Vegemite Releases New 'Bolder' Product But People Aren't Convinced

Whether you lather it on your morning toast or dry retch at the slightest whiff of the dark brown spread, Vegemite is about as Australian as kangaroos, VB and calling everyone 'mate'. It's been a part of the fabric of the sun-scorched country for nearly 100 years, and it's so Aussie that a jar of the good stuff was the first product in Australia to be electronically scanned at a supermarket checkout when the technology was introduced in 1984.

It's also a source of mild entertainment gifting a jar to anyone from overseas and watching them recoil in horror at the initial taste.

But it appears the makers of Vegemite don't understand the phrase 'if it's not broke, don't fix it', because they've decided to release a premium version.

Sounding like a version of instant coffee, it's being called Blend 17 and will apparently be sold only for a limited time.

A 150g jar of normal Vegemite sells at Coles for $3.63, and this 'bolder', 'richer' version will set you back $7.

Naturally, Australians have some views about the product.

According to the company, Blend 17 is 'a richer Vegemite experience with a bolder finish'. The name comes from when Vegemite's inventor Cyril Callister was testing various flavours before releasing it to the public in 1923.

"Blend 17 takes some of these earlier recipes to bring this richer, bolder taste and the naming is simply in recognition of the year we have been able to bring this to Australians," reads a statement.

The Daily Mail's Sophie Haslett wrote: "It's certainly more bitter than the original flavour I remember, and a LOT stronger. I reckon if I was spreading this stuff on my daily sourdough, I'd have to go vaguely easy or it might be too overpowering.

Credit: Vegemite

"For double the price, however, it's unlikely I'd fork out the extra $3.50 for the 'premium' version. Stick with the old Vegemite!"

However, some on social media claimed it tasted virtually the same as the original and isn't worth the extra coin. But others are calling it more of an 'acquired taste' like when you drank that intense bottle of red wine for the first time as a teenager.

There's reportedly only 450,000 of these bad boys being sold, and time will tell if it's rolled out as a regular product.

Sources: Daily Mail

Featured Image Credit: Vegemite

Topics: Australia News, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie