{"id":2928,"date":"2025-12-22T17:13:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T17:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2928"},"modified":"2025-12-22T17:13:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T17:13:09","slug":"supermarket-own-brand-coke-hailed-as-good-as-real-thing-and-it-costs-just-49p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2928","title":{"rendered":"Supermarket own-brand Coke hailed \u2018as good as real thing\u2019 \u2014 and it costs just 49p"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Holidays are coming, and that means one thing\u2026 it\u2019s time to crack open an ice-cold can of\u00a0crispy Coke<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing quite like it, especially at this time of year\u2026 or is there?<\/p>\n

While for some, nothing will ever beat the taste of real\u00a0Coca-Cola<\/a>\u00a0at Christmas, we at\u00a0Metro\u00a0<\/strong>couldn\u2019t help but wonder how supermarket own-brand colas stack up against the OG.<\/p>\n

So we decided to put fizzy\u00a0drinks<\/a>\u00a0from the UK\u2019s biggest\u00a0supermarkets<\/a>\u00a0to the test to see if any of them were better than the branded version (which gets a 5\/5 rating from us).<\/p>\n

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Spoiler alert: None of them were found to be better, BUT one of them was deemed to be \u2018as good as the real thing\u2019 and what\u2019s more, it costs 80% less.<\/div>\n
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Is your interest piqued?<\/p>\n

Keep on reading to find out which own-brand\u00a0colas\u00a0<\/a>we loved and which can get in the bin, starting with the worst and ending with our favourite\u2026<\/p>\n

Aldi Vive, \u00a31.69 for 6-pack of 330ml cans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nothing compares to a cold can of Coke in the afternoon, and though\u00a0Aldi\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>version looks similar in terms of packaging and I found it to be drinkable, but I wouldn\u2019t be desperate to reach for it again at 3pm.<\/p>\n

It was quite fizzy to start with, but quickly went flat within the hour I\u2019d had it open. It tastes and smells much sweeter than regular Coke, so if you\u2019re after a quick sugary fix, it might be for you.<\/p>\n

Rating: 2\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Jess Hamilton, lifestyle reporter<\/em><\/p>\n

M&S Very Interesting Cola, \u00a34.50 for 4-pack of 275ml bottles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Marks & Spencer\u00a0<\/a>only sells full-fat own-brand Cola with Madagascan vanilla in it. It\u2019s not as interesting as the name suggests, in my opinion \u2013 just very, very sweet.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of cola bottle gummies, this is the drink for you, as it tastes exactly like them. It\u2019s not overly fizzy and didn\u2019t live up to actual Coke or its vanilla counterpart, which was a shame, as I had high hopes for this one.<\/p>\n

Rating: 2.5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer<\/em><\/p>\n

Tesco Classic Cola, 80p for 2L bottle or \u00a33.10 for 8-pack of 330ml cans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

I\u2019m truly a sucker for a full-fat Coke, but I did try to be open-minded when it came to cracking open a can of Tesco\u2019s Classic Cola. Honestly, when I gave it a sniff, I had hope. It smells pretty darn similar to Coca-Cola, albeit not quite as strong, but as soon as it touched my lips, I was sadly underwhelmed.<\/p>\n

It lacks the crispy fizz of the real deal and is rather watery in taste. When I drink a Coke, I know it\u2019s bad for me \u2013 I want to feel the fizz and sugar seep into my veins \u2013 making it a nice naughty treat. But this feels like I\u2019m trying to be healthier \u2013 and I didn\u2019t sign up for that. Sorry Tesco, I love you, but I\u2019d rather spend 95p on the real thing.<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong>\u00a02.5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Alice Giddings, lifestyle reporter<\/em><\/p>\n

Asda Cola, 70p for 2L bottle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Asda\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0one is definitely the middle range of the bunch we\u2019ve tried, but it\u2019s not a bad drink. It\u2019s got a good flavour that\u2019s reminiscent of Coke, but it\u2019s flat with nowhere near enough fizz.<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong>\u00a03\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer<\/em><\/p>\n

Sainsbury\u2019s Cola, 70p for 2L bottle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Sainsbury\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0drink has a good taste and is a solid choice if you love Coca-Cola but want a cheaper option. You can definitely taste a difference between it and the real thing, but it\u2019s not as obvious as some of the others in the test.<\/p>\n

The only reason it didn\u2019t get full marks is that it\u2019s not as fizzy as actual Coke, and it\u2019s a little sweeter than the regular stuff too.<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong>\u00a04\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer<\/em><\/p>\n

Lidl Freeway Cola, 49p for 2L bottle or \u00a31.79 for a six-pack of cans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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We didn\u2019t do this as a blind taste test, but honestly, I fully believe that if someone handed me a glass of this and didn\u2019t tell me it wasn\u2019t Coke, I might not have even realised. It was pretty much as good as the real thing \u2013 the only thing I\u2019d say that makes Coca-Cola better is that Freeway isn\u2019t as crispy. There\u2019s not a sharpness to the fizz that you get with actual Coke. But for 49p, I reckon I could live with that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holidays are coming, and that means one thing\u2026 it\u2019s time to crack open an ice-cold can of\u00a0crispy Coke. There\u2019s nothing quite like it, especially at this time of year\u2026 or is there? While for some, nothing will ever beat the taste of real\u00a0Coca-Cola\u00a0at Christmas, we at\u00a0Metro\u00a0couldn\u2019t help but wonder how supermarket own-brand colas stack up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t