Background:

When I was a child it was always a treat to visit my Grandmother, especially as this was the only time we got to drink Blackcurrant Ribena. I can remember then considering it a superb drink and fabulous on those hot summer days. These days I but my Ribena whenever I can, but more often when its on special offer.


Price and varieties:

When I was young the only Ribena available was Blackcurrant, but these days you can get it in Really light Blackcurrant and Strawberry. Plus as well as the traditional bottles they come in cartons and ready to drink smaller bottles too. It is made by GlaxoSmithKline Group of companies.

Currently the Really Light Blackcurrant Ribena costs £2.72 for a one-litre bottle or a special price of £4.50 for two. This product comes in various sizes too, a two litre, one litre, 600ml, 50ml and 330ml bottles.

About the product:

Well the product from the outside has changed. When I was a child the bottles of Ribena where made of glass. However these days the bottles are plastic and 100% recycled, this is clearly good for the environment. What I have also noticed when I was younger the bottles were often very sticky as the Blackcurrant used to stick to the glass and everything else it could, now with the plastic the bottles seem easier to handle and not so messy.

My Really Light Ribena is a 1 Litre plastic bottle. It has no the front the same design label that it always has. Depicting its name, some blackcurrant and proudly stating that it has no added sugar and is rich in Vitamin C.

While on the rear of the label there is a lot of information about re-cycling, nutritional advice and what each suggested serving gives you. The product on the shelves of the Supermarket is very easy to identify and it looks effective with its design.

Taste:

The bottle has a screw plastic list that is easy to remove. But when you first take the top off, you also have to remove the plastic ring pull inside the bottle to pour the Ribena. As soon as I had done this I could smell the sweet smell of Blackcurrants, I must admit the smell always takes me back to my childhood.

Then I poured some of the dark purple liquid into a glass. It is recommended to use 1 part Ribena to 4 parts water. This Ribena for me is not as thick as the traditional variety but with all its Health advantages of no sugar and all that Vitamin C I'm not complaining. I also discovered it was not messy and sticky and pours quite slowly so your children do not end up slurping it everywhere.

When I first tried this light Ribena I was disappointed, yes it tastes primarily of blackcurrants but for me it lacked the really thick deep blackcurrant taste I associate with the traditional type. It was also less thick in consistency and weaker in taste, to me it tasted like a more refined drink that is good for you but lacks the real quality taste of traditional Ribena drink/

For me too much had been taken out from the original blackcurrant solution. Don't get me wrong this is still a pleasant drink and certainly quite refreshing especially when served from the fridge, with the quality blackcurrant taste. The main difference for me it did not make my taste buds water.

However when I look at the advantages other than taste this has I find it hard not to complete appreciate it. With it having no added sugar you have a more natural product that is friendlier to teeth. There are also no artificial colours in this bottle and it contains real fruit juice. It is also a powerful Antioxidant.

I think to fully demonstrate what a good product for us this is the details of what a typical 250ml diluted serving contains:

Calories: 10
Sugar: 1.3g
Fat: Nil
Saturates: Nil
Salt: Trace
Vitamin C 167% of our Recommended Daily Allowance


While I do not think the taste of the Really Light Blackcurrant Ribena is as sweet, thick and sharp as the traditional Blackcurrant Ribena, it still has a very pleasing smell and a taste that's pleasant rather than delicious. It is better for than most squash's because the sugar content is so low and the Vitamin C content is so high. Really a drink I think you should encourage the kids to try and hopefully enjoy.

Ribena what ever its size, shape or flavour is never going to be a cheap option. It is quite a bit more expensive than its competitors, so you need to weigh up for yourself the benefits against the cost. For me it makes a nice change but I would not purchase it all the time.


Conclusion:

This was not the taste sensation I was hoping for. It had a good blackcurrant taste to it, but for me lacked the depth and thickness in taste that Original Blackcurrant Ribena has. A pleasant taste especially when chilled that provides a rich source of Vitamin C and is good for your teeth. I will probably purchase this again but only when I fancy a change from other soft drinks.


For more information about Ribena products go to: www.ribena.co.uk

Thank you for reading my review.

@CPTDANIELS October 2009.