Fentimans Reviews 84

Once upon a time, Fentimans Curiosity Cola wasn’t just a drink — it was a statement. It stood proudly apart from the mass-produced syrup masquerading as cola, offering something richer, deeper, and dare I say… honest. Real sugar, botanical brewing, and a flavour that actually justified the premium price tag.
Now? It’s a shadow of its former self.
At some point, someone in a boardroom decided that what this once-great drink really needed… was artificial sweetener. Because nothing says “crafted botanical beverage” quite like the same cloying, metallic aftertaste you’d expect from a bargain-bin diet cola.
The result is genuinely disappointing. That full-bodied, rounded sweetness — gone. Replaced with a thin, confused flavour profile that starts off promising and then collapses into that all-too-familiar artificial tang. It lingers as well… not in a good way, but in the way that makes you question your life choices halfway through the bottle.
What makes it worse is that Fentimans built its reputation on being different — better, even. It was the cola you reached for when you wanted to avoid exactly this kind of compromise. And yet here we are, with a product that now feels like it’s trying to be everything to everyone… and succeeding at none of it.
If this was about cost-cutting, it shows. If it was about “health positioning,” it’s misguided. Either way, it’s a betrayal of what made the brand worth buying in the first place.
Fentimans Curiosity Cola used to feel like a small rebellion against the bland uniformity of modern soft drinks.
Now it tastes like it joined them.

They removed sugar now they’re a loss making company. They claimed complaints about replacing sugar with sweetener were a conspiracy. The only conspiracy was their claims. The sales figures tell you all you need to know. A brand with 100+ years of history destroyed by its current execs. Their drinks are now undrinkable.

This used to be a premium brand, with a premium price and importantly premium flavours. Curiosity Cola was an occasional treat, and a true joy to savour, whatever the season.

Now it has sweeteners, it tastes like like how I remember cheap 'Rola Cola', but curiously they didn't drop the premium price.

Does the ingredients and brewing method still differentiate it among colas? Maybe on paper, but I can't taste the difference between this and any store own-brand budget cola, so there's literally no reason on Earth left to buy this rubbish now. It isn't even slightly pleasurable to drink.

Another enshi**ified product and one less small joy to look forward to, in a world increasingly bereft of any joy at all. Seems we can't have nice things now even when we want to pay more for them.

Fentimans Curiosity Cola used to be my favourite cola. I’ve bought so many bottles over the years that I honestly couldn’t count them. Unfortunately, ever since they replaced the sugar with sweeteners, it tastes horrible. It’s not even the same product anymore.

I’ve since found better alternatives, but this is a prime example of how easily a company can ruin a great product. They could have simply introduced a light version with sweeteners while keeping the original sugar recipe as an option.

I don’t usually leave reviews like this, but this change was such a poor decision that I couldn’t resist saying something.

I've never liked Fentimans , either before or since ' sweetenergate' . I've always found it overpriced and no better than the basic fizzy drinks you can buy for £1.99 per 2l.

It’s so hard to find drinks with proper sugar. I can’t stand the taste of sweetners. Now the recipe has sweetners instead of sugar the taste is not the same. Such a shame. Adults should be allowed to pick drinks with sugar instead of being dictated to by the sugar police. Sugar is better. Taste is bitter with an after bite used to be a favourite. Won’t buy it again

This was one of the few drinks I still bought on occasion due to me being sensitive to the taste of artificial sweeteners, they make me feel ill. I don’t buy them much, just now and again as a treat. I was sadly greeted with a nasty taste of sweetener this time. Such a shame to have ruined a once nice drink. One less company to buy from going forward. Shame they have pandered to the anti sugar lobby and forgot their roots and long time customers in the process.

Weak ginger taste and tastes of sweetener. Not a special treat any more.

Used to be a terrific product, expensive but worth it. Since 2023 they are using a plant derived processed (therefore artificial) sweetener. Absolutely disgusting. Another bad effect of nanny state as an excuse for more tax. Shame fentimans didn't just stick to the recipe and charge a bit more.

I used to really like this along with many of the fentimans drinks but for some bizarre reason they have gone away from being this wholly natural producer to using Stevia.
Yes it may be from a plant and not a chemical process but it tastes like washing up liquid.

When they added stevia as a sweetener to their products they took away all the good taste that i have been used to for many yeras of drinking Fentimans.
I don´t drink any of their products anymore and i hope that no one else does either.
If they want to add sweeteners to their sodas instead of sugar they should launch a Zero sugar range instead and keep their original recipies as they have always been.

I used to love their rose lemonade. Last time I drank it was two years ago, until I tried it again today. It has a clear sweetener flavour, which is ghastly. This is my first ever review on Trustpilot, it had to be done so that the world knows about this!!!

Limp,woke terrified to offend...whats is going on with their ginger beer?..the colour is pale and ghastly looking in a glass...ginger beer should be a glowing dark ginger colour not this watery looking foul tasting liquid they have concocted...get rid of the woke back room boys and start producing fiery real ginger beer again without sweeteners

Concentrated pear juice and sweeteners - disgusting taste!

Accorting to the small print on the label, Fentimans curiosity cola contains no cola whatsoever - FALSE ADVERTISING.

So disappointed with Fentimans who have clearly sold out to the trend for sweeteners. Just opened a bottle of their ginger beer and instantly tasted that horrible artificial stevia taste. Thought I was being paranoid but checked the ingredients and there it is. I support the cause to reduce sugar intake, that’s great. Reduce it but don’t wreck it by artificially sweetening it. Give me all sugar or no sugar. Don’t give me fake sugar.

Thought I’d treat myself to a bottle of Curiosity Cola today, not knowing they’d changed the recipe. The refreshing, sweet taste of old fashioned cola has been replaced by the cheap, bitter taste of sweeteners. How will they justify the higher price now? It reminds me of budget/own brand supermarket Diet Coke. I had to throw the whole thing away and drink something else to get rid of the awful lingering aftertaste. Such a waste, but nobody else in my house could stand it either! They should remove the word traditional from the label, and add a warning, as sweeteners give me headaches and stomach problems. I am so disappointed. I wish they’d bring the old recipes back. Another customer lost.

So bad. I used to love the rose lemonade but alas sweeteners make me sick and taste nasty. I wrote to fentimans about it and they lied to me and were very rude. Never again. And Fentimans sales have plummeted and they are left scratching their heads. Are they that dumb?

It used to be a real treat buying a bottle of Fentimans. Such delicious, strong, unique flavours. The cola was great. Just opened a bottle and what a disappointment! Flavor has all gone. Tastes weak and watery. I hope people stop buying this until they change the recipe back to what it was.

Nothing compared to what it used to be

Please don't buy this. It's not what it was even 5 years ago. Hard to drink.