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*Favorite †Kosher ‡Organic 

**Not Made From Concentrate

Page 5: Coconut Water Brands

What We Tasted & How We Liked It

We have three pages of coconut water reviews, spanning 14 brands and a variety of flavors in addition to “original,” or plain coconut water.

The reviews begin below, and there’s a summary of brands in the left column, indicating our favorites as well as which brands are kosher, organic and/or not made from concentrate.

But before we get into the brands, here’s our testing methodology:

• All coconut waters were chilled for a minimum of twelve hours before sampling.
• No more than two coconut waters were tasted at any one time, with at least a three-minute “rest” period and the ingestion of at least four ounces of water between the tastings.
• All coconut waters were shaken thoroughly before opening.
• Coconut waters were sampled immediately after their containers were opened (coconut water, it seems, doesn’t keep that well, as a number of sources recommended consuming a container within one day after opening).

Some coconut waters have pulp added. A friend asked if that wouldn’t give the coconut water an unpleasant texture, as the coconut she’s used to isn’t especially tender.

What she’s used to is mature coconut pulp. The pulp of young, green coconuts—those used for coconut water—is very tender and has almost a jelly-like consistency (like aloe vera juice, which we love). There’s nothing to chew.

Overall Findings

• There’s A Big Difference. Some coconut waters were too sweet, some too bland. And some, as Goldilocks would say, are just right.
• Flavored Coconut Water. Because coconut water doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own, the addition of any flavorings, such as fruit puree or fruit juice, tended to overwhelm the delicate coconut water taste. I really enjoyed several of the flavored coconut waters, but the majority no longer tasted like coconut water. I doubt that this would be a problem for most people.
• Real Vs. “Natural” Flavor. Without exception, I found the products with real juice or real fruit purée to be far superior to those with “natural flavor.”
• Sports Drink Coconut Water. If your only experience with sports drinks has been with the best-selling, nationally-known brands, some of the coconut water sports drinks might be quite a surprise. I don’t habitually consume Gatorade and its ilk and don’t like them at all. But some of the coconut water sports drinks were light and pleasant, and not of an alarming DayGlo color. Is the fortification of coconut water sports drinks with vitamins, minerals, green tea extract, caffeine, etc. a good idea? You’ll have to decide that for yourself.
  

See the entire list of what we tasted in the left column.

The brand reviews begin below, in alphabetical order. Favorites, kosher- and organic-certified brands are so indicated, as are brands that are not from concentrate.

INDEX OF REVIEW

This is Page 4 of a seven-page article. Click on the black links to visit related pages:

• Page 1: Coconut Water Capsule Report
• Page 1: Related Cookbooks
• Page 2: Types Of Coconut Water: Raw,
  Pasteurized, Flavored, Powdered &
  Concentrate
• Page 3: Coconut Water Health Benefits
• Page 4: Coconut Water Nutrition
• Page 5: Coconut Water Brands A-C
• Page 6: Coconut Water Brands C-O
• Page 7: Coconut Water Brands P-Z

MORE TO DISCOVER

• THE NIBBLE’s Juice Section
  Product reviews, recipes and more.
• RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Brownie Sundae
  With 12 Year Old Scotch
  A sophisticated take on one of America’s favorite desserts.
• VIDEO OF THE WEEK: How To Get Juice
  From A Green Coconut
  Like whacking a golf ball, this can be a
  frustration-reducing pastime.

Amy & Brian Naturals

• Coconut Source: Thailand.
• Coconut Juice (Unsweetened). Ingredients: young coconut juice. Per 8 ounces: 76 calories, 10 g sugars, 42 mg sodium, no potassium measurement given. Almost no aroma. Almost clear. A slight sweetness that fades quickly.
• Coconut Juice with Lime (A Favorite). Ingredients: young coconut juice, lime juice. Per 8 ounces: 86 calories, 10 g sugars, 40 mg sodium, no potassium measurement given. Faint lime aroma. Liquid is slightly opaque. Tastes like lime juice; no real coconut flavor, but still excellent.
• Coconut Juice with Pulp. Ingredients: young coconut juice, young coconut pulp. Per 8 ounces: 76 calories, 10 g sugars, 42 mg sodium, no potassium measurement given. No scent. Slightly opaque liquid with bits of coconut pulp floating in it. Some sweetness that doesn’t linger. The pieces of pulp are very tender.
• AmyAndBrianNaturals.com.

Arizona Beverage Company

• Coconut Source: Indonesia.
• Kosher Certification: OU.
• CocoZona (Original). Ingredients: coconut water from concentrate. Per 8 ounces: 38.5 calories, 8.8 g sugars, 121 mg sodium, 407 mg potassium. No scent, liquid has a slightly yellow cast. Mostly neutral taste.
• Rescue Water (Blueberry Coconut). Ingredients: filtered water, coconut water from concentrate, crystalline fructose and too many others to list here, including B vitamins, green tea extract, Vitamin C and a stevia leaf sweetener. Per 8 ounces: 25 calories, 4 g sugars, 62 mg sodium, 222 mg potassium. Slight blueberry aroma, pale yellow liquid. Gentle, pleasant blueberry flavor.
• DrinkArizona.com.

C2O Coconut Water

• Coconut Source: Thailand.
• C2O Coconut Water (A Favorite). Ingredients: coconut water. Per 8 ounces: 50 calories, 12 g sugars, 75 mg sodium, 300 mg potassium. Almost clear, with just a slight cloudiness. Almost no aroma. As unflavored coconut waters go, this is a bit sweeter than many, with a slight nutty taste. A favorite.
• C2O-CocoWater.com.

CocoHydro (Powdered)

• Coconut Source: Java (Indonesia).

• Kosher Certification: Earth Kosher
• Preparation: Because CocoHydro is a powder, the serving size is listed as 22 grams. Per 22 grams, all varieties of CocoHydro contain 5 calories, 1 g sugars, and 7 mg sodium (no potassium measurement is given). For each variety, I added the powder to 8 ounces of tap water, mixed well, then chilled each glass for 4 hours, stirring just before tasting. All varieties contained small pieces of pulp at the bottom of the glass.
• Instant Coconut Water. Ingredients: evaporated coconut water (coconut water, dextrose), sea salt. No aroma. Slightly cloudy liquid. A very mild sweetness.
• Instant Coconut Water (Pineapple). Ingredients: evaporated coconut water (coconut water, dextrose), sea salt, natural flavor, vegetable-based natural coloring. No aroma. Bright yellow opaque liquid. Slight pineapple-ish flavor, but it doesn’t taste like the real fruit.