Santa Cruz Organic TeaZer

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz glass
BevNET Review: As far as carbonated tea drinks go, this one is quite good, both in branding and formulation. Let’s start with the package. The 12 oz. longneck bottle is clean and inviting, with bright images of lemons and prime placement of the USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified logos. It has a vibe of premium and wholesome, but also makes it very clear that this is a carbonated drink. On the other hand, it feels a bit sterile and lacking in the personality department. Inside the bottle, it’s a mildly sweetened formulation that’s made with 10 percent juice. There’s a mix of white tea, green tea, and black tea, which provides a pretty decent amount of tea flavor to the drink. Finally, there’s a touch of lemon flavor to the finish. Overall, a very nice tasting product that should do well in the health and natural channel.Reviewed on: 6/2/2009

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz glass
BevNET Review: Passionfruit is a flavor that will likely have appeal to anyone who has consumed flavored green or herbal tea, as this has become one of the more popular mixes in the past couple of years. Adding carbonation to it actually works pretty well, with a medium level of sweetness helping to round things out. Recasting tea as a carbonated drink is something that’s a question mark for us. Other brands have tried but not have been hugely successful. However, this is the first that we know of to use the 12 oz. glass bottle that’s typically used for CSDs. That could either help the product be more easily identifiable – or it could backfire and associate it with a category that has struggled to find a way to lose its unhealthy history. Placement of the USDA Organic and Fair Trade logos might help, as will the wholesome look that the product has. And with 90 calories per bottle, it's at least on the lower end of what is typically found in carbonated drinks. Definitely worth a try.Reviewed on: 6/2/2009

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz glass
BevNET Review: Pear and sweetened carbonated tea is a good combination, especially in this blend which has a relatively mild level of sweetness. While there’s pear flavoring in this product, there’s also pear juice, which clearly helps the drink achieve its natural pear flavor. Carbonation is somewhat mild as well, adding a slight crispness to the finish. On the outside, the product is straightforward and easy to understand, although the concept of carbonated tea is something that still has not proven itself. However, this seems like one of the better efforts to date, especially since the consumer is likely going to see the 12 oz. glass bottle and assume that there’s a carbonated drink inside. Whether or not they’ll like the concept is a whole other question, but this product has done a great job of presenting a high quality, well-balanced tasting mix. Reviewed on: 6/2/2009

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz glass
BevNET Review: As far as raspberry flavored drinks go, this is one is quite good, which is not something that we typically say when we test raspberry flavored beverages -- they are usually pretty flat. The main difference maker for this drink is the use of raspberry puree, which helps create an accurate raspberry taste that has some depth to it. It also happens to pair nicely with the lightly sweetened, lightly carbonated mixture of green, white, and black teas. Raspberry TeaZer is crisp, but smooth, with a mellow amount of sweetener (evaporated cane juice). Being organic and fair trade certified is a plus, especially in the types of stores that are likely to carry this drink. The use of red as an accent color along with images of raspberries make the label easy to read and appetizing, which are always good things to have in a beverage product. Overall, this was the surprise hit of the line.Reviewed on: 6/2/2009