Reviews

Review: Orgain Healthy Kids

Orgain's Healthy Kids is a new line of USDA Organic certified nutritional shakes that are made with smorgasbord of fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. And as the formulation of the drinks will definitely appeal to parents, the flavor profile and packaging are certain to find fans among young consumers.

Review: Bai5 Molokai Coconut

These days, it seems like every beverage company has at least one coconut water-infused drink, and Bai is no exception. The coffeefruit beverage marketer unveiled its new Malokai Coconut flavor at the 2013 Expo West show, and we think that they've done a great job with the formulation and branding.

Review: Q Drinks – New Citrus Flavors

Natural soda maker Q Drinks has extended its line of sparkling drinks with three new citrus flavors that the company debuted last month at the 2013 Expo West show. While the new flavors – orange, grapefruit, and lemon – are made with fruit extracts and contain no actual juice, Q Drinks done a stellar job of creating three great-tasting and great-looking products.

Review: Aloe Gloe 1 L Tetra Pak

Aloe Gloe’s “Organic Aloe Water” is the company’s first offering to come in a Tetra Pak. Visually, the taller and larger format definitely has given Aloe Gloe the ability to create something that is cleaner and more appealing to the eyes than competing products. But does the liquid inside the container live up to the sleek packaging? Our review team thinks so...

Review: Teas’ Tea Lattes

Inspired by “milk tea” drinks that are commonly sold in Asian countries, ITO EN recently launched a two-SKU line of tea latte drinks. While we enjoyed the formulation of each of the two varieties, we feel like the branding and packaging of the Matcha Green Tea flavor will end up drawing stronger consumer appeal than that of its Black Tea counterpart.

Review: Glaceau Fruitwater

Looking to challenge the growth and rapid success of Talking Rain's Sparking ICE brand, Coca-Cola has revamped Glaceau Fruitwater, a Vitaminwater line extension that was discontinued a few years ago. Fruitwater is now a zero-calorie, sucralose-sweetened sparkling drink that contains no actual juice. We found the new packaging and formulation to be a great move for the brand, which will likely find traction in mainstream retail.

Review: BluePrint Juices

In the nearly two years since we first sampled BluePrint products, juice cleanses have become en vogue, high pressure processing is gaining momentum, and countless other brands have entered super…

Review: ‘tude Juices

The concept behind ‘tude is pretty straightforward: take apples, cold press them, put them in a bottle, and give them some shelf life via high pressure processing (HPP). Unlike pasteurized apple juices that often use blends of many different types of apples, ‘tude’s “raw” apple juice is very true to taste. While the branding might confuse some consumers, we really do like the simplicity of what they’ve created.

Review: Thirsty Buddha

Produced in Thailand and marketed by a Canadian company, Thirsty Buddha is now making its way into the U.S. market. It's Its flagship product is a 16 oz. steel can of not from concentrate coconut water. Ultimately, this is a perfectly fine coconut water that has a nice look compared to some of the other products that are on the market today.

Review: Komplete Protein Drinks

Kate Farms’ Komplete is a line of vegan- and soy-free protein drinks that takes a different approach that other products that we’ve seen in this category. Overall, a very unique product that’s in need of some visual help, especially since what’s inside the container is great.

Review: Steaz Green Tea w/ Coconut Water

Riding the tidal wave of demand for coconut water, a range of beverage companies have continued to innovative with the use of the liquid as a complementary ingredient. One such company is Steaz, which recently introduced a an organic green tea and coconut water drink. From our perspective, coconut water and green tea definitely seems like a winning combination and Steaz has done a great job of executing this product.

Review: Coco Fresco

Joining the somewhat limited ranks of coconut water packaged in glass bottles is Coco Fresco, a Vietnam sourced coconut water. While there are probably some retailers and consumers who will grab a glass bottle over a carton or a can, Coco Fresco really doesn’t feel like a developed brand.

Review: Coco Libre Protein

Maverick Brands has extended its line of Coco Libre drinks with Coco Libre Protein, a blend of coconut water and 20 grams of whey and milk protein isolate. In our review of three of the flavors in the line – Chocolate, Vanilla and Almond – we found the formulation of the drinks to be quite enjoyable, and while the packaging could use a few tweaks, the line is great extension for the brand.

Review: NEO Energy

Leaping into the growing fray of better-for-you energy drinks, NEO recently launched NEO Energy, an organic energy drink made with electrolytes.The product contains organic caffeine, ginseng, electrolytes, and B vitamins. While the branding doesn’t feel like something that was designed for the natural channel (a likely starting point for an organic energy drink), it's a product that we think will appeal to a variety of consumers.