Pros: true black licorice taste All natural ingredients gourmet flavor Not too sweet
Cons: Calories, calories, calories...
The Bottom Line: The ingredients in this Australian gourmet black licorice are essential to its awesome taste. Lucky Country licorice takes you back to your childhood.
jenniferkateab's Full Review: Lucky Country Licorice, Black, 16-Ounce Tubs (Pack...
It was a very lucky day indeed when my husband brought home a 1.5 lb. bag of Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Black Licorice. (You can also buy a 16 ounce container like the one in the picture). I love licorice, as the taste really brings me back to my childhood. Back then, in the days of horse and buggies and half-penny candy,* black licorice had a pungent but sweet anise flavor that really perked up my taste buds. You just can't ignore the taste of real licorice ~ and that's what you get with Lucky Country black licorice.
Description: OK, it's not a work of art, but it sure tastes great!
Each package of licorice is chock full of hearty, hexagonal licorice logs that are thick and chunky instead of thin and twisted, like the other "leading brand". These dark grey licorice chunks are only a few inches long, which makes them great finger food. When you bit into them, you don't have to gnaw them like those thin, twisted types or licorice laces that might pull out a filling. Lucky Country licorice is just chewy enough to eat without too much effort. The licorice is somewhat moist, but definitely not wet or sticky. I've had this bag for over a month and even took it on a trip to Alaska, and the licorice is still very fresh tasting and hasn't dried out very much. I'm amazed at how fresh and tasty the licorice is after a journey of over 1000 miles!
Taste: Gonna knock your socks off!
One taste of Lucky Country Gourmet Black Licorice will simply transport you back several decades, possibly even half a century (I'm not that old, though). The two pungent but pleasant ingredients of licorice extract and aniseed oil give this licorice a traditional and simultaneously "knock your socks off" taste. The licorice taste lingers just a few seconds on my tongue after I've swallowed it, and it's really an unforgettable flavor. If you crave black licorice, but have been disappointed with other brands' taste and texture as I have been, I am almost positive the taste of this brand will amaze you! For a candy type product, this one doesn't fill my mouth with sugary or gooey sweetness, which makes it extra appealing for me.
Nutrition: Sorry, it's not health food...
A serving of four pieces (rather, chunks) of black licorice will add 130 calories to your tank. There's very little fat in these chunks (less than 1/2 gram per serving), but there's a good amount of sugar: 18 grams. It's funny, this treat doesn't taste overly sweet to me, but I guess the molasses, sugar and syrup comprise most of the calories in this candy. Oops, I guess it is a candy, but it tastes so wholesome I've been forgetting about those silly calories!
Ingredients: Whoah Naturale!
Not only are the flavors in Lucky Country Gourmet Black Licorice candy completely natural, so are the rest of the ingredients. This product is colored with beet juice, red cabbage and caramel powder instead of artificial dye (you don't taste the cabbage, mates). The other main ingredients are molasses (which also gives a rich but slightly bitter flavor), sugar, invert syrup and coconut oil. It's not often I've found a good tasting candy that wasn't loaded with artifical flavors and colors, so this is a refreshing change for me. Final Thoughts: WOW!
I am so impressed by this brand (and believe me, I have tried many other brands of licorice looking for that nostalgic flavor), that I will be trying some of the other flavors Lucky Country makes. A few of these flavors which intrigue me are green apple, black cherry and dark chocolate over black. According to the package, Lucky Country is Australia's best selling licorice. Those Aussies are definitely on to something ~ bring that lucky taste back to your snacks with this licorice!
**OK, so I may be mixing my childhood up with Laura Ingalls, but I'm still very fond of real, old-timey licorice.
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