My local Shop Rite grocery recently began stocking a new candy, called Gustaf's allsorts, billed as a "gourmet English licorice." (Or at least I think it's recent--I didn't notice it until recently at any rate, and I usually check for potential blog post fodder fairly diligently.) I was a little confused by the name--"Gustaf" sounded Scandinavian to me, and not English. (I checked on this, and most linguists do think the name is Swedish in origin. However, aside from Scandinavian nations it's also not uncommon in German-speaking countries, and The Netherlands and Belgium.) But, I figured that maybe Gustaf was a Norwegian ex-pat or something, who had set up shop in England and prospered as a candy monger. After I bought the candy and brought it back home, I figured a little online research would give me some background information.
Switching topics, I've mentioned this before, but I'll repeat it just the same--growing up I wasn't much of a licorice fan. I didn't hate it exactly, but neither did I seek it out. However, my opinion seems to be changing as I age. My experiences with Australian licorice (see my post on January 20, 2017) and Finnish licorice (see my July 1, 2017 post) were quite rewarding, so now I'm starting to think that maybe the Twizzlers and such that I had as a kid were just inferior forms of licorice, and/or I've developed a taste for licorice. Also, as an adult I've noticed an affinity for anise-flavored liquors, such as absinthe (see my post on October 18, 2015), Sambuca, and to a lesser extent aguardiente (see my recent January 9, 2021 post). Anise isn't actually related to licorice, but the flavors are rather similar. Anyway, I went into trying this particular kind of candy with more hope that I would have prior to about 2017 or so.
Unfortunately, my online research didn't grow any data fruit. I can tell you that Gustaf's is imported and distributed by the Gerrit J. Verburg Company, out of Michigan, in the U.S. Other products marketed by Verburg include various chocolates, gummy candies, lollipops, gums, and other kinds of licorice. Verburg's apparently started in 1979. Gustaf's is a puzzle, though. I couldn't find out anything about this company--all attempts just brought me to candy selling websites advertising Gustaf candies. I'm not even sure if Gustaf's is just a brand name, or a separate company. I can't even say where Gustaf's is headquartered--although several of their candies are called "Dutch," so maybe they are based out of somewhere in The Netherlands. But, the bag of licorice I have claims it's a product of the U.K.
I was able to learn a bit about what allsorts are, though. The name allsorts isn't a trademark of Gustaf's, but it is instead a type of candy. Or, more specifically, a type of candy mixture. Way back in 1899, a British company, Geo. Bassett & Co., made various candies. A sales rep, Charles Thompson, accidently dropped a tray of their licorice selections in front of a potential seller. When Thompson hastily picked up the candies the seller liked the resulting mixture. And it became a thing, a combination of various types of licorice--usually layered pieces, nonpareils, and coconut rolls. So other confectioners in other countries made their own versions of allsorts, but they usually refer to this as English licorice, due to the historic inciting incident.
Gustaf's allsorts, coconut roll: This was a pink circle, with a diameter of about 2 cm (about .75 inches), with a small black center. It had kind of a chalky, powdery texture. Definite coconut flavor. Quite good.
Gustaf's allsorts, blue nonpareil: (To explain, a nonpareil is a candy coated in tiny, sand grain-sized balls of sugar and starch.) This was a disc with a diameter of about 1.5 cm (about half an inch), with the tiny nonpareil coating, giving it a pebbled appearance. This had quite a strong licorice-y flavor, and a crunchy/chewy texture, if that's a thing. Also tasty.
Gustaf's allsorts, pink nonpareil: Same size, shape, and texture of the previous, only this one was a pink color. Tasted about the same too--didn't notice much of a distinction. So also good, with a strong licorice bite to it.
Gustaf's allsorts, white/black/pink layered piece: These were square, about 2 cm (about .75 inches) to a side, with the three layers stated above. Had a chewy, kind of powdery texture. More of a fruity taste. Good, but not as good as the three previous.
Gustaf's allsorts, white/black/yellow layered piece: Same size and shape as the previous, only with a yellow layer replacing the pink. Same texture, too. Kind of a fruity flavor, perhaps coconut? Decent, similar to the pink one.
Gustaf's allsorts, white/black/brown layered piece: Same shape, size, and texture as its kin. The brown layer was clearly chocolate, as that flavor was represented. And once again it was pretty good.
So, as you can see, my newfound appreciation for licorice candies continues, and I plan to buy this one again. If you'd like to read about the possible health problems associated with consuming too much licorice, once again consult my January 20, 2017 post about Australian licorice. I have one final trivial nugget to discuss. Verburg recently bought the rights to Black Jack gum, the first flavored gum in the U.S., dating back to 1884. Black Jack inventor Thomas Adams acquired the chicle (a naturally occurring gum produced by some trees) needed to make his gum from an unlikely source--ex general and former Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, in the 1850's. During a period of exile following Santa Anna's loss in the Texas War of Independence, Santa Anna sold chicle in the New York area as a rubber substitute. This didn't work out, but Adams decided to try it as a chewing gum, after learning that Mexicans had a history of doing this. Alas for Santa Anna, aside from the initial chicle sale he didn't ever see a cut of the eventual gum fortune.
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