Reeds Inc. (REED)

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BevNet Reviews New Kombucha Flavors

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Hibiscus Ginger Grapefruit - 4/5 stars

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 13.5 oz glass

BevNET Review: Reed’s Hibiscus Ginger Grapefruit variety of its “Culture Club” Kombucha line is a flavor that definitely feels like it’s skewing more towards the mainstream consumer than the hardcore kombucha drinker. The added ginger, grapefruit, and hibiscus provide the majority of the flavor for the drink, while the fermented flavor provides the backdrop.

It’s not as vinegary as some of the other kombuchas out there, but it’s definitely among the sweeter tasting formulas that we’ve sampled (despite listing only 2g of sugar per 8oz serving). And, like many other products in the space, it’s USDA Organic certified. All in all, we like what they’ve created. On the outside, the 13.5 oz. glass bottle has been given a clear label that has prime placement of the word “kombucha.”

The look is fine, but the shelf presence seems to suffer from the lack of contrast between the elements on the label and the color of the liquid. To that end, a clear label might not be the best choice. Beyond that, it’s hard to say how well the brand equity of Reed’s (primarily a soda company -- albeit one with a natural channel emphasis) will translate over to kombucha. Regardless, we think they’ve put their best foot forward with this entry.

Reviewed on: 9/13/2012

Goji Ginger - 3.5/5 stars

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 13.5 oz glass

BevNET Review: Reed’s Goji Ginger Culture Club Kombucha is a product that feels very much like an extension of what Reed’s has been doing in the ginger beer space. Specifically, it has a rather pronounced ginger flavor, which does a nice job of mellowing out the vinegary flavor of the kombucha. While there is added goji berry, lemon juice, and yerba mate extract, these flavors cannot really be distinguished from the mix. Still, the flavor is enjoyable, so long as you are someone that enjoys the flavor of ginger.

To that end, they’ve done a nice job, especially in creating something that should have a relatively mainstream appeal (if such a thing exists for kombucha). Visually, the 13.5 oz. clear glass bottle feels nice in the hand. The clear label looks nice, but seems to have technical issues with being applied on the curved glass (every bottle we have seen has bubbles).

Furthermore, their choice of color for the text on the back is difficult to read as it’s very close to the color of the liquid. Otherwise, the product is easily identifiable as a product of Reed’s, which may or may not help this product (will the fact that a soda company is making kombucha make sense?). Overall, we like what’s inside the bottle, but the label could stand to be improved.

Reviewed on: 9/13/2012

Lemon Ginger Raspberry - 4/5 stars

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 13.5oz Glass


BevNET Review: The latest round of flavors added to Reed’s Culture Club count five in total, but the differences between many of them (all of the red-colored flavors) are quite subtle. That said, it’s this flavor, Lemon Ginger Raspberry, that’s our favorite of the new flavors. It blends lemon juice, raspberry juice and puree, and ginger root with their base of USDA Organic kombucha. The result is something that is complex in flavor, but smooth and mainstream-oriented (it least in terms of kombucha flavors).

The light spice and citrus flavors do a nice job of cutting the vinegar flavor of the fermentation, while the raspberry gives the product a nice and fruity body. Unlike many of the products that we’re seeing in the space, this one isn’t heavily carbonated, which definitely makes it easier to guzzle down.

On the outside, we’re fans of what Reed's has created, with a proprietary 13.5 oz. glass bottle that looks polished and sophisticated. The rainbow label, which is a clear play on GT’s “Trilogy” variety (which includes the same flavors as this product), looks good and helps catch the eye over the other “red” flavors. All in all, this is definitely a nice addition to the lineup.

Reviewed on: 9/29/2013

Passion Mango Ginger - 4/5 stars

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 13.5oz Glass

BevNET Review: Of all the flavors that we’ve sampled from Reed’s Culture Club, this one is definitely our new favorite. Blending passion fruit, orange, and mango along with ginger and kombucha results in an original tasting product; it’s certainly not a flavor combo that we can recall having in the past. And it’s a very enjoyable one, with the tropical fruit flavor pairing very nicely with the ginger and fermented flavor of the kombucha.

On the outside, we like the fact that this product has a gold-ish hue to it, which definitely sets it apart from the abundance of red colored products that make up the rest of the line. Plus, it complements the metallic gold ink that’s part of the backdrop and helps give the product a very clean look. If there’s anything that we’d change about it, it would be front label placement of the USDA Organic seal -- that’s certainly an important part of the product. Overall, a very enjoyable kombucha, and the most unique and enjoyable tasting flavor of the line.

Reviewed on: 9/29/2013