'I tried 5 supermarket Coca-Cola knock-offs and only 1 is the best'
In Zoe's household, this was a challenging one to review as her husband and eldest son are die-hard fans of original Coca-Cola and won't entertain the idea of drinking any non-branded versions. Zoe's youngest son and herself are more indifferent, it's not their first choice of beverage.
Given that original Coca-Cola is significantly pricier than supermarket own-brands, Zoe was keen to see if they could discover a less expensive alternative to include in their weekly shop. Perhaps even find one that might convert the two of them into cola fans. Zoe purchased bottles of coke from Asda, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, and Morrisons and compared them based on price, taste, ingredients and sugar content.
Interestingly, they all contained slightly different ingredients. One had no artificial sweeteners but considerably more sugar than the others, and another included aspartame, she reported to Birmingham Live.
Here's what Zoe discovered: Coca-ColaA 1.75 litre bottle of Coca-Cola costs £2.55 from Morrisons, which equates to 15p per 100ml. The iconic beverage was initially concocted in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886 as a "tonic for most common ailments".
Zoe said: "This bottle distinguished itself from the rest by being made with just five ingredients - carbonated water, sugar, colour (caramel E150d), acid (phosphoric acid) and natural flavourings including caffeine - compared to eight ingredients in most others.
"It was also the only one that didn't contain any artificial sweeteners. However, each glass contained a staggering 27g of sugar - nearly seven teaspoons!
"This is just shy of the NHS's recommended daily limit of 30g for adults. Not only that, but it also packed in 105 calories, more than double most other brands.
"Despite its refreshing taste and distinctive Coca-Cola flavour, we had to dock a star for its high sugar content, giving it four out of five stars."
Aldi's Vive ColaAldi's Vive Cola, priced at 49p for a two-litre bottle (that's 2p per 100ml), offers a significant saving on the original Coca-Cola.
It's made from carbonated water, sugar, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), acid (phosphoric acid), flavourings (including caffeine), sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame) and preservative (potassium sorbate).
Zoe explained: "Interestingly, this was the only bottle to contain the artificial sweetener aspartame. Each 250ml glass contains 50 calories and 12.3g of sugar.
"While Aldi is usually adept at creating products that mimic the taste of original brands, they missed the mark with their cola. It tasted more like cola bottle sweets than original Coca-Cola and left an unpleasant aftertaste.
"Interestingly, this is one of the few branded items that Aldi regularly stocks alongside its own version, suggesting that many people prefer the 'real thing'. We gave it a disappointing one out of five stars."
Morrisons' two-litre bottle costs 80p, equating to 4p per 100ml. The ingredients include carbonated water, sugar, barley malt extract, colour (plain caramel), acid (phosphoric acid), flavourings (contains caffeine), preservative (potassium sorbate), and sweeteners (acesulfame K, sucralose).
Each 250ml serving contains 50 calories and 12g of sugar - less than half the amount found in original Coca-Cola. Zoe continued: "The taste was quite good, not overly sweet and similar to the real thing. My son noted a difference in taste but still enjoyed it. We rated it four out of five stars."
Lidl's Freeway Cola is priced at 49p for a two-litre bottle, which works out to 2p per 100ml - matching Aldi's price.
It's made from carbonated water, sugar, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), acid (phosphoric acid), flavourings (contain caffeine), sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame K) and natural flavourings.
Each 250ml serving contains 45 calories and 11.3g of sugar - slightly less than the Aldi version. She said: "The taste was fairly pleasant. It didn't taste like original Coca-Cola but it was a refreshing enough drink. We gave it 3.5 out of five stars."
Tesco's Classic Cola costs 80p for a two-litre bottle, which works out to 4p per 100ml. One 250ml serving contains 44 calories and 11g of sugar - less than all the other brands.
Tesco's drinks experts, who have been crafting colas and fizzy beverages in the UK for over 25 years, have created a new drink using a "specially developed recipe for a classic taste".
The beverage is made from carbonated water, sugar, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), flavourings (contain caffeine), acid (phosphoric acid), sweeteners (acesulfame K, sucralose), and preservative (potassium sorbate).
Zoe added: "In my opinion, this tasted the most like original Coca-Cola but my family thought it had more of a Pepsi flavour. They're not fans of Pepsi so it wasn't a hit but, either way, it seemed the most authentic to one of the original brands. We gave it four out of five stars."
Asda's Classic Cola costs 60p for a two-litre bottle, which works out to 3p per 100ml. Each 250ml glass contains 47 calories and 11g of sugar - same amount of sugar as Tesco's but still more calories.
It's made from carbonated water, sugar, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), phosphoric acid, flavourings (contains caffeine), acidity regulator (sodium citrates) and sweeteners (acesulfame K and sucralose).
She explained: "This was really lacking in flavour, more like drinking brown fizzy water. It wasn't refreshing or thirst quenching so we gave it one out of five stars."
Overall verdict:Zoe said: "We tried this as a blind taste test and could clearly tell which was the original brand and which were copies. None of them quite achieved that distinctive Coca-Cola flavour.
"However, we were taken aback by the significantly higher sugar and calorie content in Coca-Cola compared to other brands.
"We concurred that Tesco's Classic Cola was the most invigorating of all supermarket own brands, making it an excellent substitute for the 'real thing' - and with considerably less sugar.
"Priced at 80p per bottle, as opposed to £2.55, it's £1.75 cheaper. If purchased on a weekly basis, this could result in an annual saving of £91, which is quite substantial."