Metabrew
by Metamenu LLC
Review: Metabrew Combines Coffee and Dairy-Free MCT
Covers Products: Metabrew
Metabrew is a coffee-based beverage describes itself as “plant-based energy on the go.” The brand owner, which is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., has produced this product as its sole initial offering.
What Metabrew has essentially done is take the concept of Bulletproof coffee (coffee and MCT-rich grass fed butter, in the case of Bulletproof) and turn it into a dairy-free offering with added cacao and stevia.
From a taste perspective, it’s an enjoyable product. The coffee is smooth and clean, with the flavor of cashew (from added raw cashew butter) and cacao providing mild accent flavors. Although it's made with added stevia, you really can’t taste it aside from a faint note at the finish. The MCT oil, which we’ll assume is coconut-based since the product is both dairy-free and has a “contains coconut disclaimer,” doesn’t add any flavor, but it definitely makes the product rather viscous. All in all, it’s an enjoyable tasting product, although we view this as something that’s almost a coffee smoothie rather than a coffee drink.
However, when looking at the product’s packaging and messaging, we’re left feeling as though Metabrew is pretty rough around the edges. It starts with the label design, which has a variety of text elements that use different type treatments. This results in something that doesn’t have a dominant element. Plus, it slams you with a lot of information, which, unless you are someone that’s already indoctrinated in coffee and MCT oil AND wants a dairy-free version (a small minority, we’re sure), it’s going to seem confusing. Our suggestion: dial this part of the message down and make it clear that the product tastes good and focus on the more mainstream elements of its nutritional composition (protein, vitamins and minerals, electrolytes). That’s not to say that Metabrew should eliminate the MCT, but rather make it a bonus rather than the focal point.
Furthermore, we’re not overly fond of the actual brand name. The Metabrew name sounds like something that’s trying to be trendy, but this comes at the expense of creating something that is approachable.
Still, we think that Metabrew actually has a pretty nice foundation to work with. The liquid is unique, both in its flavor and formulation. But before the company is able to fully capitalize on it, some design work and focus in the messaging are going to be required.