Australia: Land of Licorice

If you have ever eaten a Twizzler, you know what a bland, dull experience "licorice" can be. Granted, I have eaten a ton of Twizzlers in my day, but I have rarely bought them myself to eat. Usually, the giant bag of Twizzlers shows up at a gathering, and of course, it is better to eat candy than to not. However, every time I partake of Twizzlers, I am struck by the relative lack of flavor and irksome waxiness of the product.

These things are OK, I guess, but not really "good."

This is not so of licorice produced in Australia. First, the licorice has no hole in the middle to fudge the actual weight of the candy; this allows for a dense, full bite of licorice. Second, the licorice tastes like the flavor it announces, not a ghostly hint of that flavor amidst a mouthful of wax. The licorice is the star, not the medium. I'm telling you, if you ever get your hands on some licorice produced in Australia, you will never return to Twizzlers. It is a divine, wondrous product that, yes, you will pay a bit more for, but which will be well worth the cost. And, actually, once you factor in the relative lack of weight you get with the ridged, holey Twizzler, I am not that sure you are paying that much more for the good stuff. Convert over, people. You will not be disappointed.
A couple of added bonuses are evident from this photo: there are better flavors (like Raspberry-- and I've had strawberry, green apple, and back licorice flavors, too) and the candy either comes in convenient resealable plastic tubs or this satisfying wax paper bag pictured here. **NOTE: I understand that Twizzlers comes in a bunch of "flavors," but really, they are all just wax with food coloring.