strawberry, mango, green apple and black. The bags are full of thick tubes of licorice, as you can see from my photo of the green apple flavor. We’re talking 2 inch long tubular pieces that are half an inch in diameter. So, if you’re a licorice fan, these definitely are worth it for serving size alone. However, as a Candy Addict, I cannot go by portion size alone.

I have tried each flavor and there are some definite contradictions in each bag. The strawberry and green apple flavors were literally non-existent until I had swallowed the candy. What was really odd is that when I sniffed the open bags, the smell of strawberry and apple was very strong. However, these two flavors only appeared as an aftertaste and not a very strong one. The mango flavor was up front and alive in my mouth, it was an honest and truly good flavor and yet it hardly had any mango aroma in the bag.

The black licorice had a good strong anise aroma in the bag but the flavor was not what I expected. The first flavor that hits you (and hits hard) is molasses. The traditional black licorice flavor (anise) comes out only after you’re done chewing. Only then is it at its strongest, so sorry but you’ve got to wait till you swallow to get it. I know there are die hard black licorice fans out there and I’m not sure if you’re going to like this at all.

As far as the texture goes, it’s good and chewy like you would expect from any licorice, especially pieces this thick. It’s a soft eating licorice but it’s also a stick to your teeth licorice. On the down side, there’s almost a greasy feeling to it that I found unappealing. It’s honestly a strange part of the texture that I didn’t expect and didn’t really like either.

The upside to all this for me is the fact that Darrell Lea makes the licorice all natural. That means all natural colors and flavors (although the spinach they used to color the green apple makes it more of an olive green rather than granny smith apple green). I have a son with ADD and he has a sensitivity to artificial food colorings (to be discussed in a future post) so I’m always looking for candy made with natural colorings.

• Darrell Lea Website

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

The last few Twizzler spin-offs haven’t really been anything special for me. Despite the popularity of the cinnamon variety, they just weren’t my thing. The same holds true for the less popular Rainbow Twizzlers. Actually, I don’t really care for any Twizzlers that aren’t the strawberry or cherry flavors.

At the All Candy Expo, I was given a complimentary tote bag to lug around all the goodies I would be receiving, and it happened to be already filled by an assortment of products, including those donated by Hershey’s. I guess they were trying really hard to make sure no one in press missed any of their new products.

It wasn’t until I began cataloging my hoard that I even noticed the red and yellow Twizzlers in my bag. “New Twizzlers Sweet and Sour Filled Twists” the wrapper advertised. I wouldn’t have every picked these up at a store, but since I was given them it couldn’t hurt to try them.

The strips are a bright neon yellow and red/pink color combination, holding a great deal of fragrance that’s released when you tear the plastic wrapper. The packaging lists the two flavors as Cherry Kick and Citrus Punch, so it seemed fairly evident which color corresponded to which flavor.

Cherry Kick: These were sticky, but not in the sense that the candy is sticky, but rather it just likes to stick to other pieces of the candy. The strip is a little more bloated than your average Twizzler, but that appears to be a result of the gel center inserted within the hollow cavity.

The texture is rubbery like all Twizzlers, but these are soft compared to the hard rubber variety of the classic flavors. My first bite revealed a floral punch flavor, almost Hawaiian in nature. Like the wrapper advertised, the inside definitely provided a great snap of flavor with the tanginess of the gel.

Cherry is the most dominate flavor in the piece, but I detected notes of pineapple and some other citrus and berry flavors. The texture of eating one of these is odd. At times they’re grainy, then soft, and finally liquid-y. It was kind of like eating gum.

Citrus Punch: These had a sharp citrus zest to them, with lemon being the dominate flavor of the citrus. They too were tasty, but retained the odd texture that the first piece possessed.

I was pleasantly surprised. The flavors are most delightful without being overpowering on the sweet or sour side; they strike the perfect balance. They even complement each other well if you’re game to eat one of each flavor together. Normally, I advise people to stay away from new Twizzler products, but these are certainly something I think people should try.

• Twizzlers Website

Buy Twizzlers Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Candy Direct
• at Old Time Candy
• at Amazon.com

I’m back for Part V of my jelly bean adventure. For some reason Brach’s calls their jelly beans “Classic Jelly Bird Eggs,” but to me they are jelly beans!

