The Hemp Division

by The Hemp Division

Review: Spark by The Hemp Division

Posted: Sep 17, 2020 at 7:44 AM (Last Updated: Sep 17, 2020 at 10:43 AM)
Spark by The Hemp Division

Covers Products: Orange Mango, Tangy Lime

Spark is a line of sparkling CBD beverages from The Hemp Division, a division of premium tea company Harney & Sons. The product is available in two flavors, Orange Mango and Tangy Lime, both of which have 20 mg of CBD per 12 ounce can.

Both products have a pretty short list of ingredients: just carbonated water, a touch of juice, MCT oil, CBD hemp extract and citric acid. Tangy Lime has 4 calories and 1 gram of sugar while Orange Mango has 15 calories and 2 grams of sugar. 

We found both flavors to be straightforward and enjoyable. Tangy Lime has a clean lime note to it while Orange Mango, which gets its flavor from orange juice and mango puree, delivers a spot-on  pairing of these two fruits. Though the added hemp is noticeable and adds a dry finish to the product -- a common attribute of CBD beverages --  the quality of the liquid is good and lives up to what we’ve come to expect from Harney & Sons.

When it comes to packaging, Spark uses a 12 ounce can wrapped in a shrink sleeve label with a matte finish. We’re big fans of this label and it gives the product a soft finish that’s easier on the eyes than a glossy label. 

The label has an apothecary-style design that features words in various fonts and sizes placed all over the front panel. It’s a lot to visually digest; we found our eyes jumping from top to bottom and side to side to read all of the different attributes. The end result was that the first time we saw this product, we weren’t quite sure what it was. Simplifying the copy would be a good approach to helping this.

In addition, we feel as though the branding needs to be dialed up a bit so that it pops more. The Hemp Division’s logo, which is a small “THD” logo on the top of the label, could, for example, be better integrated with the Spark branding. 

In the end, compared to other CBD sparkling flavored waters, we think Spark is a pretty solid offering that delivers clean and accurate fruit flavor. There’s definitely an opportunity to continue developing the branding -- and expand the lineup of SKUs -- but this is a solid start.


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