Panda All Natural Licorice Bar, 1 1/8 Oz/32g (Pack of 36)

I've loved Panda licorice a long time. Here's why I think you might at least like it a lot if you try it as well:Panda licorice is made from good, basic ingredients. Molasses, wheat, flavors, colors. The flavors and colors are even things you would recognize to some degree, like juices and natural dyes.Panda licorice has a great texture and flavor. It's firm enough to have some bite, but not so hard it will wear out your jaw to eat it, and not so soft you'll just mush it around with your tongue. It's at a pretty perfect softness when purchased from a fresh batch, and if you buy the pieces in boxes (not the single-serving bars) you can open the seal and let the candy stale if you like it a little tougher. I do that sometimes when I'm slow to finish a package. The flavor is clean and strong.This black licorice is a nice balance of molasses, wheat, and licorice flavors. The molasses and wheat are a much better flavor to deliver licorice with than the plasticy/waxy flavors of wheat and corn syrups or other stabilizers. There's a lovely, simple strength to this black licorice that I have yet to find a better version of anywhere else.You can buy in boxes which have small cut pieces, but the problem there for me, is that I have trouble stopping. I'll eat until it's gone. These bars are a perfect single serving. At about 100 calories, they're not going to break your diet, but they're also not so tiny you feel like having another (well, not always).I've eaten a lot of licorice, in lots of styles and flavors, and for me, Panda is the clear winner by a large margin. It's the right balance of softness, sweetness, and balance of flavors. All of this while still using simple ingredients and being inexpensive as well.If you're on the fence, check a local shop. Often health food or international boutiques (or sometimes just sections at larger stores) will carry Panda products. You can try one for yourself and see how you like it.