Nosh Or Nah: SunnyD Goes Full Purple Stuff And More

Welcome back to Nosh or Nah, a column where The Takeout staff reviews the best, worst, and weirdest new snacks and drinks hitting store shelves near you.

Spring is here, and wildflowers are beginning to replace the drab gray of winter with pops of bright color. America's food and beverage manufacturers seem to be getting inspired by the change of season, as we've been noticing a surfeit of colorful limited-edition products hitting shelves lately.

In this edition of Nosh or Nah, almost everything is purple (okay, one drink is crimson, but that's close enough, right?). Dennis Lee sees if adding purple ube to King's Hawaiian Rolls can improve an already near-perfect product. Next, Laura Christine Allan tries to solve the mystery behind the "purple"-flavored SunnyD Vodka Seltzer — is it really just grape, despite the company's protestations to the contrary? And finally, Michael Palan gets over his fear of the spooky Diablo IV branding on the can so he can try Fanta's Crimson Sour Cherry flavor. Let us guide you through the colorful world of limited-edition grocery products so you can be sure which dye-laden treat is worth your dime.

King's Hawaiian recently released a limited-time flavor of its popular Hawaiian dinner rolls: ube coconut. Ube is a type of bright purple sweet potato popular in the Philippines that tastes like, well, sweet potato. And hopefully you all know what coconuts are at this point in your lives. Ube's been having a bit of an American pop culture moment, being featured mainly in baked goods or sweets that showcase its sweet and earthy flavor.

These rolls (which retail at around $5 for a 12-pack) have that signature King's Hawaiian sweetness, with maybe a bit of added sugar from the ube puree in its ingredient list. Surprisingly, ube's flavor barely makes an appearance, except for maybe in the aftertaste, where it's fairly subtle. The same goes for the coconut. That isn't to say this bread isn't delicious — it's sweet and more suited for breakfast or a treat rather than a side for dinner, and would be great toasted with some butter (they're enjoyable straight from the package, too). I'd hazard a guess that they'd make a pretty fun vehicle for an ice cream sandwich as well. King's Hawaiian roll fans will certainly enjoy these, but ube fans might not get the sweet potato flavor they're looking for. That makes them a "nosh," though not a particularly exciting one.

I'd like to be upfront about something — I really love sour cherry juice. It's not a juice you often find on shelves in America, but thanks to international stores here in NYC, I always have a carton in my fridge to scratch that itch. This makes me a perfect candidate to try Fanta's take on sour cherry. However, the can of Fanta Crimson Sour Cherry I bought was printed with the image of some armored guardian dude from the Xbox game Diablo IV who almost made me too intimidated to even open the can.

Once I got over my initial trepidation, all signs pointed to yes on this new soda. It had the right smell and a lively crimson color. One sip and I was an immediate fan. Subsequent tastes brought on even more waves of very cherry awesomeness. The flavor reminded me of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice crossed with cherry fruit punch from childhood. Ultimately, it was exactly what I wanted it to be — a bubbly sour cherry drink. I actually enjoyed this Fanta so much I ran through two cans of it within 20 minutes. Out of all the cherry sodas I've tried of late, from Coca-Cola Cherry Float to Mr. Pibb Thrillin' Vanilla, Fanta Crimson Sour Cherry was the best of the bunch — it's for sure a "nosh." Now how do we get this to become a permanent flavor so I don't have to keep importing my sour cherry juice from Turkey? At around $9 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans, the Fanta is a way better deal.

Nostalgia strikes again with this colorful and boozy product. In the 1990s, Sunny D had a commercial which briefly mentioned a jug of "purple stuff" in a fridge. Decades later, SunnyD revived this fabled beverage in alcoholic seltzer form. Ads for the 2026 drink refer to it as a "New legend born from mystery" and encourage consumers to decide for themselves what it tastes like. The brand said it would taste like "purple" as a distinct flavor.

Well, after one sip, I can confidently say that Sunny D tricked us, and this is just grape seltzer. True, it doesn't taste like real grape, but certainly tastes like artificial grape flavoring. Think of a Grape Jolly Rancher and Purple Kool-Aid combined, then throw in a slight floral aftertaste, and that's what this drink offers. In a way, I suppose that's still retro, as purple dye has its own distinct 1990s flavor profile. But I'd liken this more to grape cough syrup than anything magical or mysterious.

Besides the big let-down of the mystery "purple" taste, it's drinkable but really boring. There's a slightly pleasant fizz and a strong sweetness that overpowers any semblance of alcoholic bite, but I don't know that I'd ever call this "good." Don't give in to the nostalgia — this is a "nah" from me, especially at around $9 for a 4-pack.