Hello Licorice fans, I am an enthusiast from Bosnia and Herzegovina!
The first time I ever tried licorice was on a berlin trip where i was offered to try the seaweed Klepper. That was 2 years ago and i have been chasing that same high ever since. In my country there is NO licourice and it took me SO long to finally find a website that ships to us for a reasonable price. I got so positively overwhelmed with the choices on this website that i stuck to what i knew and ordered everything from the K&K lineup! You know, as a 22nd birthday gift to myself :3
Without further a do here are my first impressions:
Overall K&K deliver on quality throughout, no 2 products taste the same and there is no outlier you could easily point at as the worst of the bunch. They're all strong, perfect amount of sweet (or salty) and have this wonderful rich brown color when you bite into them. They're much caramelly/softer than I expected them to be which leads me to believe the original klepper i tried in berlin was a tad bit older...I consider that a good sign, since it tells me that if I'm frugal with my Klepper they will still be as strong but develop this much harder chewier texture. They earn their title as one of the best in the world since each single piece is a conversation starter.
BAY LEAF:
I was the biggest skeptic when buying, since I've only ever seen bay leaf used in pickle jars and beans. I was so horribly wrong. These smell LOVELY, they taste absolutely romantic! they're have a rich full punch flavor that works extremely well. I have no notes! Theyre soft, very sweet, the bay leaf and licorice are harmonious!!! Absolute top 3 contender. My parents Loved this one too!
COFFEE:
I went in thinking this would be a nice salty / black coffee deal, but it was sweet instead. It smelled beautiful as i cut it in little thirds for my parents to try. The candy itself was sweet but the taste and aroma of the coffee was like a strong jet black morning brew without the bitterness. Its like you concentrated the smell of 10 coffee cups into one delicious (and somehow sweet & gentle???) flavor. As a coffee lover i enjoyed this one, but following bay leaf he had serious competition
SEAWEED:
what i consider THE K&K cult classic. If you want real slap in the face "here i am" licorice this is your best friend! This is their saltiest with a nice umami flavor throughout that kind of empowers the licorice to taste even stronger? (Like when professional chefs add a bit of black pepper to make the chocolate more chocolatey). She tastes a little wild/beachy/out there. Super unique but that uniqueness does not take away from her classiness. 10/10 there's no other way to describe this except TRY IT YOURSELF!
Sidenote she is pretty strong and i cut up 1/5th of a piece whenever i want some. I think these could seriously aid in helping smokers quit smoking (which is a big reason as to why i bought 2 bags of these)
HONEY:
At first, i really didn't like this one. It tasted quite waxy and had this smell/aftertaste that reminded me of my grandmas herbal soaps. It was a confident last place. Until i tried it again. Trick with this one is its better to suckle it than to go hard&fast on the chewing. Whatever that waxy honey flavor was, it dissolves nicely if you really sit with it and eat patiently. If you are mindful she treats you well. You can tell they do use real honey since you can taste 3-4 different lovely flower notes as it dissolves (as a beekeeper i know this since all my honey tastes like lavender). Its really nice nostalgic and peaceful. Maybe not my top pick but it is a specific craving only the honey licorice can give. Absolutely lovely hands down!
CLASSIC SALT:
I am extremely unfair to this guy. The Classic salty Klepper is AMAZING it does everything right. no notes no feedback no criticism. Its like a black t-shirt and jeans. You always look good in it! But the seaweed one has just that added dimension that outclasses the classic salty. Though Ill admit the seaweed isn't for everyone due to the umami flavor, so i can see the broader appeal this guy has. Unfortunately i just like seaweed too much to fully appreciate this one.
CLASSIC SWEET:
I expected this one to be a snooze fest considering the amount of other creative sweet licorice this company brought to the table. But hoo boyy was i wrong. this guy is an immediate top 2! If we are talking strong rich licorice flavor this cutie patootie is up there with the tough salties of the world! Its like you concentrated everything good about sweet licorice and put a neat little bow on top. Absolutely strong lovely sweet, its just what one might need when they are feeling sad. Pure unicorns and sparkles go into the recipe in this one.
That is it for my review. Lastly I just want to say thanks to Licorice Heaven for being a great and reliable webstore. I got everything delivered on time and even received a little gift. Love you guys! Cant wait to buy more when this stash runs out :3