I ordered Panda black licorice from Amazon because this candy has always been one of my favorites, but, for some reason, has become impossible to find in candy stores, supermarkets and specialty food stores in the northeast United States.

I discovered black licorice as a kid of about 8 years old while watching a movie about sailors and sailing ships of the 1800s. I saw the captain of one ship reach into his pocket and pull out a large black block of something and bite a piece off. I asked my dad what this was and he said it was licorice and that this was how it was made during the nineteenth century in America. Not long after, I accompanied my dad and mom during a grocery shopping trip. I asked my dad to take me to the corner candy store. He did and once in the store I asked for black licorice. The store owner handed me a small bag of licorice pieces called NIBBS. I started eating the licorice and was fascinated by the taste. From that time onward, I spent a little of my allowance money on NIBBS.

Not long after this discovery, my family started vacationing in the southern Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. In the town where we stayed, there was a large complex of stores where early Americana products were sold - really a place set up for tourists who were looking for something unique and representing things made during the 1700s and 1800s. There were rugs, cloths, wooden toys and furniture, wicker furniture, tools, weather vanes, food - AND CANDY!!! It was here, when I was 8 to 10 years old, that I discovered a second source of black licorice.

I bought strings of black licorice, pieces of black licorice and twisted black licorice. The taste was as authentic as the NIBBS! The anise flavor, the chewy consistency and the smell were all there. This was not to slight the early Americana tastes of other candies such as the horhound candy sticks, the sarsparilla candy sticks and more.

The old Americana stores eventually disappeared - replaced by a modern supermarket and strip mall. You couldn't get black licorice there. Black licorice disappeared as well. So, I was amazed to find that Amazon sold black licorice! I tried Panda licorice first and was pleasantly surprised that this candy manufacturer had kept the tradition of my favorite candy with plenty of anise and the correct recipe. Eating Panda licorice takes me back to the sweetest discovery I ever made during my early childhood. At first, I ordered one bag. Then I started ordering 2 at a time. Now, I don't have to look any further than Amazon for my favorite candy! I enjoy it after lunch, after dinner and while watching TV with my wife. She tried a piece, but she said it wasn't her "thing." Oh, well. Still, I recommend Panda brand and NIBBS. Try a small package and see what you think.

The Best!

This is the best licorice I have tried. It's soft and delicious. I can hardly limit myself. I do wish they could make it with a non gluten flour or without the wheat flour altogether but I much prefer the molasses than cane sugar.

Panda is better quality than most, but not up there with the best licorice from Australian. So it's higher quality than Twizzlers, but it's not Wallaby either.

So yummy and fresh! These are my third boxes of monsters and they're the only ones that have been really fresh and I so appreciate it and hope the person reads the review because it does make a difference getting something that's not fresh and you open it expected to be fresh and one that you open and it's still like the other ones I got