Frescos Naturales is a new line of sparkling aguas frescas that are made with real ingredients. The product line presently features six flavors, including Rosa de Jamaica, Tamarindo, Piña (pineapple), Maracuya (passion fruit), Guayaba (guava) and Mango.

The drinks come packaged in a 12 ounce shrink sleeve label can with a matte finish. Each has between 50 and 80 calories per can and is sweetened with cane sugar, in addition to the sugar that occurs naturally in the added fruit juices/purée.

When it comes to flavor, Frescos is definitely top notch. The SKUs have only a handful of ingredients per variety, creating clean and straightforward profiles that basically taste like a traditional aguas fresca that has been diluted with sparkling water. This approach results in products that are crisp and refreshing, which is certainly different from traditional aguas frescas and their typically full bodied and sweet flavor.

All five flavors feel as though they are on equal footing; we suspect that choosing a favorite will just come down to personal preference. However, we suspect that Mango and Piña, which are the two most basic flavors of the lineup, will have the most broad appeal.

That being said, we definitely like the fact that the line has a pretty diverse range of flavors. Piña and Mango have slightly sweeter notes of tropical fruit flavor, while Maracuya and Guayaba are a bit more subtle. Meanwhile, Tamarind and Rosa de Jamaica offer flavor profiles that taste a bit more like “classic” aguas frescas flavors. But again, we really like that Frescos have put their own spin on the tradition, turning all of these flavors into sparkling beverages that are truly crushable.

On the packaging and branding front, Frescos is minimalist but bright and in-your-face at the same time. The hero element of the label is the flavor name, which is presented in a large script font that has an almost graffiti-like vibe to it. The treatment for each flavor is slightly different in terms of the visual treatment of the flavor name and the color scheme used for the background, but the five flavors still look like they go together.

Our concern for what they’ve created is that the Frescos brand itself really doesn’t get proper billing on the current design. There’s the Frescos logo (a small ‘F’) in the lower right corner of the front panel, but this requires you to turn the can if looking at it straight on. The only other mention is for the website inside a ring that goes around the top of the label. Directing customers to your website is obviously a good idea, but we think the Frescos identity needs to be a stronger element on the label.

Overall, we really like Frescos’ approach to taking aguas frescas and turning them into a modern sparkling beverage that’s conscious of calories and sugar content. While the branding needs a bit of work, we feel like the execution and overall direction are definitely on the right track.