Whether you’re looking for a buzz in the morning or evening, these two new releases from sparkling coffee startup Fuzzee and THC cocktail specilaists Nowadays have you covered. To submit your beverage product to BevNET for review, click here. And to browse past reviews, check the archive here.
Fuzzee Coffee enters the ready-to-drink coffee space with a truly unconventional approach: a sparkling, functional coffee beverage packaged in a 12-ounce can. The line includes two SKUs, including Tad Sweet and New Classic. Tad Sweet features agave syrup and coconut water with 45 calories and 8 grams of sugar, while New Classic delivers a sugar-free, 15-calorie experience. Both are fortified with brain-boosting ingredients, including functional mushrooms, offering a novel twist for consumers looking for both energy and cognitive support.
Things that stand out:
- It’s a bold decision to go sparkling in the coffee category and we really like the uniqueness of the liquid. The flavor profile is smooth yet bold, with carbonation that adds an unexpected but enjoyable layer to the drinking experience. We probably prefer the sweetened approach of Tad Sweet, but both are well executed.
- Incorporates functional mushrooms and L-theanine, tapping into an on-trend ingredient set with perceived cognitive benefits.
- Branding is modern and offbeat, featuring a playful, youthful aesthetic that breaks from traditional coffee norms and feels more in line with emerging wellness or lifestyle brands.
Things to consider:
- Combining sparkling texture with functional additives may be too radical for traditional coffee consumers, potentially narrowing the appeal.
- We wonder if consumers will want flavored varieties rather than just a choice of sweetened or unsweetened.
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A few months after releasing Cherry, THC cocktail maker Nowadays is introducing Lemonade as its next flavor, just in time for summer. The product is available in 12 oz. cans (5mg THC each) and a 750ml multiserve bottle (100mg THC total); each can contains 4 grams of sugar and 25 calories.
Things that stand out
- Low-sugar lemonade has been a tough formulation to crack, but Nowadays does a solid job with a blend of cane sugar and Stevia REB M. It’s more sweet than tart, but still light and refreshing with a touch of gentle carbonation.
- Lemonade is a good choice to extend Nowadays’ identity around refreshing, recognizable fruit flavors.
- Releasing the product in both a 12 oz can and a 750ml multiserve expands the range of use occasions and retail assortments, and elevates Nowadays as a platform brand.
Things to consider
- Nomenclature on the front label may be a little overcomplicated, with callouts as both “THC cocktail” and “hemp-derived beverage” but also “zero proof.”
- This being a bright, refreshing summer flavor, the label could maybe use a bigger splash of color for visual flair.
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