In this roundup of new product reviews, we try new beverages from Cuddle Sleep Health, A2 dairy latte maker Laurel’s Coffee, canned spring water startup Father’s Deer, and the latest flavor in Partake Brewing’s Hop Twist line, Citrus.
Want to see your product reviewed by the BevNET team? Head over to our product submission page for instructions.
Cuddle is a natural sleep health supplement drink that comes in a single Cocoa Cinnamon variety that is designed to be consumed like hot chocolate. Sweetened with coconut sugar and monk fruit, the product also has notes of tart cherry. Other functional ingredients include magnesium, glycine, zinc, probiotics, l-theanine, apigenin, holy basil, and vitamin D.
Things that stand out:
- Striking branding and package design for both the pouch and storage cylinder
- Very enjoyable flavor – basically drinks like a rich chocolate with a slight cherry finish
- Uses trending / well known functional ingredients such as zinc and magnesium
- Use occasion and purpose are intuitive; Delivers a function that a LOT of people need
Things to consider:
- A hot beverage – especially hot chocolate – feels somewhat seasonal
- Additional variety of flavors and formats would be helpful
- Consuming liquid right before sleep doesn’t work for everyone
Rating: 
Launched in 2024, Laurel’s produces RTD coffee drinks (with a matcha on the way soon) that are made with A2 milk from Alexandre Family Farm. Currently offering two 8 oz SKUs, Classic Latte and Dirty Chai Latte, Laurel’s focuses on rich & creamy flavor and promotes itself as “gut friendly” thanks to the A2 milk.
Things that stand out:
- Very palatable, crowd-pleasing liquid. Both SKUs are well-balanced and smooth from start to finish with just a mild amount of sweetness.
- Playful branding with a dairy-centric theme feels unique and eye-catching.
- Gut friendly is an interesting point of differentiation that doesn’t seem to already exist in the RTD coffee category
Things to consider:
- A2 milk awareness is still nascent and broad awareness could take some time.
- 130 calories and 10 grams of added sugar could be high for some consumers.
- Listing the caffeine content would be good, especially since the brand feels like it could skew towards younger consumers.
- Additional SKUs would help flesh out the lineup.
Rating: 
Fathers’s Deer – Still Spring Water
Father’s Deer is a new brand of canned water that is sourced from natural springs in Mount Shasta, CA.
Things that stand out:
- Clean packaging design with an approachable outdoors vibe that is quite different from the canned water set.
- Promoting plastic free is something that could have teeth and could be pursued more.
- The water is clean tasting and could certainly hold its own.
Things to consider:
- Eco-friendly canned water feels a little bit like an oxymoron, especially since it’s just the choice of a can versus a bottle.
- No explanation of what the “Father’s Deer” brand means. Is it a hunting brand? Something else?
Rating: 
Partake Hop Twist – Citrus Flavor
This is a new sparkling hop-flavored water from a Canadian brand known for its NA beer that is being launched as a single SKU.
Things that stand out:
- As one of the milder and subtler tasting hop waters that we’ve sampled (citra and mosaic hops), this it could have more broad appeal than some of the hop-forward competitors.
- Real fruit juice used for the fruit flavoring results in a nice citrus pop of lemon.
- Simple, straightforward packaging.
Things to consider:
- Does every brand need to have hop water? It’s a different category than NA beer and it’s slightly hard to see what the impact of this SKU will be for the brand.
- Calling the brand “Citrus” takes away from the “Real Fruit” callout.
- Promoting zero calories on the front of the can would be a useful point of differentiation and a way to stand apart from their beer SKUs.
Rating: