New Product Friday: Oaza Cold Brew+Electrolytes Oat Milk Latte
Oaza Cold Brew + Electrolytes Oat Milk Latte
When coffee shops around the world closed during COVID-19 people started reaching for their refrigerator shelves for a mid-afternoon coffee pick me up. As a result, the ready-to-drink coffee is growing rapidly. According to BevNet,
“Ready-to-drink coffee is among the fastest growing categories in beverage, with dollar sales up 20.1% in retail channels in 2021 to $3.4 billion, according to NielsenIQ, and growing 35.4% on a two-year stack basis.”1
As COVID-19 restrictions lessen, the world is a different place—instead of going into a coffee shop, more people are working from home and reaching for the refrigerator or the convenience store for an on-the-go coffee product to get them through the day. Today’s new product Friday is from Oaza, a hydration-based coffee product. At Natural Expo West, Oaza debuted its Cold Brew + Electrolytes Oat Milk. Packaged in a 7.5 ounce can, it’s a perfect on-the-go product that provides sustained energy and electrolytes. Let’s look at this product:
Cold Brew Coffee (Water, Coffee)—Cold Brew Coffee has no standard of identity. In a coffee shop or at home there is a certain technique to make it, but a ready-to-drink product does not need to be made in that technique to say that it is “cold brew”. In fact, most cold brew products are not made in the traditional steeping method; they are just coffee powder in water.
Oat Milk (Water, Oat Flour)— Likewise, oat milk does not have a standard of identity. Every oat milk product on the market will have a different combination of ingredients and nutrition facts, but all will claim to be oat milk. The water and oat flour combination is a very loose definition of oat milk.
Potassium Phosphate—Provides electrolytes, but also ensures that the beverage is stable. This ingredient ensures that the product is less acidic than traditional coffee.
Organic Cacao Powder—Cacao powder is unprocessed chocolate and is chalked full of antioxidants. It is also high in magnesium, an important electrolyte.
Acacia Gum—Added to give a clean, creamy texture (milk-like). It also adds dietary fiber. Considering that this product claims to have no dietary fiber, the addition of this ingredient is minimal.
Natural Flavors—Added to provide an additional coffee flavor and/or a cream/milk flavor. The “natural flavor” designation means that the flavors are from natural sources.
Organic Inulin— Another type of dietary fiber (prebiotic). It is added to give a creamy texture (milk-like). Considering that this product claims to have no dietary fiber, the addition of this ingredient is minimal.
Sea Salt—Sea salt has more electrolytes than traditional table salt. Sea salt is added for electrolytes and to enhance the coffee flavor.
Gellan Gum—A gum that is produced via bacterial fermentation. It holds the beverage together so that it doesn’t separate out.
Organic Monk Fruit Extract—A natural, plant-based sweetener that is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar. It can leave a bitter/sweet linger in the mouth after consuming the beverage if used too high.
L-Theanine—Multiple studies show that a combination of caffeine and L-theanine results in increased focus, attention, and a “jitter-less” energy. Considering this ingredient is one of the last on the ingredient statement and the company does not call out the amount, it is doubtful that L-theanine is at an effective dosage to make these claims.
Magnesium Citrate—A good bioavailable source of magnesium. As discussed, magnesium is one of the top electrolytes in the bod. Daily consumption of this is essential to a healthy, functioning body.
Calcium Citrate—A good bioavailable source of calcium. With the addition of calcium, the beverage provides all five major electrolytes.
Final Evaluation
Ingredient Quality: B+. Everything here is natural and vegan, but no other claims (non-GMO, organic, etc.) are being made on the product. Additionally, the “cold brew coffee” and “oat milk” comprise of only two ingredients; deceptive when there is no standard of identity attached to each.
Ingredient Clarity: A-. It is confusing why both Organic Inulin and Acacia are added. One ingredient is necessary to give the beverage a smooth creamy mouthfeel, but two are not necessary. Considering that this product does not provide any dietary fiber, the benefits of these ingredients are minimal.
Functional Benefit: B. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine is well studied. The product calls out the amount of caffeine (200 milligrams) but does not call out the amount of L-theanine. Considering L-theanine is listed towards the end of the ingredient statement, it is reasonable to assume that it is not added in a clinically substantiated dosage. The addition of all major electrolytes to a coffee beverage is positive, considering that the diuretic effect of caffeine usually depletes electrolytes.
Nutritional Value: A. At 25 calories, no fat, and no added sugar, this is a low calorie functionally beneficial beverage.
Overall Score: B+. I tasted this beverage. I am sensitive to this much caffeine and can say that it provided greater energy and concentration, but still gave me some jitters (although not as much as I would expect from drinking the equivalent of two cups of coffee). For my palate, it was slightly too sweet and left a lingering sweet taste in the mouth, which was not pleasant. With that being said, the addition of electrolytes are beneficial and is not something that typical coffee products have.
Do you drink oat milk lattes? If so, would you drink this? Let us know!
This product was evaluated purely based upon the perspective of a food scientist. The writer’s opinions are purely her own without influence or affiliation with the brand.
https://www.bevnet.com/magazine/issue/2022/cold-coffee-heats-up-why-the-rtd-coffee-set-is-getting-more-competitive/
Ohhh I'm intrigued! I love oat milk lattes, but haven't had an off-the-shelf version yet. I might have to give it a try! :-)