Monday, March 14, 2011

Panda Candy Coated Licorice

Panda Candy Coated LicoriceOne of the candies I was looking forward to seeing in the United States from Panda Licorice was their Candy Coated Licorice.

They’re little, beefy one inch rods of licorice with a candy shell. What’s interesting about these that’s different from most licorice pastels is the fact that the shells are flavored. They come with two flavors in each bag - lemon (yellow) and peppermint (white). As with all Panda licorice, the ingredients are all natural and vegan.

In Europe a slightly different version of this candy is available. I bought a bag in Amsterdam called Liquorice Comfits, which had three different colors (more about that in a moment).

This particular bag is small, it holds 100 grams which is 3.5 ounces. The retail price is pretty steep for a sugar candy, I paid over 2 Euros for mine in Europe and it appears that the American version will be prices around $2.50 to $3.00 per bag.

Panda Licorice Comfits

The pieces are consistent and attractive. They’re not slickly smooth, but they are shiny. The yellow is creamy and the white is stark and bright. (The green ones are from the European mix.)

The white ones are Peppermint and I was hoping they’d be similar to Skoolkrit, which I love so much. The licorice center is soft and chewy but not deeply flavored. It’s a bit doughy, like Panda can be, but missing the dark molasses notes. The licorice flavors are exactly that, the mellow and lingering sweetness of the licorice root. Though they have aniseseed oil in them, there’s less of that flavor in the profile. The mint shell gives is a fresh start and finish. It’s crunchy and sweet as well, but doesn’t really stick with me after consuming.

The lemon was a bit more of an unconventional combination. It was definitely sweeter to me with a lemony start that reminded me of icing. The licorice just seemed sweeter in this version.

Both are fun to eat, but I kept waiting for some stronger licorice flavors that I was relieved when the bag was empty and I could move on to something else.

Panda Licorice ComfitsThe European bag I picked up of the Panda Liquorice Comfits is unflavored, as far as I can tell, though I did get a bit more of a floral note from the green ones, but natural colorings can do that.

Without the flavored shell, you’d think they’d have more of a licorice punch, but it was the same thing. Too sweet, not enough rich burnt toffee notes.

I don’t expect that I’ll pick these up again. I’m sure there are plenty of folks who will like these and I expect for parents who want a great family licorice, this is a good place to start, especially with younger kids who are turned off by strong flavors.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I like Good and Plenty better, I certainly prefer the price.

Related Candies

  1. Natural Vines - Black Licorice
  2. Panda Soft Herb Licorice and Licorice Cremes
  3. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Hearts
  4. Organic Finnska Soft Licorice
  5. Kenny’s Licorice Pastels & Root Beer Twists
  6. Good & Plenty (Fresh from the Factory)


Name: Candy Coated Licorice
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Panda Licorice
Place Purchased: sample from ExpoWest & grocery store in Amsterdam
Price: $2.50 retail
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 106
Categories: All Natural, Candy, Panda, Kosher, Licorice Candy, Mints, 6-Tempting, Finland

POSTED BY Cybele AT 3:39 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     All NaturalCandyPandaKosherLicorice CandyMints6-TemptingFinland

Comments
  1. Licorice is probably one of the few candies that I absolutely can’t stand.  I’ve tried a number of different licorice candies (mostly different jelly beans, now that I think about it), and while I can tolerate maybe three or four, beyond that I am saying, “Enough!”

    Comment by Johnny Carruthers on 3/15/11 at 1:11 pm #
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