Ten Things I learned about Licorice and Licorice International

On Saturday’s “Judy ala Carte” radio program (KFOR 1240 AM), I hosted two of my favorite people: Elizabeth and Ardith, owners of Licorice International (a.k.a. “The Licorice Ladies.”). As always, I learned so much about licorice and the other wonderful products they sell at their retail store located at 803 Q Street and online at http://www.licoriceinternational.com/

Here are the top ten things I learned:

1. Glacia Ice Box Water from Norway is amazing. The taste is incredible--natural spring water from the arctic glaciers of Norway. The best thing is that the package is 97 percent biodegradable (even the lettering is made out of vegetable dye), and the unique cardboard carton means no harmful chemicals from the plastic.  It’s available at the Licorice International retail store for a very reasonable price. (Elizabeth and Ardith discovered Ice Box water at the Fancy Food Show they attended in New York this summer.)

Glacia Ice Box Water.

2. When Elizabeth and Ardith first bought the licorice business in 2002, they thought they were doing great with a little over 40 different types of licorice.  Now they offer 160 varieties, and they realize there are so many more kinds they could carry. The best thing I like about the Licorice International Store is that you can stop in and sample their products. If you like sweet or salty or bitter licorice, have a taste before you buy it.

American Twists Sampler

3. A great fall treat is the American Twists Sampler, made of Kenny’s Licorice Twists in root beer, cinnamon, orange, and chocolate flavors. The colors remind me of fall leaves, and the sampler would look great on a table.

4. Because real licorice has the potential to raise blood pressure, anyone with high blood pressure should be careful not to eat too much. However, anise (which has a similar flavor) is perfectly safe for people with high blood pressure. Licorice International sells both real licorice and anise candies.

Jelly Squares

5. Licorice International has just started selling these great little jelly squares in black, anise and assorted fruit flavors at their retail store. These have a wonderful mouth feel and flavor profile and are gourmet quality. A package would make a nice, tasteful little hostess gift or “thinking of you” gift. I could also visualize serving these with a cup of espresso.

6. This fall, Licorice International again plans to sell chocolate covered licorice, both online and at their retail store. Yum!

7. Petite Deceit Sugar Free candies are delightful, both to taste and to look at. These pastel colored candies are individually wrapped, only 2 calories each, and come in six flavors: blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, pear, tart lemon and orange. These would be great to put out in a bowl.

8. Licorice International has recently expanded their line of French drops in cute little tins. These little mints are made of coated anise seeds and take 15 days to make. The tins are reusable, and at only $4.00 each, they make wonderful gifts. They now come in rose, orange blossom, mint, violet, licorice and anise flavors.

9. At the Fancy Food Show, Elizabeth and Ardith also discovered the best chocolate covered pretzels, and they plan to carry them for Christmas.  They were surprised and pleased to learn that the pretzels are made by the same place that makes their Irish Potatoes, a popular treat for St. Patrick’s Day.

10. American licorices are more like candy and don't usually have as high of percentage of licorice in the black ones. They also tend to be harder in texture. However, the European licorices are more gourmet, usually contain more licorice and have an excellent mouth feel.