Aquadopa is a non-carbonated supplement drink made with L-Dopa, an amino acid, which is what the marketer uses as the foundation for its “focus, motivation, and drive” claim. From our perspective, the biggest challenge for this product is in articulating its benefit and educating the consumer on its primary ingredient.
Made with a blend of 25 “whole superfoods” including fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, Chimp Food uses, unlike other smoothie or juice products, ingredients in their entirety, including stems, skins, rinds and seeds. It's a unique approach and one that we think has legs. But about the added stevia...
We certainly enjoyed the latest sampling of Vibrant Earth juices, and think that with a little refinement (and organic certification), the brand has a great future.
Produced in Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Barefoot Bucha is a line of certified organic kombucha drinks. Packaged in beautifully-designed swing-top glass bottles, the products feature a minimalist look, although what's inside are complex and delicious beverages that will please any kombucha enthusiast.
Earlier this year, Little Miracles, a line of tea-based organic energy drinks that are widely distributed in Europe, made its U.S. debut. Despite being marketed as energy drinks, the products…
Love Birch is a new line of organic beverages made with birch tree sap, agave syrup, juice concentrates and other extracts and flavors. We enjoyed the flavor of the two varieties are in this review, however, the biggest challenge for this product is going to be convincing consumers that they want something birch-flavored (that isn’t birch beer).
Marketed as a brand run by "a couple of guys in Austin brewing tea that is all about Texas," Texas Tea is a new line of RTD teas that come in eight varieties. Packaged in familiar 16 oz. glass bottles, the teas are have a nice and marketable taste, but we feel as though the brand could use some help in connecting with the consumer (especially ones who don’t have ties to Texas).
Gazpacho Alcaraz is a high pressure processed (HPP) beverage that is billed as “the drinkable salad.” It uses a blend of tomatoes, water, cucumbers, green peppers, onion, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves and sea salt. From a flavor perspective, it’s very like a gazpacho, with a tomato heavy flavor that’s absolutely delicious.
Cleveland-based Garden of Flavor produces a line of cold-pressed juices and juice cleanses and recently introduced three new juice varieties that contain added probiotics. While we think the company has done quite well with the formulation of the juices, we do think that the labels could be improved upon as some consumers might be confused as to which varieties contain added probiotics and which do not.
UCE Juice Taro Twist is a 45 percent juice-based beverage that is enhanced with caffeine and sweetened with fruit juices and stevia. All in all, it’s a decent tasting juice cocktail product that is probably best described as caffeinated fruit punch. Unfortunately, however, the branding has us somewhat confused as to what this product is and where it fits in the market
Suja Bliss is the most recent addition to the company's “Classic” line of high pressure processed juices. This particular blend is a bit of a departure from the other products in the line, starting with the fact that it is made with banana and a slightly thicker body that’s closer in style to a smoothie than a juice.
Gravity Apple Cider Vinegar Drink is a blend of 30 percent apple juice and two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. The product, which is also sweetened with xylitol and honey and enhanced with vitamins, tastes very much like apple juice. This is a different approach than other apple cider vinegar drinks that we’ve sampled (yes, there are a few out there), which tend to be much more forward in their vinegar flavor.
The premise of Organic Gemini’s Guarana Energy is seemingly straightforward and simple: blend coconut water (from concentrate) with a caffeinated punch of guarana extract. The resulting product has the flavor and hydrating abilities of a traditional coconut water and the caffeine equivalent of a cup of coffee. To that end, this USDA Organic beverage is enjoyable and fills what seems like a logical niche in the coconut water category.
Happy Tree Maple Water is a high pressure processed (HPP) beverage that, as the name might suggest, is made using water sourced from maple trees. While this is one of several products that are coming to market as part of what appears to be an emerging trend, Happy Tree is definitely the best maple water that we’ve had to date.
