Napoleon Echte Zwart Wit Kogel

What is this? When I checkd my blog today, I found nothing but a hazy picture of Oldtimers SZH at the lower right corner of the screen. No text, no links and no pictures. Yet another Blogger cock-up???

Technical problems aside, I have been happily munching my way through liqs in the last few days. After smileys, the next on my list were the above round sweets with genuine ZW powder at their centre. Again, I remember them being much bigger in my childhood.



Another surprise was the chocolate-ly taste of the candy. I think it goes extremely well with the earthyness of the sweetwood and even the ammonium chloride kick of the center. The only downside: You taste the ZW powder almost at once, so these are not suitable to offer to an unsuspecting friend as a treat and then crack up when they pull a face. I don't know, perhaps the company has been sued in the past??

8/10

Smile!

With that order came a whopping 1450 gram jar of liquorice smileys.

Awesome!

Popping one into my mouth was just like a home-coming—same great taste, although they have grown smaller and softer with time (or have I grown bigger and harder?).

Perhaps smileys are not that different from other soft, mild salty liquorice; perhaps if it wasn't for their size, their shape and childhood memories, they would not be right up there with the very best. But they are. Smileys rule!



10/10

Bounty!

Good things come to the one who waits.



It took Typical Dutch Stuff a little while, but today an enormous box arrived, packed full of goodies.

But what is that? A box of Belgian Truffels? Have they substituted some of my coveted liqs?

But no, it's merely a thank-you. And seeing that I already have all the liqs I could possibly desire, they've included a box of chocs.

My husband will thank them ;)

Still no liquorice...

...I'm twiddling my thunbs. Somewhere on their website, Typical Dutch Stuff say that they 'strive to post an order within 10 working days'. What do they want, a pat on the bag? Do they run a busines or what?

However, all is not lost. I discovered an old package of Muntdrop with about a dozen sweets left in it, hidden in a box of old papers. These have to be at least three years old, but they still taste!

Liquorice order

Ever since my backpack was stolen in Makassar, Sulawesi, on January 5th, the loss of my liquorice has affected me badly (Indonesia may have been a Dutch colony for 300 years, but they never took to liquorice. I hope the thieves taste it and gag on it!)

Back home, I soon exhausted my supplies. Eventually I had to give in and order 50 quid worth of treats from the extensive selection at Typical Dutch Stuff. Why them? Two reasons
a) They don't just sell wholesale quantities, so I can order a greater variety
b) They have PayPal

And this is what's coming my way:

1 Lakrisal Salmiak,
1 Venco Droppeppers Salty Shakers,
1 Venco Jubes,
1 Venco Salmiak Rondos,
1 Venco Zwartwitjes,
1 Trekdrop Salmiak small,
1 Old Timers Mild Salt,
1 Smilie Faced Licorice (1 kg! It didn't come in smaller quantities, but this old childhood favourite is a must-have),
1 Klene Waterwerken,
1 Zwart Wit Kogels (on the few occasions when the village chemist got a delivery of these, we thought Christmas had come early. We would climb over the wall of the boarding school and sneak off to the village for more. That was 28years ago and I haven't tasted these since—are they really that good? We shall see.)