Chiki Chiki Boom Boom is a USDA Organic plant-based “punch” that was inspired by the founders’ Ecuadorian roots. The product, which is made in Ecuador, has only 20 calories and 3 grams of sugar per 16 ounce bottle and is positioned as an “immunity” beverage.

There are currently four flavors: Classic Punch + Lemon, Apple + Pear, Mango + Passion Fruit and Strawberry + Lemon. 

The base of each drink is a blend of water, lemon verbena, lemongrass, malva essence, mallow flower, chamomile, lemon balk, mint and rose flowers. From there, flavorings and juices are added to create each unique formulation, with panela sugar as the sweetener of choice across the line. 

When it comes to taste, all four are pleasing to drink. They definitely fit within the realm of what would typically be considered herbal tea and there are easily identifiable notes of many of the core ingredients, including lemongrass, rose, mint, and chamomile. The flavors are mild across the line and the key differentiators are the added flavors and juices. 

For our palettes, we were most fond of Classic Punch + Lemon, the cleanest and most straightforward of the four flavors.  As for the rest, it’s just a matter of preference. All of them are pretty good flavor pairings and taste like what you’d expect to find in any mainstream brand of flavored RTD teas.

Moving on to Chiki Chiki Boom Boom’s packaging, the product uses a clear label that is playful and colorful. Freeform block letters are used for the text and white, green, yellow, and black are colors used on all four products, while an additional accent color that is specific to each flavor is used on the fruit images and the flavor name.  There’s definitely some good stuff here that will result in a memorable appearance.

However, we think there’s way too much going on on this label to the point where we think consumers might struggle to understand what it is. The front panel in particular features nine rows of text stacked on top of each other and covers two functional claims (“live longer” and immunity), the brand name, “plant-based,” “punch,” and finally the flavor name. In addition to this, there’s an additional side callout for the drink’s vitamin C and sugar content. 

On the back of the label, this design continues, along with some even smaller text that explains the drink’s purpose and history as well as a grid of additional product attributes.

From our perspective, this product fits best into the tea category and, therefore, certain things could be cleaned up or eliminated for the sake of simplicity. The most obvious is “plant-based,” which is something that is obvious and doesn’t need to be said. From there, we think that “punch,” which is a term typically used to describe juice blends, is the wrong word to describe a product that tastes like tea and is low in both calories and sugar. Finally, we’d clean up some of the functional claims. “Live longer” being the first that should probably be eliminated.

After all of that, we think that Chiki Chiki Boom Boom needs to figure out how to tell their story in a more direct and succinct way. If you read the copy on the back of the bottle you’ll find that they’ve got some good stuff to work with -- but it just doesn’t totally line up with the function-heavy copy that you’ll find on the front. Keeping it simple, such as telling the consumer what it is and what it tastes like, should be the place to start.

Overall, suggestions for Chiki Chiki Boom Boom’s branding notwithstanding, we think that the initial version of this product is a good one. The flavor that they’ve created is enjoyable and unique, but also familiar and mainstream, and, with a bit of refinement it definitely feels like it can be a worthwhile addition to the tea category.