In my last post I wrote about Tubi’s Black Tire Tread, and I’m happy to inform you that Tubi makes a Tire Tread Red too. I didn’t know of the red variety for some time, and it wasn’t until I discovered it at a rest stop on the way home to my parent’s place. My boyfriend is the one who I pointed it out to, and since he loves good red licorice, we decided to try it. We immediately loved it and wished we had bought more.

The Red is made the same way as the Black, of a row of ribbons, piled three layers high and cut into squares.

The red flavor has the same wet, thick, chewy texture. The flavor is indeed “red” but I mean that in the best way possible. It’s sweet, and has nice notes of berries, mainly strawberry and cherry. It’s very juicy, with an edge of tartness.

This is a very well crafted and well flavored red licorice. It really tastes of something, as opposed to the likes of Twizzlers and most other main stream licorice chews. I like my candy to taste like

Rating: Hoard

Tubi’s Tire Tread Black Licorice is something I discovered back at the All Candy Expo, now the Sweets and Snacks Expo, back in 2007. I was immediately smitten and I now scoop the stuff up whenever I see it, which sadly isn’t very often.

First off, the name is very descriptive of the candy itself, and you have to look at it to figure it out. The licorice is made of little laces, which are lined up in rows to make a big ribbon. These ribbons are stacked three high and then cut into squares. They do look a lot like tire treads, with their black color and texture due to the ribbons stacks. It also provides a fun way to dissect the candy when you consume it. It’s very interactive and fun.

The licorice slice is very slick and thick. The chew is very dense and soft and the flavor is very rich of molasses and licorice. It has very rich sweet notes, with a very sweet aftertaste and herbal flavor to it. The taste is so lovely, I could eat it all day.

I highly recommend these if you’re a black licorice lover, or if you’re looking to try some awesome black licorice to see if it’s something you’d like. You really can’t go wrong with Tubi’s as far as I’m concerned.

Rating: Hoard

The new limited edition See’s flavor has arrived! Yay! I am super excited about this month’s free sample of the See’s Black Forest Truffle. Who doesn’t love chocolate delivered to your doorstep? I digress. I get excited about all candy, but when I heard these were headed my way it made me happy because I love sampling See’s Candies’ products.

The bonbons arrived halfway melted, by no fault of the company, simply because the heat where I am was oppressive that day. I popped them right in the fridge to cool some, which made it hard for me to wait to sample my first one. Also, because of the melting, the bonbons in the photo may not be the most attractive, but I did my best. I’m sure if you got them in store they’d look as impeccable as ever.

Once they were cool and solid enough to handle, I went in for my first taste!

The dark chocolate is rich and smooth with notes of berries and coffee.The richness of the chocolate with it’s full flavors blend into an intense fudgey sweetness that’s crowned with the fresh flavor of black cherries. The cherry flavor is very complex, as it’s tart, sweet, has a wonderful depth to it. It its a nice mix of jam and cordial. It’s lovely. The chocolate’s “red” notes allow for it to blend beautifully with the cherry flavors. The texture is soft and fudgey and incredible luxurious. This is an incredible pieces of chocolate art.

I know I enjoyed the past two Limited Edition flavors, but this one they’re really outdone themselves. I hope they bring one one back as a regular addition to the See’s lines of incredible candies.

CONTEST: I have another a gift certificate from See’s to give away! It’s for one pound of these chocolate, and can be used in their stores or by phone at (800-895-7337). So how do you enter? Please comment on this post by Friday at noon, EST and share your favorite See’s flavor if you have one. I’ll choose a winner randomly from those who enter. Best of luck!

Rating:

Links See’s Candies Website

These, like the Lakritz Batzen I reviewed on Monday, are another licorice made by Katjes. I picked these up on the same trip to Cost Plus World Market, when I raided their candy aisle for all the sweets I can’t find around where I live. Eager to try as much Katjes licorice as I could get my hands on, I nabbed these, but little did I know how much I’d love them. I should have bought more.

The name of these translates to “Kitten Paws” as the licorice pieces are small and round like cat feet. Again, terribly cute, and I can’t help but feel that “cute” is a great match for licorice. Really? Ever realize how much licorice is named after cute things? Kittens? Pandas? Bears? Scottie Dogs? Chalk? Buttons? I digress….

The texture of these are much firmer than the Lakritz Batzen. Those were much softer and squishier, almost jelly-like. These are more dense and chewy, like a fruit snack. Thankfully, they aren’t sticky in the mouth at all, so they don’t annoy me and I can really enjoy the texture. The flavor is fantastic too, as it’s very sweet with nice molasses notes and a strong licorice flavor. It’s not as herbal as the Lakritz Batzen, much more on the sweet side than those, but they’re still lovely and really represent what an “ideally good licorice” tastes like.

I am buying a stash of these next time I see them on the shelves. They’re just too god to pass up. I find they’re also really good car candy, and they don’t melt easily, and they have good staying power in the mouth, especially if you suck on them instead of chewing them. If you’re a black licorice lover, you gotta try these.

Rating: Hoard

Links Katjes Website

Katjes are quickly becoming one of my favorite licorice candy companies. There hasn’t been a single variety of theirs that I’ve tried to date that I didn’t enjoy. It’s sad that the main place I find a good stocking of their candies is Cost Plus World Market, and sadly there’s none of them in my neck of the woods. Saddness. So I always do my best to stop into one when I know I’m going to be close by.

Katjes means “little kitten” in Dutch, and I have to say that’s pretty cute! Katjes, according to their website, says they’ve never used artificial colors in their licorice in 20 years. Pretty sweet! They also have an addictive “licorice chooser” on their site which allows you to pair flavor and texture to find the idea licorice for you. I’m smitten!

So my last trip to a Cost Plus World Market I found this bag of Lakritz Batzen. I have no clue what the title says, but I saw licorice and had to nab it to try it.

This licorice is sweet and soft. The pieces are like gumdrops that are round on the sides but flat on the top and bottom, like a fat button. They’re covered in a granulated sugar and are a nice black color. They smell woodsy and herbal, like good licorice should. The texture is indeed soft, the pieces are squishy when you chew them and dissolve easily. I prefer to suck on them for a bit before I chew, as the flavor lasts longer that way. The flavor is very nice as it has a sweetness to it with lots of molasses flavors mixed with a licorice taste. It’s not too herbal or medicinal tasting. It’s just…right. A nice licorice for beginners and for those who love it in any form.

I’m so smitten with these, and my boyfriend loved them even more than I did. The bag disappeared so fast which left both of us wishing for another.

Rating: Hoard

Links Katjes Website