R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 10.5 oz
BevNET Review: Unlike the other varieties of Sparkling Essence that use flavors that are naturally unsweetened, this variety attempts to deliver a naturally sweet fruit flavor in unsweetened form. The result is something that tastes much more like flavoring than actual fruit. It seems to be only made worse by the addition of carbonation. For us, that really ruins the integrity of the drink, with a weird flavor that doesn’t taste like the “essence” of blueberry. Otherwise, the packaging is well executed, with clean fruit imagery and a nice looking 12 oz. can. However, we think that most people who pick this up will be expecting something other than what’s actually in the can. Overall, this was the weakest flavor of the brand.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 10.5 fl. oz.
BevNET Review: The Cucumber variety of Sparkling Essence tastes like a blend of lemon and cucumber flavors. It’s a relatively refreshing blend, but ultimately, you either like cucumber as a beverage flavoring or you don’t. If you do, this product, which is carbonated, unsweetened, and flavored with cucumber extract, is one of the more unique cucumber drinks that we’ve had. It’s also an innovative approach to creating a carbonated beverage, especially since the look and feel of the product is skewed towards the CSD end of the spectrum instead of bottled water. The can is a slim 12 oz. that’s clean looking and appealing, with a cucumber slice placed front and center. The USDA Organic logo is placed in a prime spot as well. Both of these make for an intuitive design that feels sophisticated and premium. However, we’re just not sure how far a cucumber flavored sparkling beverage can go – it seems like somewhat of a niche concept to us. Overall, we like the design and like the flavor, but we think that some of the other flavors in this line have a better chance of success based on their use of more broadly appealing flavors.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 10.5 fl. oz.
BevNET Review: Sparkling water and lemon is a classic combination and Sparkling Essence has definitely created a very palatable interpretation. There’s a very natural tasting lemon flavor thanks to the use of extract and oil, but we think that they’ve overdone it just a bit too much. The result is something that has an acidic finish that’s stronger than we’d like. Hopefully they can dial it down in the future. On the packaging front, they’ve done a great job of creating a product that looks sophisticated and appealing, using a 12 oz. slim can that makes great use of fruit imagery. We think that consumers will be able to easily understand this product’s flavor, although the lack of sweetener will likely be a surprise to most people who pick up this product. Overall, an enjoyable product that, aside from having a bit too much lemon flavor, is well executed.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 10.5 fl. oz.
BevNET Review: Sparkling water and mint is another classic combination and Knudsen’s Sparkling Essence has hit the nail on the head with their interpretation. They’ve used a spearmint like mint flavor that delivers big flavor even in the unsweetened format. There’s also a touch of citrus to the finish, which helps mellow things out and keep the mint flavor at bay. Being USDA Organic is a marketable plus, as is the clean and appealing packaging (it whet our appetite). Really though, our biggest question for this product is their ability to sell an unsweetened carbonated drink to a consumer base that’s used to some form of sweetener in their drink. It’s certainly the type of thing that will surprise consumers when they first try this drink. But if they do give it a try, we think they’ll come back and try this superbly executed drink again.