I tried new recipe Lucozade and fans are RIGHT it does taste different – I’ll never buy my fave flavour again
LUCOZADE has recently made a big change to its recipe and fans are fuming about it.
I managed to bag the old-style stuff before it disappears for good with the intention of comparing it with the new recipe version to see if they were right to be in a fizz about it.
First concocted by Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter in 1927, Lucozade has been on the shelves since 1938.
But prior to the 1980s, when the drink was produced by Beecham's, it was most commonly stocked by chemists and sold as an energy drink for the sick.
I can't lie, Lucozade Original is my go-to if I'm feeling under the weather and works wonders in restoring your energy if you've had a tummy bug or the flu.
But it's also a delight after a night of heavy drinking and can really nip that hangover in the bud.
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I was shocked to learn that Suntory, the drink's current manufacturer and maker of Ribena, has made another major change to Lucozade Original and Orange drinks.
Fans of the drink were last left fuming back in 2017, when the brand halved the amount of sugar in its drinks to beat the government's sugar tax.
Lucozade Orange, which once had the most sugar compared to other soft drinks on the market, had its sugar content slashed from 13g to 4.5g - a whopping 65% reduction.
If I'm honest I wasn't that disheartened when this change came into force as the flavour was still to my liking.
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But this time, instead of cutting the drink's sugar content, Suntory has tweaked the sweeteners used in the drinks.
The new change is meant to give the drink a "more zingy" taste.
The amount of sugar in every bottle is unchanged however, the supplier has swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
The Orange and Original flavours are also starting to get a fresh pack design that reveals more of the liquid to shoppers.
And fans will still be able to get their hands on 380ml, 500ml and 900ml bottles.
Prices of the two drinks will also remain the same.
The change to one of Lucozade's recipes has left me bitterly disappointed.
How does new Lucozade compare?
I've always lept for Lucozade Original over the orange version.
And while you can't exactly describe the specific taste profile it's got a zingy and citric sweet kick which can't be replicated with other drinks.
But after trying the new recipe version which is sweetened with sucralose my view has entirely changed.
The new recipe Lucozade Original certainly has a "zingier" kick on the tongue but the flavour is different to the old one - and not in a way I like.
While both drinks are excessively sweet - the bitterness of the old Original Lucozade counteracts this well and you don't get an unpleasant aftertaste.
But the new recipe comes with a weird soapy aftertaste that doesn't sit well in the mouth.
Luckily I bought the remaining old stock of Lucozade Original from my local corner shop to keep my cravings in check for now.
I won't be rushing out again to buy the new recipe Lucozade Original that's for sure.
But it's not all bad news for Lucozade fans.
The new recipe Lucozade Orange is a winner in my view.
It's got more of a fizz and kick compared to the old recipe and with the new sweetener, the orange flavour tastes less diluted and artificial.
I never rushed to buy Lucozade Orange in the first place, as I always found the old flavour of the drink flat and overly artificial.
To me, the drink reminded me of highly watered-down cheap squash you'd get from a wholesaler.
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It also lacked the fizz I usually crave - so I was surprised that the latest change was such an improvement.
I'm upset about the changing taste of Lucozade Original but can rest easy knowing that I'll enjoy a glass of Lucozade Orange next time I'm under the weather.