Genius Boost is the latest entry from coconut-smoothie maker Genius Juice. It takes many of Genius’s core functions and packages them into a convenient 2 ounce product that’s positioned as a “Daily Nootropic Shot.”

The USDA Organic certified line features two varieties: Chocolate and Chocolate Raspberry. Key ingredients include MCT oil, lion’s mane, cordyceps, cacao, and vitamins B3, B6 and B12. The products are sweetened with organic coconut sugar and monk fruit and each shot contains 35 calories and 3 grams of sugar. 

Noticeably absent from the party is coconut (aside from the use of organic coconut sugar as a sweetener), the ingredient which, to this point, has been the brand’s cornerstone.This could require a bit of reeducation for Genius Juice’s existing customer base who might be expecting coconut flavor, but it could also open the door for the brand to expand its audience.

Fortunately, these two shots taste quite good. There’s a heavy amount of chocolate flavor in both SKUs and Chocolate Raspberry has a mild amount of sweetness from the coconut sugar and monk fruit. It’s definitely pleasing to the palate, especially since they’ve done a great job of masking the monkfruit and functional ingredients. While the flavor tastes pretty indulgent, the liquid is not overly viscous. This is definitely a good thing: you could definitely shoot this product down quickly if you wanted to (we’d probably prefer to sip it).

On the outside, Genius Boost has built upon Genius Juice’s existing branding and has managed to cram it into a relatively small label.  This includes their “genius” mascot, which is an illustration of a man’s face that features glasses, a mustache, and pointy hair. The Genius Boost logo is definitely the focal point of the label and sits in the center. Beneath it is the tagline “daily nootropic shot” and some callouts for focus, energy, and clarity. Lastly, there’s a “no brain fog” icon.

Turning to the back of the bottle, there are several playful diagrams explaining the drink’s ingredients and functionality. “Unlock your genius,” “like a genius,” and “feel like a genius” help make it feel approachable and understandable without having to get into overly detailed descriptions of the core ingredients. This is definitely a good thing considering that the product doesn’t exactly have a lot of label real estate.

Our primary bit of feedback is that using the word “energy” on the front panel could make consumers view this in the wrong light. The drink doesn’t have caffeine and certainly isn’t an energy shot. From our perspective, going with “focus” and “clarity” are probably sufficient for the current formulation and would eliminate this concern.

Minor feedback aside, Genius Boost feels like a pretty well positioned and executed product. We especially like how the name of the product is also its function of sorts and the compact format is much more approachable than a full size beverage.  Definitely a nice move for Genius Juice.