GT’s Kombucha Sharing Gratitude is a limited-release product that the company has created to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The new variety is a blend of GT's raw kombucha, turmeric, carrot and ginger and is USDA organic certified. For a limited release, it’s exceptionally well done.
Califia’s Peppermint Mocha flavored Cold Brew with Almond Milk is a new winter seasonal flavor for 2015. There’s a lot going on inside this bottle, with layers of almond milk, chocolate, cold brew coffee, and peppermint. Somehow, it all works, with a flavor that is, aside from perhaps the peppermint, used with great restraint.
Headlined by brand of the year Califia Farms and person of the year Suja CEO Jeff Church, the awards showcase the evolution of emerging beverage categories and companies that most effectively marketed cutting edge innovation in 2015.
Golda Kombucha is an oak-aged kombucha brand (meaning the company ferments its products in oak barrels) based in Atlanta, Ga. Combined with the slightly oaky flavor, the beverages are branded with a Southern craft vibe, both of which help to differentiate Golda from competing products.
Last year, Honeydrop launched a new line of cold-pressed, high pressure processed juice blends made with raw honey. The company has since expanded its product offerings, which are made with Manuka honey or honey sourced from the Tri State area.
Hopwater is a unique line of carbonated beverages that are flavored with natural hop tincture. Sweetened with cane sugar, the line, marketed as a craft soda and mixer, comes in an original variety and three flavored products.
Zola’s Mango & Chia is an organic juice beverage that’s made with a blend of acai, mango, and chia (oil and ground seeds). From a flavor perspective, the product’s flavor is, first and foremost, that of an acai drink.
With the pumpkin flavor craze making its way into nearly every food and beverage category, it was only a matter of time until someone attempted to use it in a kombucha. That honor goes to Clearly Kombucha, which has done a pretty nice job with it.
Four Point Zero Seltzer uses 4.0 volumes of CO2 in the formulation of its products, a level that the company claims is the optimal level of carbonation. In our tests, it’s certainly a nice happy medium of not being over- or under-carbonated.
Pressed Juicery has introduced a couple new products as part of its fall seasonal lineup. The company's Pomegranate, Persimmon, Apple juice and its “Spiced Almond,” an almond milk made with dates, sea salt, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon are nice additions to Pressed Juicery's portfolio, but we think there's a bit of work to be done on the labels.
Alova, a brand of sparkling beverages made with 15 percent aloe vera juice, has undergone a few changes to its formulation and packaging. Overall, we like Alova’s approach and the solid flavor that it has created, but the branding needs an upgrade.
Sipp’s Zesty Orange is a USDA Organic soda that’s flavored with blood orange, lime and jalapeno. That last ingredient is sure to catch some attention, and it’s definitely what sets this product apart from a flavor perspective.
Hailing from Houston, Texas, MALK Organics is a line of cold-pressed and HPP nut milks. Available in both ready to drink and ready-to-drink formats, each bottle of MALK is made with over one cup of sprouted organic nuts.
As far as bottled cold brew coffee goes, Stumptown Grand Cru represents the gold standard. That said, the differences between this product and Stumptown's regular cold brew offerings will probably only be appreciated by hardcore coffee enthusiasts in the same way that some may (or may not) appreciate the nuances of red wine.
