COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
So, I’ve always hated grapefruit. My dad would pour sugar on it and eat it with a spoon for breakfast when I was kid, but I could never get into it. It was always too bitter for me. Thus, I was skeptical when I had Grapefruit and Chill for the first time about a year ago, but it opened up my mind to the possibility of giving grapefruit a second chance. I have to say right off the bat, though, that Downeast has not only opened up my mind, but made me reconsider my relationship to the fruit. At the very least this cider is excellent, and I’d be glad to have it any day, not just when I am in a sour mood. This could easily be an everyday drinker. Grapefruit and Chill is still great. It is much more pungent smelling and you can really smell the sour grapefruit in it. It is both sweeter and tarter, shading into sour. This drink has you licking your lips and sucking your tongue without being uncomfortable. You can still chill with it, but you gotta like a bit of that sour, almost bitter flavor of grapefruit. Downeast on the other hand looks more inviting and it has a juicier, rounder, nose. The flavor feels more natural and is just a little sweet and tart. It is fuller bodied and hits on the lips and tongue just right.
I heartily recommend both, but unless you’re just out with a sour vendetta and really want your grapefruit front and center and have it steal the show from the apple, Downeast is just more balanced and has a rich, fresh, apple flavor taste that is supported by the tartness of the grapefruit. It is great and the purity of the unfiltered genuine flavor wins again.