Reviews

Based in New York City, Love Grace produces a line of cold-pressed, HPP organic juices and smoothies. The company has done an excellent job with the formulation of the beverages, often packing a wide variety of ingredients into very approachable and drinkable products. The one thing we would might tweak: packaging. But that's just nit-picking...

Tumeric Alive’s Mineral Green Elixir is a nice riff on green juice, blending its core turmeric base with spirulina, barley grass, chlorella, cardamom and spearmint in a high-pressure processed formulation. From a flavor perspective, the turmeric is still very much a dominant flavor and aroma (it’s pretty hard stuff to overpower).

Healthy Mama “Boost-It-Up!” is an all-natural protein drink that was designed for pregnant women and nursing mothers. With a flavor that is much cleaner than other protein drinks out there, this product seems like something that could be more broadly applied than it currently is. As it stands right now, the target consumer is extremely narrow.

Flash-pasteurized and aseptically-filled, Juiceology is a four-SKU line of juice blends that have been blended with whole grain extracts, including oats, barley and brown rice. While the beverages are pleasant to drink, the branding and packaging seem at odds with the name Juiceology. That said, will consumers look at Juiceology as simply another me-too super-premium juice brand?

REBBL Tonic is a line of organic, herbal tonics that are made with a blend of exotic ingredients, such as cat’s claw bark extract. While we definitely enjoyed the taste of the drinks, it seems like the messaging on the bottle copy, which includes a heavy emphasis on "herbal tonic," along with the products being labeled as supplements, is something that might be a bit of a deterrent.is going to raise more questions rather than lure in buyers.

Sipp has done a great job of taking a flavor that’s classic at its core and elevating it with elderflower and tarragon. The resulting mixture is balanced, flavorful, and light in the mouth, with just the right amount of each flavor. And the packaging? Well, that's pretty darn good too...

Attempting to lure in sport fishermen with a catchy-sounding name, Reel Adrenaline is a brand of energy drinks that is based out of Florida. Aside from our guess that the target market is probably pretty limited, what you’ve got here is a pretty run-of-the-mill energy drink, albeit one that needs a big upgrade in the graphics department.

Xumma Semi Sweet Cola is a product that was designed, as the name clearly states, to be a less sweet cola. And a less sweet cola is exactly what it is, with 80 calories and 21g of sugar per 12 oz. bottle. While it might be challenging to have a single focus on cola, which is traditionally an area where upstart brands (as well as larger entrants) have struggled to gain traction, we think that the Xumma concept could be applied to other flavors.

Nature’s Pure Organic Cola is a premium version of one of America's classic beverages: cola. The beverage is one that has been tried again and again, but very few brands -- up against Goliaths like Coke and Pepsi -- seem to do anything more than carve out a small niche. In the case of Nature’s Pure, the company at least has a chance to do just that, if not more, with a nice 8 oz. portion size, USDA organic certification and very enjoyable flavor.

The mango variety of INGO Cucumber Water follows in the footsteps of the company's two other flavors -- Lemon and Watermelon -- with its zero-calorie and sweetener-free formulation. However, it also brings a more enjoyable taste and improved packaging than what we previously saw in the other two varieties.

Jay Street Coffee is a new line of ready-to-drink, aseptically-packaged coffee beverages marketed by Japanese tea maker ITO EN. The three-SKU line is made with coffee that is brewed from 100 percent Arabica Coffee beans and blended with milk and sugar. In terms of taste, the drinks are quite good, and we're also big fans of the name and labels, both of which pay homage to ITO EN's U.S. headquarters.

Ciara’s Kombucha, which comes in 10 varieties, is one of only a few kombucha brands that we’ve encountered that emphasize taste. In this case, the company has go so far as to put “great tasting” on the front of the label. Given that kombucha is a fermented and often vinegary tasting product, that’s certainly a tall order to fill.