Strawberry & Cola Licorice Sticks - LidlMost Lidl products are variations on name brands, I was able to suss out the Skittles, Croco's and Mousey dupes right away, but these? A quick google search reveals nothing. I mean we've seen plenty of licorice brands, and tons of strawberry flavored ones in particular, but cola is more rare and a combination of cola and strawberry? I had never seen it before. Maybe they're a truly new and unique-to-Lidl combination?
And what a combination is it, cola and strawberries? Not exactly peanut butter and jelly. I think it sounds awesome, but I am well aware that my tastes don't always align to the general public and what's popular. Still, I love cola flavored gummies, and strawberry licorice, so this must be the best of both worlds, right?
Inside the bag are little licorice logs with white centers in a cola-brown and strawberry-red. They smell kind of like a summer themed Bath and Body Works Candle, but this time I mean that in a good way. The combination takes on a boardwalk or state fair kind of vibe. (Also, why is licorice so many calories?)
Cola (brown): I think this my first time ever having a cola flavored licorice. The chew is dense, but a little waxy, the flavoring is a bit lemon-heavy, but it's similar enough to the flat cola taste of Haribo's Cola Bottles that you can definitely tell what it's going for, and the center is gritty, sugary, and seems to be where the bulk of the lemon flavoring is coming from. All in all, it's pretty decent. I wish the chew were a bit more flavorful, more like Australian licorice, but it's still very yummy and I haven't had anything that tastes quite like it.
Strawberry (red): On the other hand, I have had a LOT of strawberry flavored licorice, my favorite being Darrell Lea's Australian Soft Eating Licorice. Sadly, this is no Darrell Lea. The strawberry flavoring is rather weak, waxy, and reminds me of a strawberry Twizzler themed chapstick I bought at Claire's in the mall back in the early 2000's. It's sweet, fruity, but not in an authentically strawberry way, more like a strawberry flavored cotton candy. Again, the chew is waxy, the outer portion breaks apart and crumbles away revealing the sugary, almost marshmallow-like, gritty center with a slight lemon flavoring. It's not as unique as the cola, but it's snackable. Still, with each strawberry piece I find myself wishing I had a bag of Darrell Lea instead.
Combined, these kind of ruin one another. The cosmetic strawberry outshines and fun cola flavoring, so unlike other sweets, I think these are best enjoyed solo. Not combined.
These aren't perfect, or gourmet, but I did end up finishing the bag without any problems, AND I found myself craving more. Which is the true testament of a good product.
I found the combination of strawberry and cola to be a really fun one, and I would definitely buy these again. As long as you don't go in expecting a premium licorice product, I think you'll enjoy these too.
Fans of these would also like: Crocos and Magic Mouse, Lidl Version of Skittles (Sweet and Sour), Aldi Strawberry Soft Eating Licorice, Darrell Lea Mango, Green Apple, and Strawberry
What kind of gelatin in it ?
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