Similar to the intense dislike felt by some for Cilantro, Pearl Jam, or Jerk drivers that cut in line, licorice is in my humble opinion: "the antithesis of candy." I understand that some like it, and taste is subjective, so this post is not about the gag inducing flavor of licorice, but rather Trader Joe's "Gourmet Jelly Beans" rendition; because at some point in these jelly beans' genesis story, actual Trader Joe's employees sat around a table, and decided to make the colors of Grape and Licorice so close that only a taste test or retina searing harsh light could help divine one from the other. The colors are so close that discerning between the two feels like taking a Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test, or chancing it and playing Licorice Jelly Bean Russian roulette.
The reverse side of the box screams in all caps "PRODUCT OF IRELAND", so perhaps the Irish use something other than black as their universal color of licorice?
Nope, a quick consultation with the Oracle at Google yielded Oatfield Liquorice Toffee, as the only Irish licorice found on page 1 of the search results, and it's black as Dead Mike's "I'm Black, Y'all!" from CB4:
It's sad, because the first taste of these "Gourmet Jelly Beans" had me quoting Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction, but alas I'm too risk averse to play culinary chicken with jelly beans of all things, and will have to give these a solid pass.
"Mmmm. God damn Jimmy, this some serious gourmet shit!"
Jules Winfield – Pulp Fiction
