Reviews

With its new Tonic Water, Zevia has gone in a slightly different direction, which should, at least in some outlets, help the brand gain placement in the mixer section. But a big question remains: how does tonic water pair with Zevia's primary sweetener, stevia?

Chameleon Cold-Brew has extended its line of ready-to-drink iced coffee drinks with three new varieties. In our opinion, Chameleon's Chicory Coffee, Espresso Coffee and Mexican Coffee products, which debuted yesterday and are sold exclusively at Whole Foods, are innovative and excellent.

Caliwater’s 2015 repackaging and reformulation is a very drastic change from what we saw in the first rendition of the self-described "cactus water."

Harmless Harvest's foray into coffee-flavored coconut water is this product, a two-ingredient blend of high pressure processed (HPP) coconut water and organic and Fair Trade coffee extract.

Crude, a new cold-pressed juice brand whose name is derived from a definition of the word (unrefined and natural), markets a two-SKU line of high pressure processed blends. Crude's Green #1 and Red #1 are both a good start to further development of the line, but its packaging is a clear area for improvement.

Hain Celestial-owned BluePrint Juice has extended its line of cold-pressed products with two uniquely formulated green juice varieties. While both quite tasty, we’re not sure that it the variation between the other green varieties is significant enough.

A finalist in BevNET's New Beverage Showdown 8, Molly's Milk Truck markets a line of iced coffee and iced chai drinks. In our review of the coffee products, which are made with cold-brewed coffee and almond milk, we think that the company has the foundation for something that could have broad appeal.

Genius Juice, which markets a ranges of organic coconut-based smoothies, has recently revamped its packaging and updated the formulation for some of its products. The review team's take? Winner, winner...

Overall, we’re not sure how big the market for beet juice will ultimately be, but what Love Beets has created has certainly solidified its place in the nascent category.

Mountain Dew -- or Mtn Dew as it's now branded -- has two new coconut water-enhanced varieties as part of its Kickstart line of energy drinks. Both flavors are formulated with 10 percent juice from white grape juice and coconut water.

As BevNET reported earlier this month, Sambazon, which markets a range of acai-based beverages, gave its yet-to-be-launched “Reduced Sugar” sub-line a makeover. The rebranded “Sambazon 100 Juices,” named for its use of at least 100 acai berries per 10.5 oz. bottle and 100-calorie or less formulation, come in three varieties, two of which are included in our review.

King Coconut's front label calls attention to its use of coconuts that are “hand picked from the island of Sri Lanka” and that its coconut water is “never from concentrate.” For us, that seemed to be an attempt to set the stage for a coconut water that was going to excel in the flavor department.

Root 9 has unique positioning and flavor, but the real hurdle is separating it from the energy drink pack and making consumer’s buy into a ginseng-oriented beverage.

Amy & Brian has added a new grape flavored variety to its coconut water line. The product uses a purple accent on its 17.5 oz can, and while the color is certainly synonymous with grapes, we wonder if consumers who aren’t familiar with the Amy & Brian's brand will recognize the product as coconut water.