Licorice Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
The Good: Tastes quite good, Environmentally responsible bulk.
The Bad: Not terribly nutritious
The Basics: Good, but with little difference from other brands' licorice flavored jelly beans, Jelly Belly Licorice flavor is good, but not exceptional.
It seems one of the requirements to make jelly beans is that a company commits to the creation of a black, licorice jelly bean. At least, that is what I am left to figure given that Jelly Belly jelly beans, which usually have such original and incredible flavors as Buttered Popcorn (reviewed here!), has a pretty standard black licorice jelly bean in their arsenal. I mean, I'm not saying that Jelly Belly ought to have flouted the candy cartels just to be different, but there is something of an "everybody else is doing it, so why not us?" feel to the licorice Jelly Belly.
This is not to say they are not good; they are. But they are just as strong and wonderful as every other licorice flavored jelly bean in the world. Let's face is anise spice tastes pretty much the same, regardless of the medium!
Who needs ten pounds of Licorice flavored Jelly Belly's? Well, anyone who is planning a lot of 40th birthday parties for one! Sure, every jelly bean company (it seems) has a black licorice flavor, but why not stock up on one of the most flavorful beans, even if it is average for this company?
Basics
Licorice is a flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Jelly Belly jelly beans are approximately one half inch long by one quarter inch wide and they are roughly bean-shaped. These little candies are marketed to taste precisely like licorice and they do taste like what they are supposed to..
Licorice flavored Jelly Belly's are available in a wide array of quantities, but the largest quantity available is the ten pound bulk case. This is a decent-sized box with a plastic lining and while some might wonder why anyone would need a ten pound box, I say "Over The Hill bottles of jelly beans don't just fill themselves, now do they?!" The Licorice flavor is one that is good and not a bad one to have around for those who like licorice flavored things. A ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans, unless one really pigs out on them or has a lot of black color-schemed themed gifts to give out!
The Licorice Jelly Belly is easily differentiated from other Jelly Belly jelly beans by its black coloring. It is the ONLY black Jelly Belly.
Ease Of Preparation
These are jelly beans, not raising the dead without invoking debts to the Lords of the Underworld. Preparing them is as easy as opening the box and popping one (or several) into your mouth. In the case of the ten pound box, one might want to put them in a candy dish of some form as opposed to always going into the box. But then, it looks cool to reach into a case of these things; it might impress people to see you do that. Go ahead and eat 'em out of the box!
Taste
As with all of the best Jelly Belly flavors, the strength of Licorice flavored Jelly Bellys is that they taste like what they claim to, in this case licorice. This has a shell that is strongly flavored of the clove-like spice and anyone who likes black licorice will enjoy these jelly beans! Sadly, when a flavor is so distinctive as licorice, it either tastes like it is supposed to or it does not and when it does, there is very little to say on the taste. In this case, this Jelly Belly tastes like a strong black licorice and is chewy as opposed to stiff, which makes it nicer on the teeth than real licorice!
Nutrition
Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone looking to them for nutrition needs to remember that no amount of occult sacrifices will shed the pounds from improper diet. Jelly beans, even Jelly Belly jelly beans, are not a legitimate source of nutrition. These are a snack food, a dessert, and are in no way an adequate substitute for a real meal. A serving is listed at thirty-five beans, with each Jelly Belly jelly bean having approximately four calories. This means that in a single serving, there are 140 calories, which is 12% of your daily recommended intake.
The thing is, Jelly Belly jelly beans are not as bad as they could be in the nutrition area. They have no fat and no protein, but for those who have ever dated a Vegan, these are Vegan compliant because they contain no gelatin! They have only one percent of the daily sodium with 15 mg and they are gluten free! The main ingredients are sugar, corn syrup and modified food starch, so it's not like this is an all-natural food, but they could be far, far worse.
Storage/Clean-up
Jelly Belly jelly beans have a shelf life of approximately one year and I have yet to run across a stale Jelly Belly (though that could have something to do with a package never surviving a year around me . . .). They remain freshest when they are kept in an airtight container (the bag in the bulk box is sufficient if it is kept closed) and they ought to be kept in a lukewarm environment. Storing them in hot places or behind one's ear is likely to make the beans stick together and be gross (that's an understatement!). Kept in a cool, dry place, the beans retain their flavor perfectly.
As for cleanup, unless one allows the Jelly Belly to get hot to the point that the waxy coating on the bean melts, the dyes on these do not bleed or denature, so there is usually no cleanup necessary, not even washing one's hands after eating them (always wash your hands before eating Jelly Bellys, that's just common sense). I have never had Licorice Jelly Belly's stain anything and that might be a decent point that most licorice jelly beans lack. I've had other black jelly beans melt in my hands, but Jelly Belly licorice beans never have.
Overall
Licorice Jelly Belly jelly beans are one of the better flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, despite my "average" rating of them. This is what comes from having standards and I'm not as disappointed in Jelly Belly for having the same standard licorice flavor as every other confectioner; I'm just bummed they didn't manage to find a way to make it better!
For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Lemon Lime
A&W Cream Soda
Pink Grapefruit
6.5/10
For other food or drink reviews, please visit my index page!
© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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