Bimble

Bimble, a line of sparkling CBD beverages that we first reviewed in January 2019, is back with an updated look to their packaging as well as a second flavor: Blueberry Lemon Ginger. 

First, let’s take a look at the new packaging. The product is still in a 12 ounce glass bottle, but they’ve switched from a clear to an opaque label. This gives the product a slightly more traditional look and also helps improve readability. More importantly, it gives Bimble an easy way to differentiate between the two SKUs by changing the background color to denote the flavor. 

The product has also changed its tagline from “stress-free sparkling drink” to “chill sparkling drink” and has changed the callout for CBD, which is now at the very bottom of the label and says “25MG THC-Free Hemp Extract” (the product is also enriched with terpenes, according to the back panel). This definitely feels a bit more direct than the initial effort. 

As far as the flavor goes, both of these products share a similar tasting citrus base thanks to the use of clarified lemon juice. The products are mildly sweet from added honey and both flavors have 50 calories and 11 grams of sugar per bottle. 

Grapefruit Basil Mint definitely has an  improved taste from what we remember of the original, especially to the extent which you can now taste the basil flavor. Otherwise, the grapefruit flavoring does a good job of working with the added lemon juice and we can definitely taste the mint as well. It’s an all around good flavor pairing and one that we think will be the favorite of the two for most drinkers. 

As for Blueberry Lemon Ginger, it could use a bit more blueberry flavor. However, we do like how well the lemon and ginger flavors work together. In addition to wanting a bit more grapefruit flavor, we can’t help but wonder if this drink would be positioned better if it didn’t have the same color liquid (which looks like lemon juice) as the grapefruit SKU.

Finally, both flavors finish with a slight tang, which could perhaps be the impact of the CBD (we don’t see another explanation). It’s noticeable, but not something that should get in the way.

In the end, this refresh is a nice step forward for Bimble. It’s great to see the brand expanding beyond a single SKU and we really like the updated label.

Bimble, which hails from New York City, is a recently launched CBD enhanced (25 mg) sparkling beverage available in a single SKU, Grapefruit Basil Mint.

Taste is definitely one of the strong points of this product. Key ingredients include sparkling water, natural fruit extracts, and a mild amount of honey. The product is light, crisp, clean, and very refreshing. There’s plenty of grapefruit flavor and a touch of mint to the finish, but, for better or worse, these flavors overpower any hints of basil in the mix.

Nutritionally, the product, which has 50 calories and 8 g of sugar, is nicely positioned in terms of current trends. The relatively simple ingredient list doesn’t hurt, either.

Visually, Bimble looks the part of the sparkling and CSD categories. This starts with the decision to use a 12 oz glass soda bottle. The product uses a clear label and a minimalist design that features a conceptual design element at the top of the label and three lines of text at the bottom of the label to describe the product. There’s also a callout for the flavor in a pink circle in the center of the label.

As for the CBD content, Bimble has placed “25MG Calm Balanced Delicious” on the bottom. This is an approach that’s subtle, but could be confusing to the uninitiated when found on retail shelves. Still, we really do like the simplicity and cleanliness of the design.

From our perspective, there’s a lot to like about Bimble, starting with it being a product that would be market worthy even if it didn’t have CBD in it. Since it does have CBD, this adds both new opportunities and challenges, starting with the countless number of products that are launching and will be competing with it.

The obvious place for Bimble to start is to figure out how they are going to follow up this single SKU. Giving consumers choices and variety will certainly help keep them engaged regularly with the brand, a necessity if Bimble wants to keep up with the other CBD beverages that are out there gaining traction.

Overall, we think that Bimble has done a really nice job with their initial SKU, a model that they can hopefully use to build out a larger line.