I've tried these once in a while for the past few years. I saw a box today and figured...ok...I'll give them one more chance. Never again.

First of all...the flavor. Even at its best, there's not much to be said for it. Sweetness, with some tartness and maybe just a bit of labrusca 'foxiness'. (which I'm fine with - I love 'Jupiter' Grapes and Jostaberries, which might even have a flavor more feral than foxes!) But it's rarely at its best or anywhere near it. I can't think of a fruit that naturally has so many weird, chemical seeming off flavors, either at once or differing within one box. The basic off flavor to me is rubbery. Once in a while if you're lucky, you get one that is less rubbery. But sometimes it is worse, like gasoline. And I just hit one that almost tasted like bleach! Awful. I'd rather hit a bitter almond that accidentally landed in a bag of marcona almonds. (if you've had this happen, you'll know what I'm talking about)

As for the rest of my issues: the skins are thick and kind of gross to chew. Astringent I think, which technically is a flavor, but a mouthfeel. The seeds are very hard to separate from the pulp, so, if you hit one, and you're going to...guess what...you get another disgusting flavor in your mouth! Even the pulp has a weird slimy mouthfeel compared to grape pulp.

Am I just getting bad ones or something? Most of the boxes have come from what I believe is the largest national producer of them. This box of bronze muscadines came from a vineyard in Georgia.

Like in everything Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and taste in the mouth of the consumer. I like muscadines from the wild blacks to the newest improved whites. But it is ok if they do not suit your palate. Not all of us like the same flavors and textures. Just go with what appeals to you and ignore those which do not appeal to you.

I wonder about the box of muscadines you purchased. There is a lot of variation between the different muscadines in sweetness, tartness and flavor, but I have never had one that had just a 'hint' of foxiness; they have all been very foxy or dare I say musky? Chlorine has never been a flavor detected by me in my various vines, so again I wonder about the box of muscadines you purchased.

Before the realization that the skins were just loaded with antioxidants, most people would use the bite, suck, spit method of eating. Bite off one end, suck out the pulp then spit out the seeds. You lose a lot of bitterness and for many, the unpleasant skin.

As farmerdill mentioned, the taste might not be for some; like cilantro. But as the main grape of the Deep South, millions of folks grew up with fresh muscadines picked when exactly ripe, muscadine jelly spread across a buttermilk biscuit, and my favorite, sweet muscadine wine sitting on the porch as the sun goes down. Perhaps the social experience surrounding my consumption has led to an appreciation of the different flavors.