8 March 2012

Lucozade Energy - Black Edition Cola (W H Smiths) [by @NLi10]


At Euston station while waiting for a platform announcement I had a mooch around one of those mini W H Smiths stores we tend to have and contemplating buying another Neuro Bliss drink for the two hour sleep back to Birmingham when I spotted the new Lucozade that I'd seen advertised. It's 'Limited Edition' (presumably unless it sells well :) ) so I figured worth a punt.

Black edition sounds wrong. It conjures up images of stealth and subterfuge, of covert moves and hidden agendas. The silver flashes and black wrapper also evoke James Bond at his most devious - although shaking Lucozade isn't exactly advisable unless you want a budget version of an F1 celebration. This is quite smart really, LKZ is a fairly energetic proposition and most colas targeted at men are oddly diet based (Max and Zero especially) to counter the feminine bias of the 11 O'Clock objectify men break. A man cola that actually fuels and stimulates would be good (unless it tastes like Red Bull Cola which is a bafflingly bad drink) and possibly find a hole in the market.

LKZ cola is an odd beast. It's definitely a Lucozade drink, it has the same sugary taste from the glucose syrup that all the range has (the sport varieties to a lesser extent). This is less noticeable than the normal sugar colas and while it's full of calories it's not too sweet. It's also definitely a Cola, this may just be flavourings and colours on top of the regular mix but it works. It’s sticky and refreshing and invigorating in parts, it's not too fizzy either. It's just a bit indefinable and I don't quite know where it sits.

I'm a Fentiman's junkie now and like my drinks small and strong. This isn't a thirst quencher and it's not a defined flavour so it kind of hovers in the middle. It's more interesting than Coke, but that’s not saying much. Maybe with a few tweaks it could be greater than the sum of its parts, but as it stands it's just Lucozade that looks and tastes like a Cola. This isn't a bad thing, but lacking its own strong flavour identity may make this a short, limited edition and not one for the ages.
By NLi10

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