National Licorice Day is April 12th!

My very first job (a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) was working in a candy store.  Sweet deal, I know.  It was there that my love for licorice developed…and where I discovered that it came in more than just the “red” flavor.  In preparation for National Licorice Day on April 12th, Red Vines has helped me rekindle my relationship with the sweet treat!

If National Licorice Day means I get to indulge in something delicious, then I’m all for it, and being the spirited candy enthusiast that I am, I’ve been celebrating this “holiday” a little early.  And a little bit every day for the past few days.  The Original Red Vines were the first to go, which was not unexpected, but I was surprised to find my favorite of the bunch was the little bag of Black Natural Vines.  Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that they made all natural licorice, but I’m delighted that they do.  I always prefer all natural versions of things, and these are particularly yummy.  They’re soft and chewy and have just the right amount of licorice flavor.  I’ve never thought of myself as a black licorice lover, but these are so good!  It didn’t take very long for me to eat them up.  Now they’re gone.  I miss them already.

In honor of National Licorice Day, I’m going to share with you some fun facts that, until now, I didn’t know about licorice:

1. More than 30,000 tons of Red Vines® are made each year—or more than 400,000 miles of licorice—enough to wrap around the Earth more than 16 times!  (Or enough to keep me busy for a weekend.)
2. In 2011, U.S. licorice sales topped $359 million, a 6.56 % increase from the year before. It is part of the non-chocolate candy market, which had total sales of $6.87 billion.
3. Black licorice is 50 times sweeter than sugar, and derives its botanical name from the Greek words meaning “sweet root.”
4. Celebrities love Red Vines! Ryan Gosling, Snoop Dogg, Joshua Jackson, Jennette McCurdy and Magic Johnson are all fans of the classic licorice brand. Betty White even credits them with keeping her 91 years young.  (I don’t know who a lot of those people are, but if Betty White is on board, so am I.)
5. American Licorice Company has been producing in the San Francisco Bay Area for 33 years, and its Union City, CA factory values process before automation: the old press that delivers the dough to the first floor is still there, and the second floor cook room has large kettles that fill the dough into the old large spiral ovens before being checked for quality and packaged. It also has production facilities in La Porte, IN.  (I wonder if they’re hiring.  If you’re listening, you should know that I will accept payment in the form of Black Natural Vines.)

Uh oh.  It looks like we have a new fan of Red Vines in my house.  I caught my little girl gobbling up a red twist when she thought Mommy wasn’t looking!  I guess I’ll be sharing them from now on. ☺

So, we’ve been loving the Original Red, the Black Licorice, and the Natural Vines in Strawberry and Black, but did you know they also come in Cherry and Grape flavors?  Just when you thought it couldn’t get yummier.  With which flavor of Red Vines do you want to celebrate National Licorice Day?

Red Vines provided the package of delicious licorice shown above for review purposes.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions in this post are mine.  Your opinions on licorice may differ, and if they do, then please send me your leftovers.