Katjes Little Harmonies. Harrrible Name.

Real, black salty sweet licorice meets soothing foamy marshmallow. Yin and Yang or train wreck?

Reviewed by Jonny

June 4, 2012

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Little harmonies?  Really?

 

Just look at mom on the cover, about to drink her Vitamin Water, listening to Florence & The Machine, picking up the kids from T-Ball.  Apparently she LOVES the inner peace that that a combination licorice/marchmallow candy can offer her.  It’s all she can do to get through her busy modern day-but along the way?  Oh, she’ll take a break or two: A Little Harmonies break!  And then she’s good to go, ready to face the world, chai latte in hand.

 

Just cut it out.  Don’t pretend, ok?  I KNOW Soccer Moms.  If ANY of them were ever eating licorice and smiling that way, I’d steal them away and take care of them somewhere.  I have plenty of licorice.  But they don’t, and they’re not.  They’re drinking yet another iced coffee or tea, and are on their way to pilates or the PTA or Whole Foods or to the Bikram yoga joint.  They’re not eating licorice.  Not here, not now.  Not ever.

 

In fact, licorice is probably the most polarizing candy I know of.  They’re like olives (which I think are one of the best things on the planet, but apparently most people disagree with that sentiment).   From my vast auditing, I’d say people are generally 80% “don’t like” and 20% licorice fans.  So this bag is gonna be a hard sell.

 

They are in fact shaped like Yin Yangs: one side is black slightly salty licorice, the other is a marshmallow foam.  I understand what they were going for here: a little relief from the intensity of the licorice, in the form of a smooth marshmallow.  Only thing is…I hate marshmallows.  I just don’t get them.   They’re fine in cocoa or on a ‘smore, but aside from those applications, I’m not interested.  I don’t like gummies with marshmallow bottoms, I don’t like flavored marshmallows, so I probably won’t like these too much.

 

 

However, here’s the catch: the licorice Katjes uses is wonderful.  It seems to be the exact same style as that used in their spicy and non spicy “Heringe” varieties: the ones shaped like fish.  True, deep licorice flavor, with a mild crunchy salt edge.  The licorice is semi-firm, and the flavor it absolutely top notch.  I’ve converted a few of the 80% to liking licorice with Katjes Heringe.  They’re amazing.  But these….these are just half as good as those, because that’s exactly what they are: half excellent licorice, half marshmallow.  While I liked them, I couldn’t help jonesing for the Heringe, the real deal, the hardcore stuff.

 

However, if you like licorice and marshmallows, then you need to get a bag of these.  World Market has them as a regular product, or you can buy from the link below.  Speaking of that link, I just stumbled on that store, and they have a flat $6.95 shipping rate regardless of how much stuff you buy.  They also have a ton of very hard to find candy.  Enjoy.

 

But back to the soccer moms.  I don’t want to hurt any feelings.  Trust me, I love moms.  And I love their yoga pants and new Nikes they wear, and even their Starbucks branded stainless steel coffee mugs.  I’m just not buying their love for licorice.  That’s for the hardcore.  The truly gangsta.  That’s right- the dads.  The Tai Kwon Do Dads.

 

Proper.

Zolli Candy

2 Comments

  1. Matty

    It’s true. soccer moms in the 70’s were drinking tab. In the 80’s diet coke. In the 90’s herbal teas, and in the oughts it’s water – from Nalgene (no longer) to the metal cannisters. No where in there has there ever been licorice. 

    Reply
  2. cybele

    One of the guys at the office thinks that left handed people are more inclined to like black licorice than right handed people. Any thoughts on that?

    Oh, and the best licorice marshmallows have to be griotten. Now you must go find it.

    Reply

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