Gustaf's English Licorice Allsorts - 2.5 LB

I know there have been many reviews, hyper-critical about packaging and freshness. But I decided to try them and received my first order today. To begin with, the packaging was absolutely first rate…the product was bagged in air tight cellophane and then sealed in a heavy duty cardboard box. On trying the product, the taste was delicious and comparable to other Allsorts I’ve had. With regards to freshness, while the layered pieces were slightly firm to the bite, they tasted fresh and, for me, were totally acceptable (and not tooth-cracking hard as some have reported). The black licorice “logs” were very soft and chewy…which said to me that the candy was in fact freshly packaged and that the firmness of the layered pieces was more about the way they were manufactured/formulated in the first place. All in all, I am very pleased with the purchase and, if this is any indication, I will definitely be re-ordering again in the future.

These are so good and so varied — much different from American licorice. They are softer chewing and come with various shapes and flavorings, such a chocolate, lemon, coconut, vanilla. They’re very sweet however, so just a handful satisfied. They did seem to be a bit stale compared with a package of the same brand I bought in a gourmet shop.

But this is NOT rock candy; I've known & loved this licorice since the 1960's so that I know when it is fresh. The product is typically soft and can easily be crushed between the thumb and forefinger, not to mention easily chewed; what I received from this seller is 2 1/2 pounds of a rock hard (seemingly quite aged or improperly stored) product that I can't even dent with a thumbnail. I therefore consider it inedible and am not willing to risk breaking teeth or crowns in order to determine what it might taste like; since I don't have jaws as strong as that of a horse - perhaps the reader does and won't mind - but for me, it was a waste of money, not worth the additional effort to return.

Reading other reviews some people complained about old or hard product. I received my order yesterday and found the licorice pieces soft and delicious. No complaints. The packaging isn't very fancy, but it is a resealable bag so you don't have to eat the whole 2.5 lbs in one sitting....

I first tried this while on vacation at a Midwest tourist area. A relatively small store sold many kinds of candy including Gustaf’s Allsorts. I found the candy was a bit hard to chew but it had good licorice flavor. After getting back from vacation I decided to order more of this licorice and found it through Amazon. I bought a 2-1/2# package for less than I paid for an 8 oz container I had earlier. I ordered it and two days later I had my first taste of a moist, soft, fresh candy that took me back to my childhood. This was a very satisfying purchase that I will surely make again.

I got a weird hankering for this candy from my childhood, and that's about how long this looked like it was sitting on the shelf before I got it. I was almost afraid to try it, but braved it, and found out it tasted better than it looked. It was still not fresh, as you can tell by how much the licorice layers bleed into the sugar layers, but it was edible., and a bargain. Having said that, I'll not be getting it again. That pretty much cured my craving forever. It comes in a bag. I put it in a jar.

I have always loved Allsorts, but can't find them anymore in my local area stores, in a large town. So I ordered them from three mail order sources (two through Amazon, one not) on the same day. All three products are or will be identical and tasty. Although I haven't yet received or tasted one of the three, I am very familiar with the brand and product. This one was fresh when I received it, not stale as some have reported. But I opened it right away and moved the candy to an airtight container, which kept it fresh. And I received this order in the shortest time of the three, only two days after I ordered it. The best thing is that the price on this product was considerably lower than from the other two sources, at $3/pound less than one (non-Amazon), and $6.50/pound less than the other Amazon product. This will continue to be my source, as long as pricing and availability continues.

Despite being tasty, I'd still pooh-pooh these as American-style deviants rather than true British allsorts. Everyone knows that traditional English allsorts should be made up exclusively of the four-layer sandwiches in a variety of colors. This pack blasphemously uses zebra 4 layers only, mixed in with a mob of 3 layer sangers and even singles covered with hundreds and thousands. Thankfully, these licorice-flavored orphans are still pretty yum. Each color has it's own actual flavor and the use of coconut is a nice, if unexpected, touch. Apart from a 4 layer only version, I could handle a little more licorice intensity and less sweetness with my noglastia? This is hardly zoute drop licorice. Otherwise, it's not unlike the kind of candy you could make at home, if you had loads of time. I filled a glass jar, put it on the coffee table where it looks super pretty, then tried to avoid scoffing the lot. I may even buy again.