Panda Licorice: Soft Herb

Once again, we all need to thank the glorious nation of Finland for yet another Panda licorice product!

All right, this review can go one of two ways:

1. I could be tasteful and classy and mention how this version of Panda contains all natural, fat free goodness of the popular classic flavor (my own personal addiction), as do the fantastic cherry and raspberry versions. Additionally, the Soft Herb version contains extracts of 18 different herbs, specifically:

* Peppermint leaves
* Shop vervain wort
* Orange leaves
* Marsh mallow root
* Glycyrrhiza glabra
* Blackberry leaves
* Plantain herb
* Torch weed flowers
* Thyme leaves
* Lungworth leaves
* Elder flowers
* Milfoil flowers
* Iceland moss
* Sage leaves
* Star anise
* Mallow flowers
* Primrose flowers
* Red poppy flowers

OK, to be fair, I am not sure what many of those herbs are, either. But it sounds healthy (and sort of like things actual pandas probably eat)...

-OR-

2. I will over-use the word "dude" and make copious stoner and hippie references. If you have actually read this blog before, I think we all know which way this is headed...

Aaw, dude...there's like, herbs in my candy, man. Seriously! Like, herbs! Uuuuhhh...I like it when my munchies are all, y'know, healthy. (And again, Panda is my addiction of choice.)



Looking at the pieces of Soft Herb, I didn't notice any difference between this version and Panda's classic black licorice. The smell is almost the same as well, maybe not as strong, but the molasses notes that I love are still there.

Taste-wise I was wondering how all the herbs would, like, make sweet love to my mouth. (Wait, that sounded wrong.) Actually, it's an interesting effect. I think I was expecting something woodsy or savory. Instead, it is almost as if they took classic black Panda and mentholated it. At first it's weird. After all, menthol is not really a taste you expect outside of cough drops.



Even weirder is that it really grows on you. Part of it is the flavor. The menthol has that quasi-minty taste, and it pairs well with the molasses. The chew is the same -- soft, and a tad sticky. What's neat is that it also leaves your mouth feeling both warm and cool at the same time, if you can imagine such a thing. I still prefer the classic black flavor over all others, but I really liked this one. I guarantee it'll be real easy to Finnish the box. (Get it? Finnish? Aaaaww, dude...ever notice how herbs make everything, like, sooooo funny?)

Finally, since I am indeed a giver, I am going to make a suggestion to those of you who are ingesting herbs above and beyond those contained in this licorice: You need to groove like the old school stoners did -- you know, back in the days of yore when herbs were really herbs, man. So sit back in your favorite beanbag chair, fire up some patchouli incense, grab a box of Soft Herb Panda Licorice, and munch out while contemplating the hidden cosmic meanings in the song American Pie. (Like, it's really deep, man, it goes like, waaaayyy beyond like, the day the music died, and like, Buddy Holly dying, y'know, in that bummer of a plane crash and all...) In fact, I am so generous that I have even provided a link to the song...in Finnish, of course.



Dude...hyvää päivänjatkoa! (That means "Dude...have a nice day!") And I mean it sincerely, with love and flowers for all of you. I'm just sorry I couldn't find a Finnish cover of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
130 Calories per 15 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
All Natural. Kosher. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
internaturalfoods.com

Panda Licorice: Raspberry

All right, everyone salute the great nation of Finland! Any country that can produce something as wonderful as Panda Licorice can only be a force of good in the world. (Yes, I know that we can also thank Finland for Nokia, Linux, Marimekko, Finlandia cheese, and several tasty adult beverages. And yes, all of those things have their merits. I am fully aware of that. But we're talking about Panda Licorice here, people! Panda Licorice!!)

Anyway, I think my love of all things Panda Licorice has been well documented. But I am beginning to feel rather like Bill on Big Love...because much like Bill, I am torn between three loves. I love the regular black licorice (which I guess would be the Barb), and as much as I loved the Cherry (the Nicki), we now have flavor number three: Raspberry! (the Margene). Is it right or even possible to love all three the way I do?



In any event, I do!

The raspberry flavor is sweet and just a little tart. It has a juiciness to it and it tastes very natural. Lying just below the raspberry is the smooth molasses taste I love from classic black Panda. Part of what makes it so good is that it is just the fruit that shines through, since there are no artificial colors used there is no bitter "red" taste.

The texture is soft and just a little chewy (like all Panda licorice). This is one of those products that I love so much, I can't say enough good things about it. Just go get a pouch and thank me afterward.



And because this has become my other obsession -- while you're getting ready to go buy your own pouch, watch this video from Big Love's Bill Paxton's "rock star" days when he was part of a duo called "Martini Ranch." Video should be safe for work (just bikini babes), and was directed by James Cameron! Odd how neither Paxton nor Cameron brags about this...? Hmmmmmn...



(Yes, I know all songs featured on my Panda Licorice reviews are supposed to be in Finnish. But apparently no one has done a Finnish cover of "Reach" yet. C'mon, Finnish musicians, y'all need to step up to the plate!)



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
130 per 15 pieces (I would like to tell you I have that much self control).

ADDITIONAL INFO:
All natural, kosher, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, fat free. Awesome.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
InterNatural Foods.com for Panda's American importers. (Or panda.fi for the manufacturer -- it's only in Finnish, but it has some really cute Panda Flash animations.)

Panda Licorice: Cherry

Aah, yes...from the far northern splendor of Finland comes a new candy that is as luscious and yummy as a tropical sunset!

One item on the list of treats not often kept in my house is Panda Licorice. Here's an embarrassing but true fact: I have been known to finish an entire box...all by myself...in one day. Yes, I know how shameful that is. And guess what? I DO NOT CARE! It's totally worth it! Anyway, the makers of Panda were kind enough to ask me if I would like to review their new Cherry Panda. As if there was any chance I was going to say no?

Cherry Panda, along with my beloved classic black Panda, now comes in some new packaging. You can get it in boxes, in resealable pouches, and in individual bars. (We used the box for this review because it photographed the best.)



Each little chew is an extruded tube whose cross section vaguely resembles a dried lotus flower. The shape of Panda always reminds me of something that might have come out of a Play-Doh Fun Factory. (Hey, back in the day you were the coolest if you had a Fun Factory.)

The smell is vaguely spicy. I almost wouldn't call it cherry -- but it is definitely fruity. The texture is the soft, yet slightly sticky chew that I love about Panda.

But it's really all about the cherry flavor. I was wondering how the cherry was going to be pulled off. I feared that it would be either akin to cheap cherry cough medicine, or maybe like one of those cherry flavored "juices" that are mass-marketed for kids. Or worse yet, some unholy six-fingered, cyclops love child of the two.

But somehow, magically, Panda manages to avoid either. Have you ever had a black cherry that, while ripe, was just this close to being a little too bitter? That's the flavor that Panda has harnessed. It's juicy and sweet, but there is just enough tartness to keep it interesting.



Once the cherry taste wanes a bit, you start to notice the molasses flavor of classic Panda. I absolutely love this flavor. True fact (again): I ate half the box over the course of the night. Not only that, but the Significant Other had some and liked it -- and he hates licorice. It is just that good.

If you need any incentive beyond just taste, the chews are also:

- Fat Free
- Preservative Free
- Artificial Flavor Free
- Kosher

And it has that adorable panda as a mascot. What's not to love? You need to get some of this as quickly as possible, lean back in your favorite comfy chair, and munch out while listening to some classic Ramones songs...in Finnish, of course.



Hyvää ruokahalua! (That's Finnish for "bon appétit," because, y'know, I'm like all sophisticated 'n' stuff.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company