Let me just start by saying that I am the undisputed (non-native) coconut queen. After living under a coconut tree for sometime in Mexico, I managed to do more with the coconut than I imagined, from 5 course coconut feasts to 14 day fasts on it’s water alone. And of course getting comfortable with a machete and opening them on my own. Not bad for a city kid.
If you’ve had the honor of drinking the juice from a freshly picked coconut, if only one time, whether if you liked it or not, there was a distinctive taste that is hard to come by out of a package.
Here’s the deal. More than any other food, coconut is the most manipulated. It’s rancidity level is through the roof and the slightest change in atmosphere can ruin the whole thing. So the coco is turning out to be more complicated (and expensive) to truly enjoy the taste… and most importantly the benefits of this versatile food.
If you’ve had a real coconut, it’s pretty obvious. The flavor ranges from bitter to acidic or even worse is covered up with some artificial fruit flavor to mask the bitter taste. At best it’s a liquid that has the ability to quench your thirst with no artificial sugars, flavors or otherwise. But I wouldn’t call it coconut water, coconut flavored water perhaps.
Harmless Harvest is one of the few if not only brands currently on the market that serve the coco justice. It’s unpasteurized, unsweetened and is so true to the source that the color varies from clear to pink ( a natural reaction to light). The flavor is mostly uniform, although its sweetness indicates that is on the older side (coconut water sweetens as it gets mature (which also means less nutrients). But we’re not going to split hairs here, or coconuts for that matter. Were going to be happy that there is at least one mass market choice for nature’s nectar.
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Harmless Harvest Coconut Water
PRODUCT NAME: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water
Tagline : “Pink is Pure"
Tastes like ...Actual coconut water, as of this review, the best mass market brand, bar none.
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Trader Joe’s Coconut Water
PRODUCT NAME: Trader Joe’s Coconut Water
Tastes like ... Actual coconut water. TJ’s coco is true to taste, its only downfall is the heavy pasteurization that affects the nutrients that are so great for coconut water.
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Zico Coconut Water
PRODUCT NAME: Zico Coconut Water
Tastes like: Artificially flavored water.
