Sweet Reason is a new sparkling water enhanced with 7 mg of cannabidiol (CBD). The Toronto-based company produces the product in the U.S., which contain 5 calories per 12 oz. bottle and is available in three unsweetened flavors: Grapefruit, Cucumber + Mint, and Strawberry + Lavender.

The ingredients are straightforward and simple, with each made from just carbonated water, organic hemp-derived CBD, and natural flavors. The products are light, crisp, and, for the most part, well executed.

For our palates, the Cucumber + Mint and the Grapefruit were our favorites. These two flavors are spot-on and work really well in an unsweetened format. While Strawberry + Lavender is good, it does taste a bit too much like artificial strawberry flavoring rather than the real thing. We’d love to see this improved upon in the future.

Alternatively, replacing this with a lemon-lime variety, a stalwart of the sparkling water category, might be another approach.

Regardless, we really do like the approach of taking a mass consumer product like sparkling water,creating formulations that are drinkable in their own right, and fortifying them with an ingredient like CBD. Consumers certainly won’t have to compromise or adapt to enjoy this, which is definitely a good thing for this brand’s ability to come out of the gate strong.

Packaging, on the other hand, is a place where we think there’s a bit of work to do. The product comes in a 12 oz glass bottle that is traditionally used by sweetened products such as soda and sparkling juice. Combined with the choice of the name Sweet Reason, we think that this product might be misinterpreted as sweetened product or a CSD. One possibility would be to move the product into a can, which would place it more in line with the rest of the category.

Otherwise, we do like the cleanliness and simplicity of the design. It has a sophisticated but hip vibe to it and it feels very much like a premium product. Plus, they’ve kept the front and back free of too much text, which is the nice part about being a product that doesn’t really need much explanation.

In the end, we think that Sweet Reason is a pretty solid entry into the rapidly expanding sea of CBD beverages. While there’s room for improvement as with any upstart, they’ve successfully created a product that consumers will come back for again and again.