When I think of the jelly beans I ate as a kid, the Brach’s jelly beans are what I remember. In terms of flavor, these jelly beans are similar to the Necco jelly beans I reviewed a while back. If you’re looking for super sweet, chewy jelly beans, look no further. Don’t expect any tartness or realistic flavors – these jelly beans are all about the sugar. They’re artificially flavored, sugary goodness in all its glory.

Color: Black, Flavor: Black Licorice – I’ve noticed that they’ve taken the black licorice flavor out of a lot of the modern bags of jelly beans. In fact, of the six bags I’ve reviewed so far for this series, this is the first time I’ve found the flavor. As a kid, the black licorice jelly beans would tend to be ignored by everyone – except me. So I’m delighted to report that black licorice jelly beans still exist and you can find them here in the Brach’s mix. Actually, I found out that Brach’s makes whole bags of just the black licorice flavor – great news for those of us who are black licorice addicts. Expect a really strong black licorice flavor from these jelly beans – yum!

Color: Red, Flavor: Cherry – Did you ever have to take liquid cherry penicillin as a kid? I’m so sorry to tell you that’s what this cherry jelly bean flavor reminded me of. It’s not bitter like the penicillin, but something about the artificial cherry taste sent me right to icky medicine flashbacks. But if you never endured childhood cherry penicillin, the artificial cherry taste should be trauma-free for you.

Color: Yellow, Flavor: Lemon – There’s something a bit wonky with the lemon flavor in this jelly bean. Even with all the sugar, there seemed to be a hint of bitterness to it. Still, if super sugary lemon brightens you day, this is the jelly bean for you.

Color: Pink, Flavor: Strawberry? – Ok, I think the pink jelly beans are supposed to be strawberry but then again maybe they’re cotton candy. The flavor I got was sweet with some kind of faint fruit flavor, so I’m leaning toward strawberry as the flavor. But basically, the sweetness overwhelmed the flavor in the pinks.

Color: Purple, Flavor: Grape – The grape flavor reminded me of grape Kool Aid! Eating the grape jelly beans actually made me smile – it had me harkening back to being a kid in the summer, drinking grape Kool Aid, and eating those sugary grape Popsicles. Needless to say, I really enjoyed these!

Color: Green, Flavor: Lime – Like the lemon, the lime jelly beans have a wee hint of bitterness to them. However, I liked the lime a lot more than the lemon. The flavor had a better balance with the sweetness.

Color: White, Flavor: Pineapple? Coconut? – I’m guessing again, but I think the white flavor is supposed to be pineapple. I remember debating this with my siblings when we were kids and we never really reached a consensus. The white color made me think that maybe it was coconut but there’s a weird tang that makes me think this is supposed to be pineapple. In any event, this is the most unusual flavor in the bag.

Color: Orange, Flavor: Orange – As super sugary orange flavors go, this is pretty good. It didn’t taste as artificial as some of the other flavors and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

So, basically if you want to feed your sugar jones, you might want to check out these jelly beans, er, “jelly bird eggs.” As a bonus, the classic flavors might take you on a nice, nostalgic trip down memory lane.

• Brach’s Website

Buy Brach’s Jelly Bird Eggs Online:

• Amazon.com
• Candy Crate

Today I was quite shocked to find not one, but two unexpected packages containing delicious candy treats. One was from Jelly Belly (look for that review coming soon) and the other was from our friends at Licorice International (who, by the way, have a beautiful new site). Intrigued, I ripped open the box to see what treasures it might contain.

Inside I found two packages of Australian Waldov Liquorice, one raspberry flavored and one black, as well as two “Irish Potatoes” and a nice note informing me that these were newly stocked items. Well, I’m always up for a new kind of licorice to try, so I immediately tore open the black licorice bag.

I could smell the delicious scent of black licorice even before the bag was fully open. Gingerly pulling out a piece from the bag, I noted that they were sticky but soooooo soft. I’m talking butter soft here, people. No, seriously, softer than you’re imagining. Firm enough to hold their shape, but just barely. These are arguably the softest licorice bits I’ve ever tried. In my book, that’s a good thing.

The flavor was also superb. The ingredients include molasses (which I think lends a wonderful taste to licorice), liquorice extract (that’s the good expensive stuff), and a couple of other things, all of which are natural. There was a very mild saltiness to offset the sweet, but still a good, strong licorice flavor. Yum yum yum!

After tearing myself away from the black, I turned to the red. How would it stack up? In my experience, it’s often a bit harder to chew than its black brethren.

