# Do you like the flavor of licorice?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 26, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071 "2025-12-26T14:42:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/21 "2025-12-26T17:15:21Z")
I voted Yuck, but it’s not licorice’s fault.
As a preschooler, I ate half a pound of black Twizzlers and then threw up. Turned out, I’d just come down with stomach flu, but didn’t realize that until after I convinced myself that I was allergic.
.
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#):
>
> My response may not be statistically useful, because I had an instinctive desire to contradict your hypothesis. Sorry.
Note to self: Don’t use Baal\* as a character reference.
\* Or any members of the Baal Movement…
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/22 "2025-12-26T17:19:23Z")
> [@digs](#):
>
> Or any members of the Baal Movement…
Do you rate the membership on the Bristol scale?
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### Author:  [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/23 "2025-12-26T17:22:46Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> dark chocolate, black coffee, and perhaps even less tendency to overindulge on sweets.
Any good chocolate is good. No specially affinity for dark. Coffee is usually taken black. Greatly prefer slightly sweet cakes and pastries to traditional American cakes w diabetes frosting.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/24 "2025-12-26T17:24:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I’m surprised with 32 votes in, it’s 2/3 pro licorice. I would have bet at least the other way around.
Me, too. But i think there’s a bias on message boards for people who like a thing to be more likely to click than people who dislike the thing. You might get different stars from the “polls only” thread.
What doesn’t surprise me is that not than 90% either love or hate it. It’s a strong and unusual flavor. Years ago, i got a local newspaper that had a “people poll” where they asked 6 random people on the mall some dumb question. (The real thing that the Onion version is based on.) Around Easter I’ve year, they asked people to name their favorite and least favorite jelly bean flavor. Every person mentioned black licorice. 😀
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/25 "2025-12-26T17:32:00Z")
I’m definitely in the ‘love it to like it a lot’ camp. At Easter when the kids were young I’d get all the black licorice jellybeans. The kids hated them and they were the only jellybean flavor I thought was worth eating.
When I was a kid my mom and Grandma liked a British candy called licorice allsorts. They were an odd combo of licorice and coconut. I really got to like them, too. Maybe I’ll order some…
[https://vasilows.com/product/licorice-allsorts-england/](https://vasilows.com/product/licorice-allsorts-england/)
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/26 "2025-12-26T17:42:28Z")
I like dark chocolate, I almost only drink coffee black (I’ll sometimes splash some milk or cream in it in the morning—never sugar), and I don’t have a tendency to overindulge in sweets. I can take or leave them (usually leave.)
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/27 "2025-12-26T17:44:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Me, too. But i think there’s a bias on message boards for people who like a thing to be more likely to click than people who dislike the thing. You might get different stars from the “polls only” thread.
I’d wager you are correct.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/28 "2025-12-26T17:54:23Z")
I like the anise flavor in cooking, like star anise or especially fennel, but not a fan of the candy.
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### Author:  [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/29 "2025-12-26T17:58:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Even better for me is Scandinavian salty licorice (salted with salmiak/ammonium chloride.) Literally no one (except for some people on this board) I know like it.
Some of my coworkers would bring some back from their travels. It wouldn’t last long as about ⅓ of the office couldn’t stop eating it.
Growing up, I always got the black jelly beans - neither of my parents like licorice.
And just to mess with assumptions, I do like dark chocolate and strong coffee. But I have a sweet tooth that will not quit.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/30 "2025-12-26T17:59:13Z")
Black Twizzlers and Nibs were one of the few candies my dad liked. So I assume it was likely learned behavior - if that was candy around the house, you learned to like it.
I try to limit my candy intake. Basically don’t let it into the house, because if we have it, my wife and I eat too much of it until it is gone. So it is simple to not buy licorice. But she has on occasion brought home some soft licorice - I think from Australia - which is quite good.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/31 "2025-12-26T18:01:00Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#):
>
> It wouldn’t last long as about ⅓ of the office couldn’t stop eating it.
IIRC (and I may be mixing you up with another poster in my middle age), you’re in Switzerland or Germany or somewhere there abouts? Salty licorice is particularly contrary to American tastes. Like herbal liqueurs, for instance. Much less enjoyed here, I’ve found, than Germany and Central Europe, at least, in my experience.
If you are in the US, then I’m quite surprised that even a third enjoys it.
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### Author:  [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/32 "2025-12-26T18:09:25Z")
I like Good N Plenty and the licorice NECCO wafers. I don’t think I have ever tried any of the hard core stuff.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/33 "2025-12-26T18:22:43Z")
Seems to be a correlation with me. I dislike anise, dark chocolate and like a little coffee in my cream and sugar. Generally not that much a fan of sweetness, even less after covid zapped my taste buds.
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### Author:  [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/34 "2025-12-26T18:34:02Z")
I think I am a bit of an outlier here at least with dark chocolate.
I love dark chocolate, must have creamer in coffee and hate licorice.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/35 "2025-12-26T18:43:23Z")
I despise licorice…but I love dark chocolate and drink my coffee with just a tiny splash of cream and no sugar. I can take or leave a lot of sweet stuff.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/36 "2025-12-26T18:47:42Z")
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I do like a good licorice. Around here, we can get soft Australian licorice. My partner occasionally obtains Dutch licorice, even the kind that’s salty (definitely an acquired taste). And we both like Ouzo over ice and cut with 1:1 water (she says that’s how the Greek folks drink it).
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/37 "2025-12-26T19:24:46Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I like the anise flavor in cooking, like star anise or especially fennel, but not a fan of the candy.
Exactly ditto (+ anise-oriented liqueurs). I have no explanation.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/38 "2025-12-26T19:29:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#):
> >
> > It wouldn’t last long as about ⅓ of the office couldn’t stop eating it.
>
> IIRC (and I may be mixing you up with another poster in my middle age), you’re in Switzerland or Germany or somewhere there abouts? Salty licorice is particularly contrary to American tastes. Like herbal liqueurs, for instance. Much less enjoyed here, I’ve found, than Germany and Central Europe, at least, in my experience.
>
> If you are in the US, then I’m quite surprised that even a third enjoys it.
I brought some neck from a trip to Finland, and took a tin to my office. Not only did no one like it, they threatened each other to make them eat it, and teased me about the horrible stuff i had impressed on them.
I don’t love salty licorice, but i enjoy a little bit here and there.
It’s not the same flavor as Malort, although that may include some ammonium chloride. I’ve had Malort cake, and it was indescribably awful.
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### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/39 "2025-12-26T19:31:30Z")
I interpret “real licorice” as the root of _Glycyrrhiza glabra_. In herb shops you can buy sticks of it to chew. They’re really sweet and they’ll do a number on your potassium balance/blood pressure.
Real licorice candy is made with the real root. The anise flavoring is another thing. The root doesn’t taste like anise. But yes, I like anise and fennel. I like fennel better.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-flavor-of-licorice/1026071/40 "2025-12-26T19:34:25Z")
The flavors are very similar. I’ve had licorice root, and I’ve had star anise and fresh fennel. Licorice root is a little more complex, but as similar to the others as real vanilla is to vanillin, and more similar than real wintergreen to artificial wintergreen. (Hot take, artificial wintergreen is better. The leaves of the real plant are very bitter.)
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