Candy Trivia: Black Crows Misnaming

Crows

I’ll admit, I have never actually tasted Crows candy since they are licorice-flavored (and I hate licorice), but I thought this bit of trivia was interesting about them: “Originally, Crows were to be called “Black Rose”, but the printer misheard the name as “Black Crows” and printed wrappers with the wrong name on them.”

Seems like they would have put the name on paper rather than just saying it aloud, but I guess things worked differently back in the 1890′s when they were invented.

Buy Crows online:

Candy Review: Wheels and Pontefract Cakes

Pontefract Cakes

Today was a good day for the licorice lovers in my house. Of course, there’s only one licorice lover here, so I guess it was simply a good day for ME! Today not only did I receive yet another Amazon.com package full of licorice, but I also got February’s selections of the Licorice of the Month Club.

This month we got to enjoy Wheels by Haribo and Pontefract Cakes from England. I was intrigued by the Cakes, not knowing the origin of the name. It sounded kind of holy and church-ish, so I quickly googled it and discovered that Pontefract is actually a town in England where these sweets are produced. They are also made by Haribo, as evidenced by the imprint on each cake (one other company produces licorice candy in the town), and consist of black wafers about the diameter of a quarter. They are quite good, with a definite flavor of molasses and licorice. They fall quite clearly into the category of sweet licorice, and I found it difficult to stop eating them. Delicious!

Haribo Wheels

Next were Wheels by Haribo. These are flat ropes of black licorice that are coiled into half-dollar size wheels. I found these difficult to bite into, and ended up unrolling a section to bite off and chew. This was somewhat time consuming, and I thought they were just a touch too firm for me. Still, the flavor was good, with a more subdued sweetness than the Cakes.

As extra treats this month we received Kookaburra Natural Black and Kookaburra Natural Raspberry licorices. The black was lovely, very soft with a nice, sweet flavor. The raspberry was a bit harder, and didn’t appeal to me as much. It was very sweet, and the raspberry flavor was nearly overwhelming. Still, they were nice extras to enjoy.

candy, sweets, licorice, Haribo, Pontefract

Candy Review: Liquorice Altoids

Liquorice Altoids

When I received an unexpected package from our erstwhile editor, Brian, I was naturally curious to find out what was inside. As I upended the envelope, two tins of Altoids came tumbling out. (editor’s note – thanks go to the gang at Altoids for the tins).

At first, I was a bit puzzled, since Brian is fully aware how much I hate things that are hot or spicy, and regular Altoids certainly fall in that category. On closer inspection, however, I realized these were actually licorice (or “liquorice” if you want to get all British on me) Altoids. I had no idea they even made licorice flavored candies, and I immediately opened a tin.

My first impression was unexpected. They actually weren’t bad. And curiously strong? I think not! In fact, these were downright tame! Heck, I might as well just chew them right up…

This is where you smack yourself in the forehead and mutter something along the lines of “moron.”

As the fire erupted in my mouth, I could be heard yelling “The fire, the pain! Help!” as I ran to the kitchen to drink directly out of the milk container. I may have run over two small children in the process; I really have very little recollection of the incident. I think my subconscious has blocked it out so I don’t spend the rest of my life curled up in a little ball mumbling about how evil Altoids are and how I should have known better.

Needless to say, I didn’t like these. In fact, I can say with all honesty that I loathed these. Not only do they not taste like licorice, but even if they did, you wouldn’t be able to tell because all the taste receptors on your tongue are being burned to a crisp. Ok, not really, but that’s what it feels like. I can easily say that anyone who likes regular Altoids should have no problem with these, since there is pretty much no licorice flavor and you must have no taste buds to begin with.

Buy Liquorice Altoids online:

candy, sweets, licorice, liquorice, Altoids, mints

Candy Review: Anise Bears

Anise Bears
(picture from Licorice International)

When I saw these tasty looking little bears in one of my favorite Cape Cod candy shops, I just knew I had to have them. Gum drops plus licorice in a cute little bear shaped package… what could be better? The bears are larger than a regular gumdrop, but are the same texture and consistency. They are covered in granulated sugar, and all are black.

At first taste, it’s hard to even tell that anise is an ingredient in these tasty little cubs. They are very sweet, and the anise flavoring, which is milder than licorice root, is almost difficult to distinguish. I would even hazard to say that someone who doesn’t typically like licorice might find these acceptable. For those of us who happen to love licorice, these are so mild that it’s nearly impossible to get too much of the delicious flavor.

If I had to find one fault with this selection, it would only be that the bears are a little too large to eat comfortably in one bite. Despite that, these were definitely one of my better buys, and I would highly recommend them, both to those who join me in licorice addiction, and those who just enjoy a really good gumdrop.

Buy Anise Bears online:

    candy, sweets, licorice, anise, bears, gummi, gummy, bear

    Review: Golia Bianca – mint and licorice candy


    Golia Bianca

    Here’s another candy brought back from Europe by a coworker – this time it’s Golia Bianca, also made by the Perfetti Van Melle company. The Golia Bianca page says it’s “a deliciously fresh, Golia flavoured mint candy. Golia Bianca gives you a brisk sensation of well-being, and a cool, fragrant breath.”

    The candy looks exactly like Mentos, which shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise as Perfetti also makes them. These, however, are far from the freshmaker Americans know and love.

    The slogan for these candy is “Filled with freshness, a friend of nature” and feature a cute polar bear on the packaging. Well, they didn’t exactly fill me with freshness. It was more along the lines of “this is horrible” and “it’s burning my nostrils”. Why exactly? The flavor is the strongest mint and black licorice taste I’ve ever eaten. It reminds me more of medicine than anything I’d associate with candy. I can eat Altoids with no problem, but this was a bit much.

    On the plus side, it cleared my nasal passages right up.

    candy, sweets, mint, licorice, Italy, italian, liquorice, mints, altoids, minty, mentos