SoBe Lifewater with Coconut Water

Product Type:Juice: Coconut Water and Juice; Container: 20 oz PET
BevNET Review: SoBe Lifewater’s Pacific Coconut flavor of its coconut water enhanced line has a very strong coconut flavor. Unfortunately, this appears to be from the coconut flavoring, not the 10 percent coconut water that is used in the product. On top of that, the presence of stevia is hard to miss, with a slightly bitter note in the body and a lingering sweetener aftertaste. That said, this product is definitely not an alternative to coconut water products that are on the market, but instead probably a decent mid-calorie substitute for SoBe Lifewater’s existing zero product. From a marketing and positioning point of view, this product offers “Hydration” as its only benefit, which leads us to believe that the coconut water is added solely for marketing benefit (especially since there are additional electrolytes added). Overall, it’s a decent product that would be a lot more enjoyable if there were more coconut water flavor and less coconut flavoring.Reviewed on: 1/19/2012

Product Type:Juice: Coconut Water and Juice; Container: 20 oz PET
BevNET Review: Of the three coconut water enhanced flavors of SoBe Lifewater that we sampled, Mango Mandarin is the best tasting flavor of the bunch. The “Mango Mandarin” flavor is pretty straightforward -- it’s just orange mango with a fancier name -- and is something that’s reminiscent of a sports drink. That said, this seems like a great fit for a hydration product. The stevia aftertaste is lower than it is in the other two flavors, while the added sugar helps achieve a natural level of sweetness. Nutritionally, the product has 80 calories, 20g of sugar, and a decent amount of electrolytes in each bottle. It is packaged in a 20 oz. fully-wrapped PET bottle, which certainly fits with the rest of the SoBe Lifewater brand. Compared to other Pepsi products, the front panel feels slightly less cluttered, although the “and other natural flavors” and “from concentrate” could be left off the front panel. Overall, this product is something that might lure in consumers who are curios about coconut water, but are afraid to experiment with a new or unknown brand. Beyond that, we suspect that most drinkers of this product will be those who are already drinking Lifewater.Reviewed on: 1/19/2012

Product Type:Juice: Coconut Water and Juice; Container: 20 oz PET
BevNET Review: SoBe Lifewater’s Pomegranate Nectarine with Coconut Water is a stevia and sugar sweetened beverage that uses a base of 10 percent coconut water from concentrate. In terms of taste, it’s a pleasant product, with a lightly tart fruit flavor and a coconut water finish. The presence of stevia is noticeable, with a slight note at the finish that’s tolerable in comparison to 100 percent stevia-sweetened drinks that we’ve sampled. Otherwise, the product has a slightly salty finish, which makes it drink almost like a sports drink. Packaging is bright blue 20 oz. PET bottle, which has the same “twist” shape as the other Lifewater products. As far as the label goes, it’s somewhat confusing as to what this product actually is -- is it a water? a coconut water? an enhanced water? a sports drink? Really, it has elements of all of these things, but not enough to necessarily lure in any one type of consumer. Overall, we found the flavor of this product to be quite enjoyable, but refining the messaging would definitely help this product. Reviewed on: 1/19/2012