I first noticed that it was just as sticky as the black, which seemed to bode well. My first bite proved that it was just as soft as well. The flavor was definitely raspberry, and I’d say it’s probably more true to an actual raspberry than a lot of other “red” licorice. It was fruity and tart; where the saltiness in the black set off the sweet, here the tart served the same purpose.

Between the two, I’d definitely go for the black, but if you’re a fan of raspberry flavor, you definitely won’t miss with the red.

On to the last little occupant of the box: Oh Ryan’s Irish Potatoes. When I first dumped out the contents of the box, I didn’t know what the heck these things were. I mean, let’s face it, they don’t look exactly appetizing, do they? In fact, they look a lot like… well, use your imagination. I quickly Googled the term and came up with a site that had a recipe for Irish Potato Candy. Aha! So that’s what these things are. Time to taste.

I was a little apprehensive at first because I noticed that they were basically just buttercream, coconut, and sugar rolled in cinnamon. I don’t particularly like coconut or cinnamon, so I figured I wouldn’t like these. But always willing to up my blood sugar just a little bit more, I took a tentative bite.

Surprisingly, I didn’t hate them! In fact, I actually liked them! The cinnamon coating is tempered beautifully by the sweet interior, and while the coconut is noticeable, it isn’t overpowering. Everything seems to be in perfect proportion in these deceivingly ugly little morsels. And hey, it’s a great way to bring some candy goodness to St. Patrick’s Day!

Get 10% off your entire order in March using this code at checkout: MAR10. Seriously, do it!

• Licorice International Website

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?

• Twizzlers Website

• Red Vines Website

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

I love licorice. So when I came across a value pack of mixed Twizzlers flavors it was like Christmas came early. The bag had a bunch of flavors I’d never heard of, along with some that were more familiar. Each flavor is wrapped in its own cellophane pouch so you can take your time making your way through the bag and you can open as many or as few as you like at any given time. Very convenient and a good way to make the bag last!

Strawberry Twists: The most familiar in the bunch were the strawberry twists. These come two to a pack and are about 1/3 the size of a regular Twizzler. These have an artificial strawberry flavor and are a little softer and less waxy than regular Twizzlers. I don’t mind a bit of waxiness in my licorice so I didn’t find the wax factor off-putting in any of the flavors.

The rest of the bag consisted of different Pull-n-Peel flavors. These bits of licorice pull apart into licorice ropes like I used to eat when I was a kid, except these have way more flavor. I have to confess that I love to play with my food. So playing with the Pull-n-Peel flavors was almost as much fun as eating them!

Twisted Punch Pull-n-Peel: There are three strands each of grape, lemon, and orange twisted together to make the twisted punch flavor. I liked the flavor of the three combined – an artificial, light tropical fruit punch flavor, with a consistency that’s a little waxy and lightly chewy. But I had even more fun pulling these apart and trying them in different combinations. Then I got really creative and started mixing them with the other Pull-n-Peel flavors. Fun!

Wild Berry Pull-n-Peel: Like the Twisted Punch, the Wild Berry is really easy to pull apart and play with. To me, these were the waxiest of the bunch, and I enjoyed them much more as individual strands then I did biting into the whole punch.

Cherry Pull-n-Peel: These were tough to pull apart. I had the most luck pulling two strands at a time – pulling just one caused them to break. The cherry taste reminds me of a slightly waxy, milder form of a wild cherry LifeSaver and I enjoyed just biting into the whole bundle as well as eating the strands.

Green Apple Pull-n-Peel: I think “Pull-n-Peel” is a misnomer for these: I just couldn’t pull apart the strands, no matter how many different packs I opened or how many strands I tried to pull at the same time. Where some of the other flavors are a bit waxy, the green apple flavor is really doughy and chewy. These were the only ones to really stick to my teeth. The green apple flavor was fun, but I’d have enjoyed it more if I could have mixed and matched the individual strands.

I’d definitely buy this bag of mixed goodies again. I like having a choice of different flavors and I find pulling the pieces apart oddly relaxing and fun.

• Hershey’s Twizzlers Website

Buy Twizzlers Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon.com

I’m already missing Trader Joe’s. A lot. While I get to have new candy adventures in my new city, I still long for my TJ faves. Thank heavens for care packages!

