Channel Check: Bottled Water (Still)
While Smartwater is still on a big growth curve, so is the entire category.
While Smartwater is still on a big growth curve, so is the entire category.
We’ve been big fans of Bruce Cost Ginger Ale since our first sip. However, the company's attempts at flavored offerings, while always nice tasting, could never pull us away from the Original unadulterated version. With the company's latest flavor, Blood Orange Meyer Lemon, we were expecting to feel the same way.
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High Brew’s Black & Bold is a dairy-free, cold-brewed coffee that has only 20 calories per 8 oz. can. It’s arguably the brand's best tasting -- and most authentic -- cold brew coffee yet.
While we were unsure how the tropical and sweet flavor of pineapple would translate in a water, Hint's new variety is extremely well formulated, with the pineapple flavoring having a very accurate taste.
Kohana recently revamped its line of cold brew concentrates, which now come with a new label and a slightly revised formulation. Available in four varieties -- Original, French Roast, Decaf and French Vanilla -- the USDA Organic products are attractive in design, through we'd recommend a slight tweak or two to better differentiate the products from one another.
BAWLS Guarana’s latest flavor, Orange, is a nice translation of a classic orange soda into what is effectively an energy drink.
C2O, which markets Thai-sourced coconut water in both can and Tetra Pak containers, recently launched its first flavored line extension, a chocolate variety. In our review of the brand's original variety (packaged in a 17.5 oz. can) and the chocolate product, which comes in a 1 L Tetra Pak, we find both products to be very good formulation-wise, but have some suggestions for the label of C2O's new flavor.
Runa, which markets a line guayusa-infused beverages, has added a new Orange Passion variety to its "Clean Energy" carbonated sub-line. Compared with the other flavors of Runa Clean Energy, we really like use of an orange accent color, which appears on some of the text and in the fruit images.
Once again, Suja has added to its vast line of cold-pressed, high pressure processed juices with the launch of a new “1-Day Renewal” set that is sold exclusively at Target. Coming under the banner of its "Essentials" sub-line, the set includes three new items: a probiotic-infused juice, a green juice, and a protein-rich, almond milk-based beverage.
Based in Iowa, Shaktea Kombucha positions its six-SKU line of drinks as “Nature’s Healthy Soda Alternative.” Of the varieties that we sampled, each had a nice and light flavor profile that could have some mainstream appeal. The labels, however, could use some work.
Marketed as “Chewable Juice,” Harvest Soul has introduced a two-SKU line of beverage blends made with high pressure processed juice and bits of seeds, nuts and berries, which the company terms as “chewables.”
Suavva, which we first reviewed in 2012, has been given a makeover, both in its packaging and formulation. While maintaining its key ingredient, cacao juice, the beverage, which had been a pasteurized 70 percent juice product, now sports a 100 percent juice formulation that is high pressure processed and promoted as “cold-squeezed.”
Jay Street Coffee, the coffee brand marketed by Japanese tea giant Ito En, has added a potent 6.4 oz. “Coffee Shot” to its lineup. It’s pure unadulterated coffee and made with only two ingredients: water and coffee. Aside from being a nice alternative to Ito En’s tea-based shots, we think that this is a great showcase for the company's ability to also be a high quality coffee contender.