Review: Forto Coffee’s Flavored Offerings
When we first tried Forto’s Espresso offering back in 2015, we weren’t immediate converts. Almost two years later, thanks to new flavored offerings Vanilla and Mocha, Forto has definitely grown on us.
Reviews
Review: Humblemaker Coffee Co.
Humblemaker Coffee Co. is a California-based company that produces high-quality coffee products. The company is also cause-oriented, with both membership in 1% for the Planet and the creation of a “#tenforautism” campaign.
Review: Jared’s Probiotics’ Water Kefir Soda
Jared’s Probiotics comes to us from an Oklahoma City-based company that markets probiotic-enhanced food and beverage products. Water kefir, which is the source of the probiotic content that the company is marketing, is at the heart of these drinks. However, the products are quite easy to consume and they can all hold their own as far as craft sodas go.
Review: Blue Island “CoffeeBucha” Marries Coffee and Kombucha
Blue Island's "CoffeeBucha" is not the first coffee-based kombucha that we’ve seen, but it’s the first kombucha line that we’ve seen to go all-in on cold-brew. From a conceptual level, this approach seems like it will only work if both the kombucha and the cold-brew are of high quality...
Review: Peet’s Cold Brew Gets New Packaging & Flavors
While we first took a look at Peet’s Cold Brew back in Summer 2016, the company recently made some tweaks to the brand. In May, the company, which also announced a new “Coldcraft” unit to focus on cold-brew, has updated both the packaging and the flavor set.
Review: Cide Road Goes Sparkling with “Spritzel”
Switchel, which is, at least in the case of Cide Road, a beverage that features water, vinegar, and maple syrup, is something that has in recent years gained attention as an up and coming beverage category. However, it has yet to crack the mainstream. With Spritzel, Cide Road is clearly hoping to change that.
Review: Preston’s Ginger Beer
Made in San Diego, Calif. in small batches, Preston’s Ginger Beer is one of the best-tasting ginger beers that we’ve sampled in a while. The recipe, which is based on a 100-year-old South African recipe that was handed down from the founder’s grandmother, is potent, but balanced.
Review: Keepers Citrus Coffee Soda
Made in Brooklyn, N.Y., Keepers Citrus Coffee Soda is a product that is attempting to deliver a flavor profile that’s brighter and more refreshing than a standard coffee.
Review: ZuMo
ZUMO Juice is a line of pasteurized juice beverages that are produced in Spain and made with locally sourced ingredients, including purified Mediterranean seawater.
Review: HeyDay Cold Brew Coffee
Austin, Texas-based HeyDay is an upstart line of cold-brewed coffee drinks that appears to be aiming directly for the mainstream. The brand also has the calorie-conscious consumer in mind, with four flavor varieties that range from 15-80 calories per 12 oz. can.
Review: Planet Fuel
Planet Fuel is a line of non-carbonated organic juice beverages that were created with the tween and teen consumer in mind. The aim is to offer something that is an alternative to the bevy of unhealthy and uncool beverages that target this age demographic. Did it succeed?
Review: Vita Coco Coconutmilk
As a category, coconut milk hasn’t been the most exciting dairy alternative option out there, at least in part due to the category having a plethora of off-tasting and poorly branded products. From our perspective, Vita Coco's product is leaps ahead of just about everything that it competes with.
Review: Caribé Juices
When we first met Caribé juices back in 2015, the company was focused on positioning their products as “Exotic” juices. While this copy still remains, it’s much smaller, and flavor profiles have evolved and been repositioned.
Review: “For Grown Ass People” Cold Brew
For Grown Ass People is a single SKU line of ready-to-drink cold brew coffee that’s made using a 24-hour steeping process. While the liquid itself is enjoyable, there isn’t really a meaningful differentiation between this product’s liquid and other well-brewed small batch cold brews that we’ve sampled.