Onu is a line of organic and fair trade green tea infused with 20 mg of hemp CBD, as well as other functional ingredients. The line currently features three flavors: Peaceful Peach, Tropical Chill and Laid Back Lemon.

The product is packaged in a fully wrapped 14 oz. glass bottle that’s similar in shape and weight the one used by GT’s Kombucha. Each bottle contains 30-40 calories and 5-8 grams of sugar, depending on the SKU.

From a taste perspective, Onu is similar to many mainstream iced tea products. Along with sugar, the drinks include erythritol, which gives it a level of sweetness similar to a a full calorie beverage. As  classic iced tea flavors (lemon, peach, and berry), all three SKUs are enjoyable mid-calorie options that manage to mask most of the erythritol notes.

As far as the other functional ingredients are concerned, we worry that these might be overshadowed by the CBD content. Plus, each flavor gets a slightly different host of ingredients, requiring consumers to pick up and examine each one. Our suggestion would be to simplify this by either eliminating it or making the ingredients consistent and choosing the ones that already have some level of awareness or are being actively marketed by others (e.g. reishi).

On the outside, Onu has an aesthetic that skews towards being serious and technical. This starts with the fact that you can’t see the liquid but continues when looking at the label design. The “Onu” name and logo require you to stop and think how to pronounce it, while a good portion of the front panel copy is devoted to promoting the hemp content.

From our perspective, this is a missed opportunity to create a sensory appeal. The product tastes good and they should let the consumer know that this is part of the value proposition. The functionality, including the added hemp, should be a value-add for Onu rather than the only reason to buy..

Overall, though there’s still work to be done when it comes to the branding and packaging, we think hemp-infused tea is a strong concept and Onu has done a nice job crafting this drink.