A Taste Of The Grape

One of my absolute favourite Sodas when I was a kid was Nehi. Grape, Peach and any of the other flavours would almost certainly be my choice on a hot Southern summer day, especially the Grape Nehi. Man, I can still remember the artificial grape flavour, the citric acid bite that was enhanced by the carbonation. All encased in that thick, ridged bottle with the Nehi Logo, dripping with condensation on a muggy day. I still remember dipping my hand into an ice and water filled cooler in my Uncle Eugene's store in Collinsville, Mississippi during summer visits.

Unfortunately, the Nehi we get now is not one which will inspire such memories in folks who indulge themselves. Somewhere amidst all the buyouts, mergers and reformulations Grape Nehi has lost almost everything that once made it a favourite. Nehi is still made by the Royal Crown Company, (under the supervision of Dr. Pepper/7-Up) but, it is painfully obvious that the new owners of RC, (Cadbury/Schweppes) have allowed a once good drink to deteriorate to swill.

There's no tangy Grape bite, the carbonation does nothing to enhance the flavour and, as with most drinks the HFCS brings nothing to the table in terms of flavourful sweetness. Even the colour is lighter than it should be, especially in comparison to other Grape Sodas such as Crush. It's a sad day in Soda Land, folks....another great has bitten the dust.

What's in Grape Nehi now?

Carbonated Water
High Fructose Corn Syrup And/Or Sugar
Artificial Flavor
Phosphoric And Citric Acid
Potasium Benzoate
Red 40
Blue 1

It's way past time that RC went back into their recipe files and pulled the originals out and started making Soda like they used to. Grape Nehi now is not half the Soda it was then.

Grape Nehi gets a 4/10


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Grape Nehi, Soda