i think that the red licorice is easier to gorge on. I remember destroying a small pack of twizzlers like nobody's business back in the day. The amount of sugar in these is pretty insane and you are correct, there is nothing licorice about them.

As I got older I started to prefer black licorice, especially the salty ones from Europe. This are far more natural and are still bad for you but much less so than the entirely processed confectionery.

I suppose it is a matter of taste. Nice tags... haha