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.
