There was something about this soda that made me go insane for it. I always sorta liked grape flavored drinks, regardless of what others may say. So it seemed like a perfect fit when they introduced the sequel to their popular Pitch Black beverage back in 2005. When I tried it, I was expecting something similar to the original Pitch Black and was rewarded with a blast of something distinctly sour. The sourness added in the drink set it so far apart from any other soda I ever had that it immediately earned itself a revered rating from me. I fell in love with it and wouldn't go a single day without having at least a taste of it.
Unfortunately, it was a limited time promotion only and sure enough, it began to disappear from store shelves almost as fast as New Coke. Pitch Black II was released for Halloween of 2005 and by the end of November, I was struggling to find a single can of it. I lucked out that, at the beginning of December, I found a 12-pack; the last one left, in a K-Mart nearby. I picked it up and very, very slowly drank the cans.
The last can I had that I remember drinking was a couple years back. By then, it had passed its "Best By" date, but it was still absolutely amazing. Imagine a virtually unsweetened version of a Warhead candy being dropped into Mt. Dew Pitch Black (currently available again) and you've basically got an idea of the flavor... Assuming you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on it when it was around.
Though I had written off ever seeing it in stores again, I was shocked when Pepsi Co. recently re-released Mt. Dew Pitch Black the original. It's pretty much exactly the same as the older version and I hope beyond hope that they will one day re-release the sequel. I'll have to take out mortgages left and right to keep myself well stocked for the next few decades, but it'll be worth it to crack one open at my 50th anniversary.
