Announced last summer, Nomad Energy drink is a cascara-based energy drink that is the follow up to the company’s line of ready-to-drink cascara teas.

Positioned as a plant-based energy drink, the product relies exclusively on cascara (aka coffeefruit) and the caffeine that it naturally provides; in this case 120 mg. With only six additional ingredients -- sparkling water, organic lemon juice, organic lemon extract, organic maple syrup, Himalayan pink salt, and ascorbic acid -- it certainly has a clean list of ingredients.

As for flavor, it’s definitely a pleasant tasting product and one that we’d consume on that basis alone. The blend of cascara, lemon, and maple is well-balanced, flavorful, and has just the right amount of each flavor. With 22 g of sugar, the product is sweet but not overwhelmingly so, and the pink salt provides a finishing note that helps round it all out.

On the packaging front, the product features a shrink sleeve label on a 12 oz slim can. The design is a two color motif that, for the most part, has an illustrated look to it. It does a good job of communicating that it’s an energy drink, but it doesn’t mention cascara or the flavor profile on the front of the can (side note: a callout of the caffeine content would be great, too).

Given that the product will compete with other natural energy products such as Runa, which has both multiple flavors and is upfront about being a guayusa beverage, we feel as though this is something that Nomad will need to address in the short term. Even adding a note about this product having lemon and maple flavors would be very helpful in our opinion.

The only other obvious thing for this product is to become entirely USDA Certified Organic. That, too, will help it against some of the products that it is likely to compete against in the energy set.

In the end, Nomad Energy seems like a smart pivot for the brand that takes it beyond the tea category and into the energy set, a place where consumers are seeking the functionality that cascara offers. There’s room for refinement and development, but it’s a pretty nice start.