I didn't want to like this, but I do! (Sainsbury's Basics Cider)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Sainsbury's Basics Cider
Date:	22/09/09 (79 review reads)
Rating:

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It might be getting into Autumn, but the weather here has still been really very hot - in fact, I honestly don't think I've seen any rain in over two weeks now . Now, hot weather demands cold drinks, and what better on a warm evening than an ice cold bottle of quality booze.

Sadly, my budget doesn't really stretch to quality booze at the moment - I recently had to replace my fridge freezer, which has left me a little tight, but on the plus side , if I buy some CHEAP booze , at least I have something to chill it in .

I've been doing a bit of an experimental supermarket swap after many reviews on Sainsburys basics products convinced me it might not be as expensive as i'd always assumed it to be . One of the products I happened to slip into my trolley was this cider .

The packaging isn't very exciting, a brown plastic (recyclable ) bottle with a brown twist off lid, and a very plain white and orange label, with a sketch of apples on it . Nothing too exciting, but ist does let me know that this cider is 4.2% and that a 2 litre bottle contains 8.4 units of alcohol, and is best served chilled!

Yay for shiny new fridge freezers . In went the bottle, and I left it there to chill for a couple of hours while I cooked my daughters dinner and put her into bed. Then, as I settled down to watch Holby City, I poured myself a glass .

The cider is very pale in colour - a very pale yellow- and is quite fizzy, although not so much that you get acres of annoying foam when you pour it out. I noticed that it smelt initially quite a lot like farts when I first opened the bottle - but this is something I find with most ciders when they are bottled , they just don't smell nice for those first few seconds, perhaps due to the way the gas builds up or something .

After a few seconds, I took another tentative sniff - this was much better - it smelt tangy, sharp, fruity , and yes, apple-y.

Taking a sip, it doesn't taste as fizzy as it looks . It's not flat by any means, but it's quite an easy drinker in terms of sparkle . It's quite crisp, and quite dry too, but very refreshing . It actually tastes nice , pleasantly apply, although not as fruity as some of the more expensive ciders .

I was actually really surprised it was so drinkable - at only £1.21 for 2 litres, I had extremely low hopes for this cider, and only purchased it so I could share the utter horror of it on Dooyoo . It's been so long since I've written a truly scathing review of a product, I'm always recommending stuff rather than warning people off stuff.

I was dissapointed not to find anything to moan about with this, apart from the really boring packaging . I can't even moan about that though - as it makes it stand out on the shelf so it will be easy to find if I want to buy it again . And I do!

It's very cheap, very drinkable, and not as weak as gnats wee . While I wont be taking it to any bring a bottle parties, I'll be perfectly happy quaffing a glass of this in front of the telly every now and then!

5 stars .

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