San Diego, Calif.-based Rau Chocolate is a line of organic, dairy-ree superfood drinks that are cacao-based and high pressure processed (HPP).

The lineup, which we’ve reviewed a few times in the past, has evolved over the years, but they finally seem to have dialed in the flavors and pared away at least one SKU (Banana), putting the focus on varieties that seem more in line with a chocolate-based beverage line.

Now, they’re extending the line again with their latest effort, Salted Caramel. On the surface,salted caramel is something that says indulgence and dessert, so a pairing with a chocolate beverage is appealing and intuitive. But, just like the other Rau flavors, the flavor is quite mellow. Key ingredients include cacao (powder and butter), Himalayan pink salt, and caramel extract, which provide the core flavors. They’ve sweetened the product with coconut palm sugar (8g of sugars) and monk fruit, which results in a relatively mild amount of sweetness and only a touch of sweetener aftertaste.

From our perspective, Rau Salted Caramel is their best formulation to date -- and the best of their current lineup. Not only is the flavor pairing spot on, but this is also their first offering where we don’t wish that the body of the drink was a bit more viscous (it’s a pretty thin bodied product). It manages to be both slightly indulgent and refreshing, which isn’t a typical thing to say about a chocolate drink.

On the packaging and branding front, Rau has a clean look. All of the key elements are stacked in an easy-to-read format, so can quickly figure out what it is. Honestly, the only part that still isn’t super intuitive is the pronunciation of Rau (which is ‘raw’ rather than ‘r-au’). Regardless, the product is appealing to the senses and inviting, which is definitely helped by implied indulgence of a flavor like salted caramel.

Overall, Rau’s Salted Caramel offering is not only a nice line extension for the brand, but it also helps really round out the lineup in such a way that it now feels complete.