We Put Coke “No Sugar” to the Test

Coca-Cola has been around since 1886 and have been producing classics from day one. Coca-Cola basically  invented Santa Claus in some ways, expanded their line up to include a variety of flavours and expanded from Cola into a whole range of other products including Fanta, Sprite and even water.

The Coca-Cola product range though has gone through various changes as they now compete for the health conscious consumer. Diet Coke had been around for a long time, followed by the addition of Coke Zero, yet neither actually provided the same taste as the real thing. A can of Coke on ice is a personal favourite followed by Coke from a glass bottle.

Coca-Cola have announced a replacement to Coke Zero which has a very similar label to the original but with a black belt across the topic very clearly highlighting “No Sugar”. Looking at the label, it’s true, zero. We did note the 950 and 951 sweeteners. We’ve seen this in Pepsi Max and Schweppes Low Sugar Lemonade for example. It’s a commonly used sweetener in sugar-free products. With that in mind, they are alkaline so it won’t impact your waistline like a beverage with sugar.

The taste test. As someone who doesn’t drink Coke everyday we want to be clear who is providing feedback here. Geoff prefers full strength Coke over any other variety or soft drink in general. We are comparing the new flavour to the original Coke, not comparing it with Diet or Zero varieties.

Verdict

I sampled the 250ml plastic bottle version, it looks like a normal 650ml but obviously much smaller making my biceps look huge. I enjoyed it over ice in a glass. On first pour the foam was a big factor, plenty of it. It’s a finer foam than normally seen in regular Coke and when you place your face over the glass you don’t develop the small tears in the eyes that we hoped for. Taking a sip yielded good results, a refreshing cola with better flavour than Coke Zero or Diet Coke for sure. We’d love to sample this from a glass bottle or a can next to see how it changes in those slight ways. Served over ice though, we were impressed. It’s a solid new addition. Is it going to fool me for regular Coke? Never. Is it a worthy alternative? Definitely. If you’re strict on the waistline and want to still hit a bit of the black fizz then this is the best option.

Our recommendation would be to kill off the Diet Coke and Coke Zero brands and offer the original and this new version. We’re surprised to hear the news that Woolworths wasn’t planning on stocking it, they’re really making a bad decision here, anyway – we enjoyed it and look forward to hearing your thoughts on it too.