This week’s beverage reviews are well-balanced with plenty of zip (provided by cold brew specialists Rise Brewing Co.), a pleasant burn (see Beckett’s fiery mocktails), some tang (courtesy of Jabin) and a healthy serving of natural sweetness (via Coaqua Coconut Water). To submit your beverage product to BevNET for review, click here. And to browse past reviews, check the archive here.
Coacqua Coconut Water returns with a bold new visual identity and a refined approach to flavored coconut water. The line includes five SKUs– Citrus Circus, Still, Lemony Passion, Espresso’d, and Soursoppin’– each packaged in sleek 12-ounce cans. With just three grams of added cane sugar per SKU, the lineup aims for broad appeal without veering into overly sweet territory. This packaging refresh delivers not just curb appeal flair, but a clear push to reposition Coacqua as a more modern and premium brand.
Things that stand out:
- The reformulated lineup features clean, enjoyable flavor profiles, with standout options like Citrus Circus (flavored with yuzu juice) and Lemony Passion (lemon and passion fruit juices), both of which offer vibrant, fruit forward notes. Espresso’d has a surprisingly cohesive coconut and coffee pairing and also gives the SKU a potentially expanded use occasion.
- Packaging is eye-catching, especially with its vivid colors and bold lettering, providing a nice contrast to the typical beach or tropical themes that are used in the coconut water category.
Things to consider:
- Flavor naming lacks consistency and clarity. “Still” describes carbonation (or lack thereof), but the line does not explicitly state whether other SKUs are sparkling or also still. In addition, we’d suggest using more direct flavor names (e.g., “Yuzu” instead of “Citrus Circus”) across the line.
- While visually striking, the vertical Coacqua logo is somewhat difficult to read due to the serif font, which could hinder brand recall.
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Beckett’s a brand focused on recreating the adult drinking experience without the alcohol. In addition to a line of non-alcoholic spirits and liqueurs packaged in 750ml bottles, Beckett’s offers this four-SKU lineup of non-alcoholic sparkling cocktails: Flying Mule (a Moscow Mule riff), Mystic Dove (Paloma), Stone Daisy (Lime Margarita), and Juniper Fly (Gin & Tonic), each packaged in a 12-ounce sleek can with just 35 calories and 7 grams of added sugar. The full lineup uses a base of distilled botanicals and a sweetener blend of allulose, sugar, and stevia, and aims to deliver the full flavor and burn of traditional cocktails in a more health-conscious format.
Things that stand out:
- Impressive flavor, especially with Juniper Fly and Stone Daisy varieties, which do a superb job mimicking their alcoholic inspirations. Plus, the use of distilled botanicals gives each drink a notable burn and depth that enhances the cocktail-like feel.
- Allulose, still a relatively uncommon ingredient in non-alcoholic cocktails, is used to great effect. It blends seamlessly with sugar and stevia to deliver a full-sugar-like flavor without any aftertaste.
- Low-calorie formulation with thoughtful sweetener use delivers guilt-free refreshment.
Things to consider:
- The front panel feels rather cluttered, with many design elements compressed into a small space. This makes it hard for the eye to settle and prioritize information—some important elements, like the sparkling callout, are extremely easy to miss.
- The Beckett’s branding is visually subdued on the can, potentially diminishing its shelf presence and consumer recognition.
- The small and understated “non-alcoholic cocktail” callout on the bottom of the front panel may cause confusion or lead to missed opportunities in signaling the product’s primary selling point.
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Jabin is a non-carbonated, electrolyte-enhanced beverage inspired by the Persian vinegar-based drink known as Sekanjabin. Reformulated into a more modern format, the brand has recently transitioned from glass bottles to 12-ounce slim cans for both its Cucumber Mint and Pomegranate flavors. The drink blends apple cider vinegar with Himalayan salt, fruit juice, cane sugar, and monk fruit, creating a flavor that lands somewhere between a traditional health tonic and a modern sports drink.
Things that stand out:
- Refreshing and well-executed flavor profiles that deliver a balanced combination of tang, sweetness, and a slightly salty finish that’s reminiscent of a sports drink. Both varieties are really enjoyable and have no noticeable flavor from the added monk fruit.
- Hydration beverages typically have complicated formulations, but Jabin does not. This feels like a good point of differentiation for the brand.
- The switch to sleek cans brings a more contemporary, on-the-go feel that should align well with the product’s function and target audience.
Things to consider:
- The phrase “electrolyte refresher” feels a little vague and will require education. Focusing on hydration and mentioning apple cider vinegar (rather than gut health) would probably make Jabin more intuitive.
- The historical angle of the drink’s Persian roots could be emphasized more to create a stronger narrative and cultural hook.
- Packaging design, while modern, could benefit from bolder typography or callouts to better communicate flavor and function on shelf. In its current form, there is a bit of a disconnect between the various text elements on the front panel.
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Best known for its canned line of nitro-infused cold brew coffee, Rise Brewing Co. is going a different route with Shaker, its first glass bottled product and first launch since being acquired by Uptime Energy in February. Available exclusively at Whole Foods Market, the three-SKU line – Coffee, Mocha, Vanilla – offers an indulgent twist on the classic Italian shakerato, blending cold brew, coconut cream and oat milk into a sweet dairy-free treat that comes in at 150 calories and 17 grams of sugar per 13.7 oz bottle.
Things that stand out:
- These unapologetically indulgent flavors will please fans of sweet coffee drinks, but they aren’t straight up sugar bombs; Rise’s signature cold brew still shines through and packs a punch.
- The bottle needs some shaking (naturally), but the result is impressive: Shaker’s blend is super drinkable with smooth mouthfeel, while the coconut cream and oat milk delivers the subtle nudge of sweetness we love from Rise’s lattes, slightly amplified.
- Some recent RTD coffee innovation has felt bogged down with added functionality; offering the simple proposition of premium indulgence – minus dairy and considerably less sugar than similarly positioned drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin’ – feels like a smart bit of incremental disruption.
- Feels like a fresh start for Rise without throwing out the good work of the past; the label and branding looks clean on the glass bottle, and efficiently spells out the essential callouts on the front while adding some good explanatory copy to the back.
Things to consider:
- Within the Whole Foods set, consumers have a range of other dairy free coffee drinks that may make Shaker less unique; its contrast with a Starbucks Frappuccino may be more apparent in other channels.
- Great execution, but doesn’t push the envelope for innovation, necessarily.
- Considering how potent Rise’s cold brews are, we would be happy to see a stronger callout for caffeine content here.
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