Bitter Bubble is a line of zero calorie sparkling beverages that are designed to emulate the classic combination of soda water and bitters. The product line, which launched in summer 2021, features three unsweetened flavors including Rhubarb & Hibiscus, Blood Orange & Chamomile and Sour Cherry & Chicory.

The product markets itself as using a “100% botanical formula” and all three of the flavors have chicory, gentian and dandelion as common flavors. From there, each SKU gets its own twist in the form of other natural flavors. One thing that we’d note is that the ingredient list is simply carbonated water and natural flavors and we think it would probably be good to expand this to give the consumer more detail about what’s inside the can.

The three formulations definitely have a noticeable gentian flavor while the chicory and dandelion, which are a bit more subtle, add some earthy and bitter notes. That being said, the differences between the three flavors are somewhat nuanced. Sour Cherry & Chicory feels like a good entry point for the line in that it has an almost cherry cola-like flavor. Rhubarb & Hibiscus has an extra botanical note, which for some reason helps smooth out the bitter flavors. Finally, there’s Blood Orange & Chamomile, which has a subtle citrus taste and otherwise has the most pronounced bitters of the trio.

Flavor is a matter of personal preference; all three SKUs are on equal footing from our perspective. 

Moving on to the packaging, Bitter Bubble uses a 12 ounce can with a glossy shrink sleeve label. The center of the can features illustrations of the hero ingredients, which are mostly plants and botanicals, and above that sits the Bitter Bubble logo, which is large block characters in white. The logo is sophisticated and eye-catching, while each flavor gets its own background color to help the consumer distinguish the three SKUs.

The label copy is rather simple and clean, although the flavor name, which is directly below the logo and in a thin script font, could be made a bit easier to read (it also blends in with the gold colored background of the Blood Orange & Chamomile SKU). Below the flavor name you’ll find “Bitters & Soda.”  Aside from this simple product description, the only other front panel copy is found at the top of the can in call outs for “zero sugar,” “zero calories,” and “zero alcohol.” 

Overall, we are fans of what Bitter Bubble has created. By offering something different than run-of-the-mill flavors, the product feels like it could be able to play well in the sparkling water set as well as within the nascent alcohol alternative category.