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Ribena / Blackcurrant Juice Tasting Like Old Socks

OneWingedBird

OneWingedBird

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Today a colleague at work was mentioning finding an old sweaty jumper that smelt bad and she said it reminded her of blackcurrent juice.

This surprised me, because I've always found Ribena has an aftertaste of old socks for me, but just assumed that was just me... seems not.

Does anyone else find they also taste stale sweaty fabric in their blackvurrent juice?
 
No.
But then, I don't know what stale sweaty fabric tastes like.
 
Dunno, but as long as I can remember I've hated the taste of Ribena. Then couple of years ago I bought Techy some and decided to try it, and found it delicious. Puzzling.
 
It's similar to elderberry foliage & wood smelling like smelly old dogs - there is a background robust earthy scent to blackcurrants which you can discern if you smell beyond the fruity tang. Mangoes have a back taste/scent of something a little rancid behind the perfume & sweetness. All adds to the taste of different fruits?

Black truffles are almost a match for teenage boys changing rooms in terms of scent, it certainly adds 'something' to the rich taste.

Tomatoes just picked from a sunny spot, and the plants themselves, smell very 'male' - a bit sharp & sweaty!

Mind you, I've got a sensitive hooter. I used to almost retch when pruning/pulling out elderberry treelets. Yeuchhh.
 
I'm going to make myself some ribena now to see if i can detect that smell/taste :drink:
 
OneWingedBird said:
Today a colleague at work was mentioning finding an old sweaty jumper that smelt bad and she said it reminded her of blackcurrent juice.

This surprised me, because I've always found Ribena has an aftertaste of old socks for me, but just assumed that was just me... seems not.

Does anyone else find they also taste stale sweaty fabric in their blackvurrent juice?
Click to expand...

I think I know what you mean. Sometimes when I pour myself a glass, the taste can be quite "off" if I don't get the concentration and/or the water temperture right.
 
I like most fruit, but find blackcurrants too bitter most of the time, which presumably is why there's a ton of sweeteners in Ribena. Blueberries, now there's another matter.
 
I often find the smell of mint to be a bit like petrol. Anyone else or am I just nuts?
 
GNC said:
Blueberries, now there's another matter.
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My favourites, rarely seen now, even in those Krakus jars from Eastern Europe - which used to turn up quite often, are bilberries, the smaller, tastier relative of the blueberry.

The bilberry tarts my mother bought from a particular confectioner were a special treat we saw on occasional Fridays. The alternatives - apple? blackberry? - were a serious disappointment. :)
 
JamesWhitehead said:
My favourites, rarely seen now, even in those Krakus jars from Eastern Europe - which used to turn up quite often, are bilberries, the smaller, tastier relative of the blueberry.

The bilberry tarts my mother bought from a particular confectioner were a special treat we saw on occasional Fridays. The alternatives - apple? blackberry? - were a serious disappointment. :)
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My Gran, who was a Geordie, called them 'blaeberry' (blee berry).
 
Naughty_Felid said:
This is the sort of fearless Fortean rigour I'd like to see more of on this MB.

That bloke in the mine ran off screaming when he heard a women's voice. Did Cherrybomb display any trepidation in drinking Ribena?

Not on your nelly.
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:D:D I've had a horrible evening,you have just cheered me up. Thank you :glee:
 
The blackcurrent flowers smelling like cats piss are usually the early flowering variety grown only for the flowers.Blackberries picked after October 10th or 11th ish are said to have had the Devil pissed on them, and yes they do taste differently after that date.Maybe there is a date that blackcurrents are best picked before?.
 
[
Bullseye_v2_0 said:
The blackcurrent flowers smelling like cats piss are usually the early flowering variety grown only for the flowers.Blackberries picked after October 10th or 11th ish are said to have had the Devil pissed on them, and yes they do taste differently after that date.Maybe there is a date that blackcurrents are best picked before?.
Click to expand...

Could the variation in taste/smell/perception be due to the type of sweetener used? I dislike Ribena intensely, my husband likes the muck*. Some varieties are ranker than others
(I too under to the ordeal of Ribena in the interests of of board.) I will admit that the standard sugar variety is passable warmed with a shot of brandy.
* He is also convinced of the therapeutic power of OxO cubes in hot water.:eek:
 
Bullseye_v2_0 said:
The blackcurrent flowers smelling like cats piss are usually the early flowering variety grown only for the flowers.Blackberries picked after October 10th or 11th ish are said to have had the Devil pissed on them, and yes they do taste differently after that date.Maybe there is a date that blackcurrents are best picked before?.
Click to expand...


Blackberries taste bitter after the first frost, which is why the devil was said to have spat on them (on October 1st, IIRC). Winters seem to arrive later and with less of a shock these days, I was making wine with blackberries well into the second half of October last year and it tastes just great.

No idea about blackcurrants, but I remember as a kid in the 70s and 80s, drinking Ribena was seen as synonymous with having tooth decay or missing teeth. Maybe it was just my parents' way of putting us kids off it, but I'm sure I remember a Benny Hill sketch where he was drinking the stuff and at the end gave a toothless grin to camera (were they able to do stuff like that back then, or would the lawyers have jumped on them for suggesting such a thing?). Ribena "Toothkind" was shot down in flames a few years ago by a judge after being shown to be nothing of the sort.
 
LordRsmacker said:
Blackberries taste bitter after the first frost, which is why the devil was said to have spat on them (on October 1st, IIRC). Winters seem to arrive later and with less of a shock these days, I was making wine with blackberries well into the second half of October last year and it tastes just great.

No idea about blackcurrants, but I remember as a kid in the 70s and 80s, drinking Ribena was seen as synonymous with having tooth decay or missing teeth. Maybe it was just my parents' way of putting us kids off it, but I'm sure I remember a Benny Hill sketch where he was drinking the stuff and at the end gave a toothless grin to camera (were they able to do stuff like that back then, or would the lawyers have jumped on them for suggesting such a thing?). Ribena "Toothkind" was shot down in flames a few years ago by a judge after being shown to be nothing of the sort.
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You sparked a memory. Yes kids who drank too much Ribena did have rotten teeth in the late 70's :D Just as drinking barley water made you good at tennis.

great post thank you!
 
Oh my word, I had never realised that about the smell of Ribena until a couple of days ago. I bought some specially for a Family member with a cold, served it warm, and there was a smell! I didn't connect the two until now, but it was a weird smell I recognised, but not smelt often. Maybe the hot water has to be a certain temperature?
 
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