E – Salmiak

E – Salmiak by Lakrids by Bülow with white chocolate

E – Salmiak by Lakrids by Bülow is a salty liquorice core in white chocolate, dusted on the outside with salmiak. The boldest variety in the brand's alphabet, featuring the highest liquorice content of the entire chocolate range.

E – Salmiak is the strong liquorice by Lakrids by Bülow from Denmark. While the other letters work with a sweet core, this variety opts for salted liquorice, adding a layer of salmiak on the outside, just as it is known in Scandinavia from childhood.

First it stings, then it melts

The spheres are grey-black and matte, and this appearance alone promises more intensity than the rest of the range.

Salmiak hits the tongue differently than table salt, as it causes a puckering sensation and has an acidic, metallic quality—precisely what Scandinavians value about it. Beneath this, white chocolate waits as the only counterbalance, creamy and mild, with the salted liquorice at the core. Sharp, creamy, spicy—nothing here reconciles; everything competes.

Where the salmiak taste comes from

The name is misleading, as salmiak is ammonium chloride, making it a completely different compound from the table salt in your mill.

In Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, it has been a part of liquorice for generations and is used there as naturally as we use vanilla sugar in cake. This taste is hard to describe, but unmistakable the first time you try it. Once you like it, you like it forever, and if you don’t, you are better off sticking to the milder letters.

The strongest liquorice in the alphabet

No other letter in the range comes close to the liquorice content of this variety, and you notice that from the very first piece.

Liquorice root is up to fifty times sweeter than sugar, which is why even small amounts suffice. The true art of this sphere is that a variety with so much of it still tastes salty instead of sweet: the ammonium chloride stands its ground and reverses the impression.

The fact that it is specifically coated in white chocolate rather than dark follows the same logic. It brings primarily milk and sweetness to the table, keeping its own cocoa notes restrained enough not to clash with the salmiak. This makes it a calm counterbalance for anyone who didn't grow up in Copenhagen.

The liquorice root itself comes from the Mediterranean and Western Asia, where the plant grows as a shrub with long runners. It is harvested after several years in the ground, then washed, shredded, and boiled down until a dark extract remains.

At Lakrids, this tin is considered a litmus test, which is why it is more likely to be found on the evening table than in a bowl for visiting children. Try the first sphere on its own without coffee nearby, and you will see if it is to your taste.

This core is also bound with rice flour at Lakrids, keeping it gluten-free. Anise oil is also in the recipe, layering that familiar liquorice tone over the salt.

The salty note finds its match in a glass of aquavit or a bold beer. Things are significantly milder with D – Salt & Caramel, and at the very beginning of the alphabet is A – The Original.

Things are also salty with LEMON, though there it is combined with lemon. The rest of the range awaits at Lakrids by Bülow. For trying it out, there is the small size with 115 grams; if you are already a fan, opt for the regular size with 270 grams.