Pirkka: Tulinen Pippuri (Sokeriton)

Before even taking a whiff of the Sokeriton (sugar free) Tulinen Pippuri from Pirkka, I was already pretty pleased with it. The rusty, just-dug-it-out-of-the-ground appearance screams don't eat me louder than any other salmiakki I've seen - which is precicely the message that should be emblazened on every bag sold.

Taking a whiff of the confectionary reminded me that things that look like they've been buried underground for longer than I've been alive don't have a pleasant smell. It's hard to describe how the tulinen pippuri smells, but I'd say it's about 37% cayenne pepper, 18% sweet, 13% sour, and 99% evil.

As soon as the Tulinen Pippuri met my tongue, I was filled with the all-to-familiar sensation of burning salt. I soldiered through this onslaught, using an occasional sip of water to combat the wretched taste. Fortunately, the pain quickly subsided, leaving a fairly normal piece of hard salty liquorice candy.

If it weren't for the rough beginnings, I'd consider rating this almost edible - but I'm going to stick with inedible. Which is exactly what it looks like.

Pirkka Salmiakki

There's nothing wrong with plain, ordinary, and run-of-the-mill, and in the world of Salmiakki, Pirkka seems to offer just that. There's no special packaging, special shapes, or special "features" like chili flavor. It looks a lot like the generic/store brand of candies that we have here in the states.

Cracking open the bag of liquorice revealed a bunch of penny-sized, diamond-shaped candies. They had a soft texture, but were a bit firmer than, say, a Twizzler.

When I popped one in my mouth, I was pleasantly surprised to experience a non-offensive liquorice taste. Chewing a few times reiterated the flavor, and my apprehension slowly turned to delight. Could it be... a piece of liquorice from Finland that wasn't awful!?

Alas, it was too good to be true. After about twenty seconds, a subtle, salty note started to appear and, within a few moments, completely take over. It quickly evolved into a deep "salt thirst," and I had no choice but to abort mission. The candy was spat out and I quenched my thirst with a full liter of water.

Although this was one of the more mild Salmiakki, the creeping salty sensation makes it almost edible.