Reviews

Marketed as “a bubby probiotic tea,” Health-Ade, is a line of small-batch kombucha drinks that are currently distributed in the Los Angeles area. The company, which recently garnered an investment…

After sampling (and enjoying) the Mint variety of Limonitz' line-up of sparkling lemonades, we decided to take a look at two other flavors from the brand: Ginger and Strawberry. From our perspective, one of the varieties stood out as the best of the bunch... which one was it?

Despite Starbucks' utter domination of the RTD iced coffee category, we've been seeing a steady flow of new entries to the space, including the playfully-named Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino. The line which comes in Vanilla and Mocha varieties, delivers what is essentially a classic bottled RTD coffee drink, but at 320 calories, we wonder about the appeal of the products in comparison to lower calorie options.

Packaged in a 16 oz. bottle, Basic Beverages “Classic” Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate is designed to make four servings of coffee (the consumer mixes one part cold brew concentrate with two parts milk, water or dairy alternative). What’s unique about Basic's cold brew is that the product is made with pH 7.5+ water; the company claims that the water reduces the acidity of the final product. While we can’t speak to that claim, we can tell you that the product tastes extremely smooth...

The Caffe Latte variety of B’more Organic Skyr Smoothies is a new blend of the company's base skyr and coffee (delivered in the form of coffee extract and coffee flavor). Of the B’more flavors that we’ve sampled, this is definitely one of the more unique and enjoyable.

Having recently tweaked the formulation in its line of organic fruit drinks, we decided to give Wild Poppy, which we first reviewed in 2011, a second look. And while we were fans of the brand back then, we think that the updates have elevated Wild Poppy's flavor profile; the products taste (and look) really great.

Suja has released two new varieties to its recently launched Suja Elements line: Mango Fuego and Blutrients. As with the first round of Elements, the products are organic, cold-pressed and high-pressured processed, and, in our opinion, very well-executed in formulation and packaging.

A couple days ago, we reviewed a couple products from Found Beverage Co.'s line of juice drinks. Today, we take a the a few of the brand's sparkling water varieties. Packaged in the same sleek-looking 11.2 oz. glass bottles as its juice products, we like the attractive and polished look of the brand, although we wonder about the positioning of the drinks as “infused sparkling waters."

When it comes to brands introducing reduced and low-calorie line-extensions, ginger is one of those flavors that often struggles to make the transition. For Bruce Cost, a line of beverages that is exclusively ginger-based, that makes the stakes even higher.

Based in Australia, Found Beverage Co. made its U.S. debut earlier this year at the Summer Fancy Foods Show and drew crowds with its sleekly designed, slim glass bottles. The company markets a range of natural juices and flavored sparkling waters, and in our review of two of the juices, we like what we see, but wonder about the marketability of the liquid inside the bottle.

Vita ICE is a 17 oz. zero-calorie sparkling beverage that comes in a variety of fruit flavors. Sound familiar? It’s a clear play on Sparkling ICE in terms of branding, flavor and formulation. Not that there’s anything wrong with (at least in theory) emulating a larger, more successful brand... except that there's a lot to fix in this case...

Harmless Harvest’s Cinnamon & Clove 100% Raw Coconut Water is a new “seasonal” product that is being introduced for the 2013 holiday season (it’s launching in early November in Whole Foods nationwide). As far as flavor goes, it’s definitely something that’s unique and creative, almost to a fault (at least from a natural appeal perspective).

Building on the same elderflower base that’s in the company's Elderflower Presse flavor, this variety adds lemon and rose extracts to the mix. While lemon juice and rose petal extract are definitely complimentary flavors, rose seems to be one of those “love it or hate it” type of flavors. Nevertheless, Belvoir Fruit Farms has created a well-executed and sophisticated product that will likely do well with its customer base.

Compared with the other varieties that make up the TumericALIVE brand, this product is definitely the most unique tasting and has the lightest turmeric flavor of the line. And while the product is being marketed as a turmeric drink, it definitely feels like it could contend as an iced tea alternative as well.