Sweet Reason (Discontinued)

Lemon + Rhubarb is the latest addition to Sweet Reason’s line of CBD-infused flavored sparkling water. The product is sugar free and is made with only three ingredients: carbonated water, hemp extract and natural flavors.

Since we first took a look at Sweet Reason in late 2018, a few key things have changed. First, the brand has increased the hemp content from 7mg to 10 mg per bottle. The bottle has also been updated to feature a resealable cap and “hemp” has replaced “CBD” on the front of the bottle. 

All of these changes are good ones and have been implemented with Lemon + Rhubarb as well. 

When it comes to taste, this product definitely follows the format of their other SKUs. It’s light, crisp, and has no sweetness to it. The fruit flavors are mellow rather than forward and the lemon and rhubarb flavors are pleasing to the palate. The finish on the drink is, like many other CBD beverages, quite dry. However, compared with the competition, this is on the better end in terms of the finish and overall flavor, as the hemp does not impede enjoyment at all.

Going back to the packaging, we like the clean and classy look of the product. This is the result of both the use of a glass bottle -- which, despite being less practical, feels more premium -- and the minimalist label style. 

Plus, we appreciate the subtle but intuitive way Sweet Reason indicates the added hemp extract through a simple sticker on the neck of the bottle. This feels a lot better than the approach that many newer CBD beverages are taking, which tend to use more aggressive visual cues.

Overall, this is a solid line extension for Sweet Reason. While we’re not sure that it really changes all that much for the brand and its positioning, it’s a tasty and well-executed product.

Sweet Reason is a new sparkling water enhanced with 7 mg of cannabidiol (CBD). The Toronto-based company produces the product in the U.S., which contain 5 calories per 12 oz. bottle and is available in three unsweetened flavors: Grapefruit, Cucumber + Mint, and Strawberry + Lavender.

The ingredients are straightforward and simple, with each made from just carbonated water, organic hemp-derived CBD, and natural flavors. The products are light, crisp, and, for the most part, well executed.

For our palates, the Cucumber + Mint and the Grapefruit were our favorites. These two flavors are spot-on and work really well in an unsweetened format. While Strawberry + Lavender is good, it does taste a bit too much like artificial strawberry flavoring rather than the real thing. We’d love to see this improved upon in the future.

Alternatively, replacing this with a lemon-lime variety, a stalwart of the sparkling water category, might be another approach.

Regardless, we really do like the approach of taking a mass consumer product like sparkling water,creating formulations that are drinkable in their own right, and fortifying them with an ingredient like CBD. Consumers certainly won’t have to compromise or adapt to enjoy this, which is definitely a good thing for this brand’s ability to come out of the gate strong.

Packaging, on the other hand, is a place where we think there’s a bit of work to do. The product comes in a 12 oz glass bottle that is traditionally used by sweetened products such as soda and sparkling juice. Combined with the choice of the name Sweet Reason, we think that this product might be misinterpreted as sweetened product or a CSD. One possibility would be to move the product into a can, which would place it more in line with the rest of the category.

Otherwise, we do like the cleanliness and simplicity of the design. It has a sophisticated but hip vibe to it and it feels very much like a premium product. Plus, they’ve kept the front and back free of too much text, which is the nice part about being a product that doesn’t really need much explanation.

In the end, we think that Sweet Reason is a pretty solid entry into the rapidly expanding sea of CBD beverages. While there’s room for improvement as with any upstart, they’ve successfully created a product that consumers will come back for again and again.