Reviews

Gutz Energy Drink, which is the flagship flavor of the company’s line of shots and energy drinks, is one of those unfortunate brands that, as is so often the case in the energy category, has put the cart before the horse.

Reed's has in recent months seen quite bit of traction with its Culture Club Kombucha line having gained new distribution for the products in several mainstream and natural retailers, including Kroger. With steadily increasing sales, the company recently rolled out two new varieties -- Lemon Ginger Raspberry and Passion Mango Ginger -- for the brand, and both are excellent additions to an already solid line-up.

L.I.F.E. (aka “Let It Fly Energy”) Fruit Punch is a “vitamin enhanced energy drink” that is sweetened with sucralose and stevia. For the most part, we enjoyed the formulation of the beverage, but the design of its package and the branding of the product (beginning with the name itself) are both causes for concern.

Diabolo “Loco” Acai Berry Guava is a reduced-calorie energy drink and one of two varieties that make up the brand’s “Energizing Collection.” While we’re not sold on the company's segmentation of “Refreshing” and “Energizing” products (all of them look like energy drinks), this is definitely one of the more enjoyable varieties that we’ve sampled from Diabolo.

Although consumption of mainstream CSDs continues to slide, natural and specialty soda brands are finding some opportunity in the space with the launch of innovative flavors and packaging options. DRY…

Something Natural, a line of flavored sparkling waters that are sweetened with stevia and cane sugar, recently underwent a visual refresh. While the product still uses the same chic 11 oz. blue glass bottle, the brand features more approachable graphics and imagery.

Now in its production ready format, Harmless Harvest’s 100% Raw Tea has been refined and given a packaging update. The beverages are still made with raw tea leaves and are USDA Organic certified and high pressure processed, and the labels have been given an upgrade. But how could the company improve on something that we already reviewed as being exceptional...?

Sambazon’s Peppermint + Mocha Energy is a limited release product for the 2013 holiday season. The product blends acai, soy, coffee, yerba mate, vanilla, mint and a few other ingredients, and is packaged with a playful seasonal-themed label. As far as holiday-themed beverages go, this one is pretty good.

Popeye Energy is an energy drink that is made with 75 percent juice and labeled as an energy supplement. While juice-heavy energy drinks have been tried before without much success, it seems like something that fits well with the Popeye brand.

IQ Energy is a liquid supplement that is marketed as one that will boost energy and enhance memory capabilities. Formulated with caffeine and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide + hydrogen, which the company promotes as a “NASA tested” ingredient, the product is, in our opinion, likely to face the same stumbles as others that touted "memory-enhancing" functionality.

Phancy’s “Soda Chanh” is a packaged version of the classic Vietnamese drink of the same name. Unlike the original, which is made with salted, pickled limes, this product appears to be a fairly run-of-the-mill lemon-lime soda (with perhaps a bit more lime flavor than usual).

Belvoir (pronounced BEE-ver) Fruit Farms' Organic Elderflower Presse is a beverage that has been around for a while, but is only now making a push in the U.S. It’s a very straightforward and enjoyable product, with sugar, elderflower and lemon providing the primary flavors. It's definitely a product that will stand out in the super premium CSD space.

Alova is a brand of aloe-infused, sugar-sweetened sparkling beverages marketed by Mexican beverage company Novamex. Ultimately, we feel as though the products are in a slightly odd spot. They looks very much like something that’s going to be healthier and more exotic tasting than a standard soda, but the flavor is, well, just like a standard soda.

Unveiled at the 2012 NACS show, Rockstar Energy Water is the company’s first foray into enhanced waters. The products, which come in three varieties, are zero-calorie and formulated with 200mg…