Posted 25 August 2023

Betrayed by Pepsi, now what?

I thought I made a foolish mistake: That I accidentally purchased five 2-litre bottles of Pepsi Max/zero (or whatever diet is) instead of the original, they were cheaper which is why I grabbed a bunch. And now I find myself unable to drink it because it tastes like diet cola.

Despite being sold as 'Pepsi', it is not the same as the original. At first, I thought it was a mislabeling at the factory, but after some research, I discovered that the reformulation happened quietly in March, and I missed it. As a former Pepsi enthusiast, I now find myself being forced to Coca-Cola, but it's still not as good as the 'old' Pepsi. This is a frustrating situation for an 'old' Pepsi drinker.

Going out where Pepsi 'draught' is sold whenever I'm thirsty for Pepsi is not happening.

What alternatives are available to me for economical home-drinking?

Even the sodastream syrup has sweeteners

This some bullpoop.
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  1. Mclwrth's avatar
    The version that restaurants sell is made up using “post mix syrup”. Presumably that would work with a Sodastream, but it’s only sold in large amounts:

    ebay.co.uk/itm…OPY
  2. Mark_Hickman's avatar
    Yes i used to love original pepsi but bought it the other day and it now tastes trash like most things that have been altered
  3. Conkers816's avatar
    So if I'm reading right, you wanted original Pepsi and thought that the bottle clearly marked "Pepsi Max" was what you wanted ?
    cainer1's avatar
    No, he bought original Pepsi but it tastes like the diet version

    It seems Pepsi have changed the recipe of their original full fat version and people don't like it,
    and having bought a 1.5ltr bottle myself a few months ago i agree, it didn't taste right
  4. djandy_2001's avatar
    Completely agree why change it when they have other no sugar alternatives, now only buy Coca-cola (edited)
  5. Gollywood's avatar
    Betrayal indeed
  6. iWish's avatar
    Try Pepsi Max cherry or raspberry (my fav).
  7. uni's avatar
    just add sugar to the diet version
    trevordavies0629's avatar
    Author
    I'm not tasting lack of sugar exactly, it seems very sweet but is not tasty at all. Someone suggested buying with added flavour (cherry, lime etc) helps. Adding only a magical, exactly antisweetener, resulting in zero taste, would then open the door to adding sugar. Otherwise, you get this horrible tasting Pepsi just even sweeter. There's a distinct aftertaste that punishes every sip. From being very moreish, I now want to fling it out the window.
  8. zworlds's avatar
    Modern coke tastes like Pepsi. Only the can version still tastes like proper Coke.
  9. xoisthemotive's avatar
    woww so is this why Pepsi max doesnt taste right anymore? All this time I thought i had a bad batch (edited)
    trevordavies0629's avatar
    Author
    No idea, I bought regular Pepsi and it suddenly tastes 'diet' because it is now. So if they are just happy to tamper with their recipes like that, would not surprise me if their other products, including Max, were adulterated too.
  10. SnoopZ's avatar
    Pepsi Max LIME is my go to soda as I don't like the taste of diet.
  11. SnoopZ's avatar
    Do you know if they have changed the Pepsi Max LIME ingredients?
  12. northeastkev's avatar
    Haven’t had Pepsi for a while. Thanks for the warning. I’ll not make the mistake of buying it.
  13. jungleboy123's avatar
    Mate you do like me, go to some Eastern European shop or go abroad and get the OG pepsi. Pay the premium if you have to.
  14. Tony-C's avatar
    Try the ZX cola or whatever is called from Aldi, the can, not bottle, I liked that.
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