For this month's Thai Test Kitchen, we sample twelve different brands of canned coconut water to determine which one tastes the most similar to fresh coconut water.
Spring is in the air, and at least around here, that means grocery stores are bringing out floor-to-ceiling displays of canned coconut water. I typically don't buy pre-packaged coconut water, because it's easy enough to crack open a fresh young coconut. But, with so many brands being so prominently displayed these days, it got me wondering if any of them live up to the real thing... Of course, there's only one way to answer this question, and that is with this month's Thai Test Kitchen!
Brands of Canned Coconut Water
For this taste test, the boyfriend and I bought quite a few different brands of coconut water. We tried to choose brands of water whose coconuts originated in Thailand, but also threw in a couple popular brands made with non-Thai coconuts for comparison's sake. All told, we ended up with twelve canned drinks total, including Zico, Amy & Brian, Coco Fresh, Sun Tropics, O.N.E., C2O, Naked, Taste Nirvana, Vita Coco, Blue Monkey, and Harmless Harvest, and Kimbo. We also cracked open a fresh coconut from Thailand to be our standard against which the canned coconut waters would be compared.
Color Comparison
Once all of the coconut waters were poured into their own glasses, it was interesting to note the color differences between them. Only a few brands were perfectly clear, with most being slightly cloudy and a few looking almost yellow. The Taste Nirvana "Real" coconut water was the most clear of the bunch, clearer even than the water from our young Thai coconut.
None of the canned coconut waters in our test group were pink. For the bottles that we could see through, we specifically avoided the pink-tinted products when buying them, as pinkish coconut water from fresh coconuts is usually a sign that it's not super fresh.
Taste Comparison
In order to make it a fair taste test, I removed the name tags and coded each brand by number before serving them to our friends. Then it was just a matter of tasting and scoring each of the twelve different samples.
Each brand was scored by five participants on a scale of one to five, with one being the worst and five being the best. Fresh coconut water from a Thai young coconut was held as the benchmark against which all of the brands were compared. We sampled it in between each brand as a reminder of what the coconut water should taste like.
After averaging the scores, our top three favorite brands were Harmless Harvest, Taste Nirvana, and Kimbo.
Looking back on our notes, it seems that the qualities we liked in these top three brands were a subtle sweetness, pleasant earthy flavor, and lack of a sour or bitter aftertaste that many of the other brands had. We were pretty harsh critics, though, with the best that one friend could offer regarding these brands being that they were "not offensive".
As you can imagine, the remaining brands garnered much less positive reviews, with some inducing quite strong reactions.
Conclusion
By the end of the taste test, everyone had had enough coconut water to last them for quite a while. And while we did our best to be objective taste testers, we also realized that the sheer volume of samples being tried may have influenced our scores, so we'd love to hear your favorite coconut water brands as well!
I'm glad to have found some substitutes for those times when popping the top of a coconut isn't an option. But at the end of the day, I have to say that nothing beats fresh coconut water straight from a young Thai coconut.
Corey S.
Hey there!
I am reaching out on behalf of Grace Foods, a leading producer of premium coconut water.
We are keen to have Grace Foods Coconut Water featured in your list of top coconut water brands!
Our product stands out due to its 100% pure, natural coconut water sourced from young coconuts, offering superior taste and health benefits.
Grace Foods also has a 100+ year history of excellence and is the largest corporation in the Caribbean!
Here's a brief overview of what sets Grace Foods Coconut Water apart:
100% Pure: No added sugars or concentrates.
Health Benefits: Rich in electrolytes, ideal for hydration.
Customer Satisfaction: Consistently rated highly by our customers in Canada.
You can find more information about our coconut water on our website: https://gracefoods.ca/coconut-water/
We would be delighted to provide any additional information or samples you may need for your review. Thank you for considering Grace Foods for inclusion in your top coconut water brands list.
Looking forward to your response!
Aphinya M.
I love coconut water!! Have tried several myself and the Taste Nirvana is the best soo far although pricey, haven't tried the Harmless Harvest yet but it's now on my list!! Love this idea of taste testing!! A store here on Maui have just recently started stocking "Roasted Coconut Juice", was more like sugared coconut water but love the idea of it, Roasted Coconuts on Thailand's beachside is just perfect..
Just a note though.. Beware of coconut "juice" because a lot of them contains sugar so it actually isn't all natural as the coconut "water"..
Rachel
Ahh, I never would have thought that the difference between coconut "juice" and coconut "water" would be added sugar! So tricky... Thanks for commenting on this!!
Aphinya M.
I love coconut water!! Have tried several myself and the Taste Nirvana is the best soo far although pricey, haven't tried the Harmless Harvest yet but it's now on my list!! Love this idea of taste testing!! A store here on Maui have just recently started stocking "Roasted Coconut Juice", was more like sugared coconut water but love the idea of it, Roasted Coconuts on Thailand's beachside is just perfect..
Just a note though.. Beware of coconut "juice" because a lot of them contains sugar so it actually isn't all natural as the coconut "water"..
Rachel
Ahh, I never would have thought that the difference between coconut "juice" and coconut "water" would be added sugar! So tricky... Thanks for commenting on this!!
Evie {Domestic Whimsy}
Great post! With the assortment of coconut water out there, it's helpful to be pointed in the right direction. I've tried a few that had "off" flavors which was a bummer. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the ones you recommend here!
Evie {Domestic Whimsy}
Great post! With the assortment of coconut water out there, it's helpful to be pointed in the right direction. I've tried a few that had "off" flavors which was a bummer. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the ones you recommend here!
Katie
I'm glad you guys added this. I picked up some Taste Nirvana coconut water and it was definitely the best out of several brands that I have tasted.
Katie
I'm glad you guys added this. I picked up some Taste Nirvana coconut water and it was definitely the best out of several brands that I have tasted.
Jennifer
Hi Rachel, I love your blog. I was just going through and found this post and thought I'd chime in and say I'm another fan of Harmless Harvest. I've tried most of the brands in this post, and it's by far my favorite. Too bad it's harder to find than many of the others!
Jennifer
Hi Rachel, I love your blog. I was just going through and found this post and thought I'd chime in and say I'm another fan of Harmless Harvest. I've tried most of the brands in this post, and it's by far my favorite. Too bad it's harder to find than many of the others!
Fawn @ Cowen Park Kitchen
Harmless Harvest is by far my favorite as well. Must have something to do with the lack of pasteurizing. Wish it was less spendy though! Yikes.
If I had better looking young coconuts in my local stores, I'd opt for them too, but the ones that seem to make their way up here are often moldy or shrunken looking unfortunately, so the bottled stuff is usually a better choice.
Rachel
That's a really good point, Fawn! I guess I really am lucky to have access to fresh young coconuts whenever I want...
Fawn @ Cowen Park Kitchen
Harmless Harvest is by far my favorite as well. Must have something to do with the lack of pasteurizing. Wish it was less spendy though! Yikes.
If I had better looking young coconuts in my local stores, I'd opt for them too, but the ones that seem to make their way up here are often moldy or shrunken looking unfortunately, so the bottled stuff is usually a better choice.
Rachel
That's a really good point, Fawn! I guess I really am lucky to have access to fresh young coconuts whenever I want...