I’ve always loved licorice,  especially as a treat in the car on a long trip.  But my husband and daughter don’t do well with food coloring– it gives them migraines.  So they usually skip licorice to be safe.  Recently, though, we were sent samples of “Natural Vine” Strawberry Licorice and Black Licorice.   The kids thought we’d hit the jackpot– it’s not too often I’m asked to review candy.  And when I tasted it, I thought we hit the jackpot too.

The strawberry licorice has a lovely, bright, authentically strawberry taste.  It was an easy hit with everyone.  And it is colored with beet juice instead of red dye #whatever, so it shouldn’t give my husband and daughter migraines.

The black licorice was great too.  I like black licorice, but this was superlative — soft and chewy with a delicious non-chemical sweetness.   The flavor is less aggressive than other black licorice I’ve eaten.   Not all of my kids loved it, but  several who’ve hated black licorice in the past (including my husband) declared this to be much better than the usual kind.

The licorice is made by American Licorice Company. I’ll definitely keep it in mind next time I’ve got a hankering for licorice. But because I’m the independent sort, I may also try a recipe or two on the off chance that I can make something similar myself!  We’ll see…!