Sound Sparkling Tea

SOUND, which has been producing sparkling tea beverages for several years, is back with a new product: Tea-Infused Sparkling Water. It’s a four flavor line of USDA Organic, zero-calorie unsweetened beverages that are, as the name suggests, intended to play in the sparkling water category.

The four flavors include Grapefruit + Lavender Ginger Tea, Blueberry + Cinnamon Hibiscus Tea, Blood Orange + Vanilla Black Tea, and Tangerine + Lemongrass Green Tea. This gives the lineup two caffeine free herbal tea offerings and two that include caffeine.

We really like the approach of pairing tea, fruit flavor, and an herbal or spice flavor. It gives each one of these products some real depth without the need for any type of sweetener. We particularly like the spice and citrus of the Grapefruit + Lavender Ginger Tea and bright and fresh flavor of the Tangerine + Lemongrass Green Tea. These were definitely the standouts for our palate. The Blueberry + Cinnamon and Blood Orange + Vanilla are also enjoyable, but we prefer the other combinations that utilize an herbal accent flavor.

One final thought on the formulations that they are offering: while these products definitely aren’t trying to be your run-of-the-mill sparkling water drinks, it might be interesting to consider creating some flavors that more directly attack the category’s staple flavors (e.g. lemon and lime).

SOUND Tea-Infused Sparkling Water is packaged in a slim 12 oz can and utilizes a glossy shrink sleeve label. It follows a similar “panel” style design that’s found on their glass bottles, which does do a nice job of keeping all of the information aligned. It’s intuitive and easy to read, although aesthetically it does have a slightly technical vibe that we’d consider dialing down a bit (perhaps by reducing the amount of space used by the flavor description).

Overall, while there’s still some room to refine and further improve, we do think that this is SOUND’s most well-executed and market ready offering to date. In addition, the potential for SOUND to find success as a part of the sparkling water set feels much stronger than it did being a sparkling drink in the tea set. Being USDA Organic, tea-based, and offering sophisticated flavors, SOUND Tea-Infused Sparkling Water certainly has the makings of a winner.

Earlier this year, SOUND Sparkling Tea updated its label, which is, at least in our opinion, a sizable step forward. And it’s definitely a huge upgrade from where it started back when the brand was known as Sodterra.

Now, the label layout is clean and well organized, with easy to read lettering and boxes to arrange the key elements. The look is lighter than their previous effort and, therefore, does a better job of setting the stage for a zero-calorie product. With the old look, we were expecting sweetness, and this version, which also includes the word “Unsweetened” on the front panel, definitely does not have that problem.

However, one thing that we don’t like about this version is how theythe company has separated the word “SOUND” from the rest of the label. There’s somewhat of a disconnect between that and “Sparkling,” which makes you have to stop and read the brand name. Tightening this up and making it look like one cohesive element would be helpful.

As for the liquid, our opinion really hasn’t changed: this is a very tasty line of unsweetened sparkling teas. SOUND has done a superb job of infusing plenty of flavor without the need for sweetener. It’s a product that should provide a nice experience for both tea drinkers and people who consume flavored sparkling water.

But if we were to suggest what the next step for SOUND might be, it would be to consider a different package type. Its current package, which is a stock 12 oz. glass bottle most commonly known for its use by Worcester, Mass. based co-packer and brand Ginseng-Up, is something that doesn’t natively convey tea or sparkling water as this a bottle that’s typically used for soda or juice products. That being said, we think that SOUND should consider more closely aligning with the sparkling water category and appearing as an extension of that (rather than a hybrid of sparkling water and tea). This would, at least as far as the product goes, position SOUND in a more intuitive place.

In the end, it’s great to see that SOUND is continuing to evolve. Evolution is part of any successful beverage brand and while there’s still a lot of room for SOUND to continue to evolve and grow, the path that it's are on right now seems headed in the right direction.