• Trader Joe’s Website

Buy Darrell Lea Licorice Online:

• at Amazon.com

Our good friends over at Licorice International recently sent me a little licorice care package containing, among other things, a sample of Dutch company Katja’s Apekoppen. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to get the chance to try a new kind of licorice!

Apekoppen, translated as Apeheads, are half brown/half white ape-shaped candies. I briefly skimmed an explanation of the confection and saw that they were actually a melding of banana and licorice flavors – the white part was banana, the black traditional black licorice. I immediately thought they were going to taste, well… disgusting. But, being the brave soul I am, I bravely forged ahead. Happily, I was rewarded with one of the most interesting licorice candies I’ve had in quite some time.

Intrigued by the idea of a banana flavor, I decided to split the first piece in half and eat the banana bottom section first. The consistency was what struck me first – it reminded me very strongly of a somewhat more-dense-than-normal circus peanut. And, in fact, the flavor was right there as well. The only thing missing was the garish orange color. Admittedly, it didn’t taste much like banana, but it was still good.

Next up was the top of the head, consisting mostly of ears. These were also a surprise – soft and moist, they were very very tasty licorice, with a wonderful salty/sweet flavor. Even without the interesting contrast of the bottom part, I’d enjoy eating these. However, that contrast really sets these above the rest.

When eaten together, the two flavors are perfect complements. The “banana” tempers the slight bite of the black licorice, while the saltiness of the black licorice makes the sweetness of the “banana” less overpowering. To top it all off, the monkey face is really well done – lots of detail. Overall, I have to say that I loved this new treat, and highly recommend you head on over to Licorice International to try a few yourself. Until September 30, you’ll even get a free sample with any order!

• Apekoppen at Licorice International

As I was perusing the massive Hershey booth at the All Candy Expo, I was surprised to see what appeared to be bags of soft licorice among the typical Hershey offerings, mostly of the chocolate variety. Much to my chagrin, however, everything was under lock and key and I had no idea what exactly these new licorice confections might be. When we finally met with the Hershey representative, she explained that they were launching a new line of soft eating licorice. Naturally, I immediately asked for samples but was disappointed to learn that they didn’t have any available at the show. I was promised a shipment as soon as they were available and went home hoping that day would come quickly.

Needless to say, I was overjoyed to receive a box containing a very nice box and a package of each flavor: black licorice, strawberry, and peach mango. Naturally, being a black licorice fan, I opted to try that one first.

As I started to rip open the bag, I noticed something that both shocked and surprised me… resealable bags! Oh my god! No more folding over the tops of opened bags only to pick them up the wrong way and have the contents dump all over the ground. No more stuffing myself to finish a bag just so they won’t get stale. It’s a revolutionary breakthrough! Ok, so it’s actually just the candy industry catching up to the pet food industry (do dogs really need to have zipper protected kibble?), but it was a beautiful thing nonetheless. Anyway, on to the tasting….

Black Licorice: At first blush, this was much chewier than I expected. The pieces are small and easily bite-size, which is nice, but the chewiness borders on gummi. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s very different than the texture of my favorite licorice, RJ’s Soft Eating Licorice; I guess I expected something similar because the bag is similar. After I got past that surprise, I managed to focus on the taste – it’s good! It’s a very mild black licorice flavor, but it’s very sweet as well. It doesn’t scream licorice! at you, but you can still taste the flavor in there.

Peach Mango: This one really surprised me. First of all, the smell hits you as soon as you open the bag – very peachy, almost like the smell of a jar of peach baby food. The flavor, however, isn’t nearly as strong as the smell. It’s definitely fruity with peach overtones, and perhaps a touch of mango, but it’s not strong at all. In fact, it’s so mild you might find yourself polishing off an entire bag in one sitting – so much for those resealable bags! In terms of texture, this isn’t as chewy as the black; if the bags weren’t of the same design you might wonder if they were from the same line of candy.

Strawberry: This one is very chewy, perhaps even more so than the black. The flavor is somewhat artificial, but while it isn’t the “red” flavor of Twizzlers and other red licorices, it still doesn’t scream strawberry to me. I think I would probably like it more if I didn’t have to work so hard for it – were these of a similar softness to the peach mango, they’d be a lot more desirable.

All in all, I have to say that I’ll definitely be looking for these in stores (they should be available beginning in July) – though I’ll probably forgo the strawberry.

• Young and Smylie Website
• Hershey’s Young and Smylie Soft Eating Licorice Press Release