'Soft-Eating'

Real meals are hard to come by when you’re going to be in the air and at airports for a combined 15 hours. I usually bring individually wrapped healthy snacks like Luna Bars or something, but there’s a point at which eating another “Nutz Over Chocolate” will become a self-fullfilling prophecy.

I was recently in Spain for a work event, and on my way home, one of my colleagues and traveling companions presented me with a bag of Black Opal Real Australian Soft Eating Raspberry Licorice, which, oddly enough, his wife had procured at a suburban Target. Usually I’m not one to jump at the opportunity to eat licorice, but I noticed the descriptor “soft eating,” and thought, “hey, I like Starburst and other so-called soft-eating candies,” and with that, I went for it. Also, I hadn’t previously been aware of the candy-making genius of the Australians, and I was curious.

Ultimately, I ate most of the bag. But the point is Black Opal makes one of the most delightful chewy candies on the market. These “rods”—industry term—of candy are so soft and rich with raspberry flavor that the licorice taste, which I don’t like, is rendered almost nonexistent. And for the health conscious among us, they’re kind of good for you: no animal products, very little fat, and some natural stuff.

After I ate the last piece, I stashed the bag in my carry-on so I could share this revelation with AC, who I knew would flip for the soft-eating licorice just as much as I did. How nice of my coworker to allow me to retain possession of a piece of his trash!

And if the product itself isn’t amazing enough, the packaging is first rate. I love it when companies write their big opus on the back of a bag or box. A choice selection from Black Opal is “Whether it’s koalas, crocs, kangaroos or the Great Barrier Reef, Australia is where adventure awaits! … Soft, smooth, and bursting with flavor, this licorice is sure to please even the most sophisticated palate.”

Finding the stuff in my neighborhood was impossible, and after downing 10 rods in just a few minutes on a transatlantic flight, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. As is typical, the employees at my local Target were clueless. So I resorted to the Internet—the perfect tool for weird imported goods.

The first thing I found was a $50 bag of five-inch rods. I gave more than a minute’s thought to actually buying this, but AC reasoned that perhaps a big bag wouldn’t stay as fresh and several small bags would serve us better. I agreed.

Ultimately, I came across Licorice International, a site run by a major licorice enthusiast based in the Midwest. The good people of LI not only sent my product to me superfast, but they also included some free samples of Kookaburra Licorice, another Australian licorice purveyor (who knew?). I brought some Black Opal to work to share with friends, one of whom is Australian, who remarked, "Cool—I would have no idea how to get my hands on this stuff here!" So in addition to some tasty candy, I scored some street cred as well. Time to get yours.

For your stash of soft-eating Australian licorice from Black Opal, follow this link.

—AKC