Putting An End to the Coconut Water Debate
The long-awaited Coconut Water Review post is finally here! If you’ve been following along on my Instagram stories then you’ll know that I’ve taken it upon myself to try a bunch of different brands of coconut water to put the debate on which one is best, to an end. After extensive research (i.e. drinking way too many litres of coconut water), we have come to a conclusion… kind of.
BEFORE WE BEGIN (MUST READ):
Since my University background involved lots of research, it’s important to note that all of these coconut waters were tasted CHILLED and shaken. I’ve heard from multiple people that drinking coconut water cold is a must. I would have to agree that that is true. I would also recommend drinking these with a reusable straw because the small of the natural ones don’t smell that great (smells like a real coconut). Okay, now that that's out of the way... here we go.
Pretty good, it tastes like they added artificial coconut flavouring because it honestly tastes like a toasted coconut latte. I’ve never actually had a toasted coconut latte but if someone warmed this up and told me that that is what it was, I wouldn’t question them even for a second. I did drink a lot of this since it was a 1L container but halfway through the day it just got to be too sweet for me. I added ice cubes to dilute it and it’s better! I feel like a lot of these coconut waters are going to have fake coconut essence added to them.
The first sip tasted pretty bad, honestly. It doesn’t have that artificial coconut taste which I do appreciate, and it’s also not sweetened so that’s another point for Blue Monkey. Three sips in and it’s growing on me a little bit. I think I can drink the whole can. I’ll let you know, obviously. - I just realized I didn’t shake the can before drinking as it says to. I guess I’ll bring it home and try it again.
Okay, so I got a new can so as not to be biassed and give it a fair shot. I shook it, I chilled it. It was pretty good. It had that natural coconut smell, which is not the greatest, but I think it’s because mentally it’s coming from a can and not an actual fruit. I don’t think you even notice when you’re drinking out of a coconut.
Sweeter than expected but it says that it doesn’t contain any added sugar so there’s that. It’s honestly quite tasty but the
aftertaste tastes a bit like welches white grape juice concentrate. Maybe it’s just gone through more processes to get to the bottle…
I enjoyed this one. Doesn’t smell that great – what else is new? No artificial coconut flavour which is a bonus, and it’s not too
sweet. I think it’s funny because when I asked everyone what their favourite coconut water was on Instagram stories, no one said this one! Which is crazy if you ask me.
Tropico Coconut Water:
I really like this one, no added sugar but it tastes pretty sweet because it’s made with young coconuts but this one brought back happy Costa Rica memories of drinking out of an actual coconut and I enjoyed every sip.
Tastes legit like a real coconut. There are no artificial flavour, no added sugars, and the smell is not too overwhelming like the other ones I have tried. I have purchased more flavours to try and will continue supporting this brand in the future. A follower on Instagram mentioned that Thirsty Buddha is also part of the 1% initiative and they also make an effort to use all parts of the coconut by making coconut chips, jerky, vinegar, and nectar.
This one was honestly pretty tasteless. No weird coconut smell like the other ones but also not a strong taste of artificial coconut even though it says on the side of the bottle that coconut
essence has been added. Not too sweet and I love that it comes in a glass bottle.
SO? Which ones were my favourite you ask?
My top two are Tropico and Thirsty Buddha! I had already written my initial taste test review for Tropico and was just enjoying the rest of the tetra pack when I realized how much I was actually enjoying it. I hopped back on my computer and added it to my initial review. As for Thirsty Buddha, I think this is a great neutral coconut water. Easy to drink, nice and smooth, and has a great natural taste. I have also been bringing their fun sparkling flavoured coconut waters to events or weekend getaways. The current favourite is the pineapple coconut sparkling water or the mango peach one! I picked up one with pulp and a can of sparkling lime coconut water as well.
At the end of the day... Nothing compares to a fresh coconut.
Have any other favourites that you think I should add to this list? Let me know over on Instagram @KaitlynDickie.