A licorice swirl (or block) is a blocker in Candy Crush Saga. This blocker is a bit unique in its characteristics–while it takes up space on the board, it has no color and cannot contain a candy. A licorice swirl, like a candy bomb, are moveable. This means you can switch a candy with a licorice swirl to make a move.
Even once you’ve cleared all the licorice from your board, more can fall from the top if you clear candies. In certain levels, only one or two will fall, in others, entire columns.
Licorice swirls are first introduced in level 81.
Licorice swirls are easy to clear by making moves adjacent to them.
However, they can absorb special candy effects. This means that if you formed a striped candy and activated it next to a licorice swirl, the swirl would clear but not the row. Essentially, they block most special candy combinations. The bonus is that a licorice swirl can prevent chocolate blockers from spreading.
Since a licorice swirl does not have a color, lining up three or more of them in a row does not clear them either. They can only be cleared by other candies.
There are two special candy combinations that can knock out licorice and not be absorbed in the process–a color bomb + color bomb and a wrapped candy + wrapped candy.