While Letele and Daniels correctly identified the original, host Bridge did not, saying it was \u201cquite hard\u201d to spot the difference.<\/p>\n
Similar reactions were observed from those attempting the hack, with some convinced the recipe had been cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis feels wrong, but the colour\u2019s right,\u201d said Tokyo-based New Zealander Xoe Hashi, who put the trend to the test after seeing it online.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a little lied to because we grew up thinking it was lemon and Paeroa, aka the spring water there.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Pak\u2019nSave Wairau Rd, one worker urged Kiwis to try it for themselves after being won over by their own attempt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually does taste like L&P. Not even joking,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so crazy, it tastes the exact same.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for L&P neither confirmed nor denied the hack\u2019s veracity, saying the recipe \u201chas always been a closely held secret\u201d since its beginnings in Paeroa in the 1900s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we can confirm is that it continues to be made to the same standards and delivers the same distinctive lemony fizz Kiwis know and love,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaste can be pretty subjective, especially in blind tests, but L&P remains a New Zealand lemon soft drink with its own unique, lemon-forward flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n
L&P recently ditched its iconic brown-bottled look for clear bottles, marking the first packaging change in the drink\u2019s 119-year history.<\/p>\n
At the time, Coca-Cola said it was implementing the change to improve the recyclability of L&P bottles, as brown plastic was harder to recycle and not as valuable.<\/p>\n
But while the bottle now looks different, the spokesperson reiterated that \u201cit\u2019s still the same L&P on the inside\u201d.<\/p>\n