Fizzy, wizzy let's get busy! (Tesco Diet Cola)

Member Name: bondgirlk8

Product:	Tesco Diet Cola
Date:	13/10/09 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low cost, very tasty

Disadvantages: If you are really stoopid, or hungover, you might mistake the package for Diet Coke

You may have noticed I've not been around much this year. This has been due to several things; a demanding new job and (much more importantly) I've been busy transforming from Miss BondgirlK8 to Mrs BondgirlK8. Yay! This is important to this review as, although wonderful and very much worth it, weddings do tend to leave you a little bit skint. As a result, married life has kicked off with us watching every penny....even more than usual, which is saying something for someone as tight as me.

So, we've been trying out the online shopping and the mysupermarket.co.uk method (note to self, must review that website one day) and it's amazing the amount we've saved by looking at the alternatives suggested and trying the brand-downshifts.

Now, one of my sneaky little pleasures is Diet Coke, mmm I love the stuff, and a can of it really helps me through a tough afternoon at work. We buy the big multi-packs (when on offer of course) as it is much cheaper to do this and pack one up with my lunch, rather than buy individual tins during my lunch break. At the end of this weeks online shop, one of the suggested switches is to go for Tesco Diet Cola instead. In a brave moment of insanity I yell 'do it, do it, SWITCH' at poor MrBongirlK8. He looks at me like I have completely lost all grip of reality (he doesn't drink the stuff but he knows of my addiction and it's levels - I won't even drink Pepsi for goodness sake...well, again, unless they are on irresistible offer or there are no alternatives). 'are...are you sure?' he hesitantly asks. He must be wondering where the real me is. 'You know how you feel about Pepsi?'. For a moment doubt flickers into my head, then I surprise myself by saying 'yes, I know, DO IT!'

So, let's see if it's any good....

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Packaging
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The packaging of this product is sneakily similar to that used by Diet Coke. The same silver tin with black and red writing is used, although the fonts, obviously, are not the same. Even the word 'Tesco' is written in lighter silver which is so similar to the main silver used that you have to really look to see it. It also features the top of a glass with ice filled with sloshing, fizzing, delicious looking cola. Mmmm, it makes my mouth watery.

As is the way of Tesco, they are very upfront about the nutritional content of any of their products and so the front of the can also informs me that I will receive 4 calories in return for the consumption of this can, along with 0.5g of sugar for me to burn off at my leisure. Fat, saturates and salt, thankfully, only make a minor appearance in this show and only a trace of each can be found in each can. This is all nicely reassuring (I still can't believe the difference in calories between diet and regular fizzy drinks, it's insane!)

The back of the can informs me that this product is not suitable for freezing...good to know, contains a section on allergy advice, a minor summary of what is in the tin (carbonated soft drink with no added sugar) and more comprehensive nutritional advice. It is definitely a much more information-heavy tin than those produced by the main players in the soft drinks markets, and no worse a product for it.

The 12-pack itself is pretty much just shrink wrap type stuff. Good to see there isn't TOO much packaging, and what there is I can recycle. This is the same silver, with black and red writing, the same design and fonts as the can.

*****
Price
*****
Sooooo much cheaper than the 'real' stuff! We were buying 24 cans of Diet Coke and instead switched to two twelve packs of Tesco Diet Cola and in doing so knocked around £2.80 off our shopping bill.

A pack of 12 cans as of today (13th October 2009) costs £2.31.

Just so you know, should you prefer the bottle format (more economical, I know, but only if you drink it before it goes flat or else false economy, no?), a 2 litre bottle is 47p. This is great, especially when you compare it to the £1.56 you would pay in the same supermarket for my usual brand. Even the current offer of 2 for £2.50 doesn't come close.

So, we've got a winner on price. But, as you well know, price isn't everything.

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Taste
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I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that this tastes just like Diet Coke. It doesn't. It's isn't one of those mad things that you swear is the same thing in a different outfit. It's not. It is its own unique little drink.

BUT.....I like it. I like it a LOT!

However, this may not have been my very first impression. The first can was not quite right. I popped it open, enjoying the fizzy little haze that escapes the can (stage two of the enjoyment, following stage one, removal of the frosty can from the fridge) and braced myself for a sip. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Perhaps Diet Coke? I don't know, anyway, it didn't taste the same, so it took this can for me to adjust. At some part way through this first can I decided the taste was more like a cola sweetie, such as cola flavoured millions, or the retro favourite the kola kube. This, actually, is just what it tastes like. Mmmm, yummy.

By the time I'd made it to can number three, I was craving the stuff - yippee! I had successfully replaced one addiction with a, slightly more cost effective, alternative addiction.

It is really very nice, but give it time. Give yourself a chance to appreciate its uniqueness and perhaps then you too will love it like I do.


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Would I buy it again?
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Of course! I like the taste, I'm inclined to say I love it even, and at a price like that who can refuse? I imagine I will be staying on this long after the short term needs for savings is gone.


Thanks for reading

© BondgirlK8 October 2009

Summary: It's great, give it a try. Twice. Once to try, again to love :)