#nugrape

It's amazing how our brains work.  Something as simple as a scent can instantly transport you back, say 20 years, to a specific place and time in your past.  For me, almost instantaneously after my first sip of NuGrape grape soda, I was taken back to simpler times at Pine Crest day camp, tennis camp, and another tennis camp at Coral Ridge Country Club, circa 1994.  I taste delicious purple-flavored candy juice, and I can smell the clay courts at Coral Ridge.  I feel the South Florida humidity, and I vaguely even remember the feeling of the tattered grip of my old tennis racket.  But before I wade too far into nostalgia, let's talk about NuGrape.  It was invented over 100 years ago, and has been sold in bottles since 1920.  They say it's almost exclusively available in only the Southeast USA, however mine came from a store in downtown Brooklyn.  The label design brings roller skating rinks to mind.  Made of HFCS, food coloring, artificial flavors, and a few other chemicals, it's not healthy by any means.  It tastes fantastic, like purple candy, though finishing a whole bottle of it too quickly will leave you feeling like you just consumed a bottle full of prepackaged stomach aches.  It's got a bit of a chemical aftertaste, but for the memories, it's worth it, at least once every 20 years.

Flavor:  3.5/5

Memory Induction Factor:  5/5

After Taste:  3/5

Today I tried the first of 5 sodas I recently purchased from Galco's Old World Grocery. (alternately known as the "Soda Pop Stop")

The brand was NuGrape  which claimed to have "A flavor you can't forget!"

In my unprofessional opinion, while it did go down smoother than most sodas without tasting flat, its flavor was comparable to other mainstream grape sodas. Still, I find it preferable to more readily available grape soda options, such as grape Crush or store brand varieties.