Did You Try It? Absinthe & Black Salt Caramels

A new blog series, in which OC staff procures the wackiest, most buzzed about junk-slash-fad food on the global market, then conducts highly professional taste tests.

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Jonboy absinthe & Black Salt Caramels
Price: $8.99 at Jonboy Caramels
Quantity: 13-15 caramels in a 4-ounce box 
Origin: Seattle, WA
Color: Brown, like Mississippi Mud 
Smell: Strong anise 

Apologies to Brach's, but this ain't your Milk Maid Caramel. The licorice-and-caramel combo drew hesitation, but it was "surprisingly incredible," prompting a few reviewers to ask sweetly, "Can I have another?" "Small batch sounds yuppie," but these "brown-paper packages," inspired by Scandinavian black licorice, were "insanely delicious," like "stepping into a garden of wild fennel" with "a salty, fantastic kick." And while Washington-based Pacifique Absinthe is listed as an ingredient, "absinthe is nowhere near as good as this candy," leaving one enthusiast to wonder, "How many of these do I need to eat to get drunk?" (The answer is still out there.) 

Of course, fine candies are an acquired taste. "So much anise, so much anise," a staffer lamented. "Definitely tastes like that wack-ass black licorice from England," or, as a more refined, accurate palate put it, "ends on a definitively bitter note, but one I'd welcome again." 

 

Photo by Jessica Chou