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.

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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….

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Being the uber computer geek that I am, I can’t help but love these Ctrl-Alt-Delete candies, despite the fact that they are made with black licorice (YUCK). I’m sure Caitlin, our licorice expert would LOVE these. If they only made these in red “licorice” I’d definitely have to get some.

Unfortunately, they are all sold out right now and there is no indication of when/if they will be back in stock.

• Ctrl-Alt-Del licorice candy

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When this month’s Licorice of the Month Club box arrived, I was a bit dismayed to be immediately confronted with a strong cinnamon smell. You see, I hate cinnamon. Not dislike a little, but hate. However, for the loyal Candy Addict readers out there, I decided I should give these little cinnamon dollars a shot. Here goes…

Hmm, they seem nice and soft, and if it weren’t for the smell, I would think they were a very promising example of red licorice. Now for the taste test.

Oh, yep, those are cinnamon. Very reminiscent of red hots or those disgusting cinnamon jelly beans you think are going to be cherry flavored and then end up having to spit out. Not absolutely hideous, but not something I would ever eat normally. Very soft, nice texture if a little bit sticky.

Overall, I think these would be good for someone looking for a mild cinnamon kick; they’re a pleasing texture and not too spicy. I, of course, will now be swiftly disposing of the rest of the bag and drinking milk to cleanse my mouth. Where oh where are my chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies…

• Buy Cinnamon Dollars at Licorice International

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Today, April 12 is National Licorice Day! So go out and get yourself some licorice and celebrate! If you’re not into the real stuff (the black licorice), I heartily recommend some Red Vines - man they’re good.

If you are into the hard stuff, drop by Licorice International - they can hook you up with some good stuff. Take a browse through our licorice category for lots and lots of licorice reviews so you can find something really good.

So, what’s your favorite way to celebrate National Licorice Day?

• Red Vines
• Licorice International

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Red Vines is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Red Vines Original Twist Trays by bringing back its drawing contest with lots of great prizes, including an educational scholarship or a vacation for four and the chance to have winning drawings featured on the Red Vines tray packaging.

Just create a Red Vines themed piece of art and you could win some great prizes! Take a look at the full contest details and reviews. You can also see some past winners’ artwork in the Red Vines gallery. There is some amazing artwork in there.

• Red Vines

More candy articles about: red vines, contest, licorice

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Another month, another delicious delivery from Licorice International’s Licorice of the Month Club. Truly, who could ask for more from life? This time around, I got to try Finnska Strawberry Bites, which are a red cousin to the black Sweet Finnish Licorice I tried last year.

Like the black, this red licorice from Finland is short and tubular, but there the similarities end. Unlike the black, the red is extremely moist and sticky to the touch. It’s a pleasant red color, but you have to lick your fingers after each piece or risk getting sticky muck all over the keys on your keyboard. That in and of itself would usually gross me out to no end, but here the surprise comes in - the flavor. They’re good! Really really good. Sweet and fruity (no natural flavors here, unfortunately), there’s really nothing to complain about. They definitely beat Twizzlers - even when Twizzlers are having a really good day - so if that’s your kind of thing, go get some… now! You won’t be disappointed.

• Finnska Strawberry Bites at Licorice International

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It’s a good day for a Candy Addict when you stumble upon a new candy that rocks your world. I was in Walgreen’s the other day picking up a prescription for my newly-acquired bronchitis (long story) and what did I see but a display of new Fire Twizzlers. A cinnamon Twizzlers! When had these come out? I had heard nothing about them! With my love of all things cinnamon, especially Atomic Fireballs, I had to try them.

These Fire Twizzlers are of the “Pull - n - Peel” variety; nine shoestring-thin ropes stuck together to make one solid rope. As you can see from the picture, they are nice and fresh and wonderfully soft. If you like hot cinnamon candy like Fireballs, you’ll love these.

Some of the bites have a nice spicy flavor to them that just tastes good. Some of them have a really spicy kick to them that makes me say “Damn, this is hot!” (but in a really good way). I love these things. They’re way better than Chewy Atomic Fireballs. These are the best non-chocolate candy I have eaten in ages and I am awarding them our coveted CandyAddict.com Awesomely Addictive Candy Award. I’m on my second bag in less than a week.

I talked with someone from Hershey’s and was told that “Fire Twizzlers are a customer exclusive - available only through Walgreens” - so if you want some of these, Walgreens is the only place to find them. The “Twizzler brand team” is supposed to be getting back with me with more information, but I wanted to go ahead and get this review out. I’ll update it if I get any more good info.

• Twizzlers product page (no mention of Fire Twizzlers)

More candy articles about: Twizzlers, cinnamon, Fireballs

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This month, I’ve decided to combine two months’ worth of Licorice of the Month Club fare into one big happy post. The reason for this is twofold - first of all, with the holidays I’ve been absurdly busy, and second, the two candies I’m profiling are red versions of black licorice I absolutely love.

First up is Black Opal Real Australian Raspberry Licorice. As I’ve mentioned before, I love Black Opal’s black licorice. The raspberry, however, is a different beast all together. Like its black brethren, this candy is very soft and not at all sticky, but there the similarities end. Where the black licorice has a fairly mild yet intriguing taste, the red seems to scream “I am raspberry, hear me roar!”

To be entirely honest, I’m not sure how true to an actual raspberry taste it is; I’ve avoided the fresh berry ever since I was a kid and had a mild allergic reaction to them. However, I can tell you it’s very sweet, almost to the point of overpowering. It doesn’t have that icky waxiness so endemic to Twizzlers and other such candy, though, so if you really like red licorice, this would probably be right up your alley.

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Is anyone else enjoying ABC’s Pushing Daisies as much as me? My wife and I thoroughly enjoy it - it’s quirky, odd, weird, and funny all at once. It’s like a good weekly Tim Burton movie.

I noticed in one of the episodes that Ned has a poster/print on the wall that says “Naturally Sweet Candy Chews” at the bottom but I couldn’t see the top of it. In the most recent episode, the one featuring a new candy shop (run by a character played by SNL alum Molly Shannon) that just opened across the street from The Pie Hole, I finally saw the whole print - the rest of it says “Black Dog Licorice”.

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