The Spunky Coconut

Gluten-Free ❤ Dairy-Free ❤ Paleo

You are here: Home / Drinks / Coconut Water Review

Coconut Water Review

By


Young coconuts growing in Kelly’s mom’s Florida backyard.

by Andrew

While on vacation I bought some coconut water in a Florida health food store. Oh, man was it good. This blog is the Spunky Coconut, so I thought we should definitely do a post reviewing all the different brands.

Coconut water gained major popularity in the past year. There have been some overly enthusiastic claims made about the drink, but I really don’t care about the anti-aging and weight-loss hype. For us coconut water is a simply delicious drink with a lot of healthy stuff in it. It’s full of potassium, calcium, magnesium, lauric acid, and electrolytes.

All coconut waters have the same health benefits, but they can differ wildly in flavor. This came as a surprise to me when I first started sampling the different brands. I assume that this can partly be explained by where the coconuts were grown. Coconut water comes from two main sources, Brazil and Thailand. The age when the coconuts are harvested might also affect the taste. VitaCoco gives a specific age of 7 months, while the others say they use young or green coconuts. There are varieties with added fruit juice or coconut pulp, but for this review I sampled only 100% coconut water.

Amy and Brian
Flavor: slightly sweet, clean tasting
Packaging: 17.5 oz steel can / 10 oz aluminum can. Both BPA free
Region: Thailand
Website: AmyAndBrianNaturals.com
Notes: I emailed the company to confirm their cans do not have BPA. I was especially impressed to learn that the large cans are made of stainless steel. Their logo, website design, and packaging aren’t as slick as the other brands, but this is because Amy and Brian is a smaller company.

C2O Pure Coconut Water
Flavor: not sweet, but not bitter.
Packaging: 17.5 oz tin can (BPA-free)
Region: Thailand
Website: c2o-cocowater.com
Notes: The website states that their coconut trees grow near freshwater, and are therefore less salty than the coastal coconut waters. I’ve never noticed a salty taste from any coconut water. The name concept is kinda cool (H20 + Coconut = C20).
NakedCoconut
Flavor: not sweet, almost bitter
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: NakedJuice.com
Notes: I didn’t care for the rather plain taste, but Ashley drank the whole thing.

Nature Factor
Flavor: slightly sweet, subtle
Packaging: aluminum can
Region: Thailand
Website: EdwardAndSons.com
Notes: This coconut water is produced by food company Edward and Sons. Unfortunately, the coating of these cans does contain BPA. The company tells me that testing shows that it does not leach into the drink. They also say they are in the processes of finding new cans. The water bottle company SIGG had it’s public BPA embarrassment back in August of 2009. Edward and Sons hasn’t switched to BPA-free packaging in the two years since then, so I doubt they are truly concerned. Note: SIGG removed the BPA from it’s bottles.

O.N.E.
Flavor: slightly sweet clean tasting
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: OneDrinks.com
Notes: I don’t have much to say other than I liked O.N.E. and I like the cheerful unassuming packaging. In 2010 PepsiCo became the majority stakeholder in the O.N.E company.

Taste Nirvana
Flavor: sweet, rich flavor
Packaging: glass bottle or aluminum can
Region: Nakorn Pathom province, Thailand
Not from concentrate
Website: TasteNirvana.com
Notes: Taste Nirvana’s water is very consciously marketed to the health-conscious crowd. They are the only brand offering a non-reactive glass bottle. The packaging is very green and natural looking. Evocative text on the back label speaks of Thai coconut water traditionally sold at quaint “roadside stands by smiling vendors.” Aware that food origin is very important to today’s consumers, Taste Nirvana cites not only the country, but also the specific province providing their coconuts.

VitaCoco
Flavor: slightly sweet, clean tasting
Packaging: BPA-free Tetra Pak
Region: Brazil
Website: VitaCoco.com
Notes: More than any other brand VitaCoco relies on celebrity power to promote it’s product. Madonna made it known that she is a major investor in this privately owned company. Demi Moore is another investor, Rhianna is the official spokesperson, while various other celebrities have been photographed drinking VitaCoco in public.

ZICO
Flavor: very subtle. slightly cow-milky?
Packaging: HDPE plastic bottle
Region: unknown
Website: ZICO.com
Notes: Until recently ZICO was available in a carton. Marketing their product as a sports drink, the company moved to a rugged plastic bottle. Their coconut water does not come from a single source. It is a blend of “coconuts from around the world.” Most likely ZICO does this in order to take advantage of the lowest priced coconuts at any given time. The water actually contains an additional ingredient, “natural flavors.” What these flavors are is a mystery, but the bottle is labeled as gluten-free. ZICO’s coconut water is from concentrate, another cost-saving measure. Its promotions are focused in the sports and fitness, hiring professional athletes as endorsers and partnering with athletic organizations. Coca-Cola is a minority stakeholder in ZICO.

Pricing
It’s difficult to compare the prices of all these brands. The volume of a container varies from 10 fluid ounces to 11.2, 14, 17.5, and up. Usually no more than three different brands will appear at any one market, and the price at one store might be as much as $1 more than at another.

Conclusion
Unfortunately, Kelly only tried half of these drinks. Out of those her favorites were Amy and Brian and Taste Nirvana. My favorite was VitaCoco, which Kelly found boring. I’m also a big fan of Amy and Brian and O.N.E. I highly recommend you try several different brands since there is such a variety in flavor.

In my review I thought it was important to point out the way each brand is promoted. I feel that the marketing approach can reflect the flavor. For example, Taste Nirvana appears as a very natural product and has a very natural taste. ZICO, on the other hand, is marketed as a sports drink and tastes the least like fresh coconut water.

Do you have a favorite not listed here? I’d love to add more brands to the list.

—Andrew
www.ajbdesign.com

Share this:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. I am a coconut water lover as well! I have tried 5 out of the 7 listed. My favorites are vitaco and o.n.e. I also like o.n.e.’s coconut water that have guava, pineapple, or mango puree in them. Sometimes it’s nice to have a little flavor without all the sugar and fake flavorings.

  4. Thanks for the review! I didn’t know anything about these companies before.
    We love Vita-Coco and I’ve been packing it my kid’s lunches. It’s a hit! And the best news is, it’s available at my Costco, so it’s a pretty good deal too.
    Love your blog!

  6. Great information!!
    I have only tried Nirvana’s Coconut Water and I absolutely love it. Wish the bottle was only bigger 🙂 I have also been recommended to try the very first one you mentioned – big tall can one.
    I work in a health food store and coconut water sells like crazy…. can see why now as it tastes so good 🙂

  7. Wow, nice review!
    I love coconut water, grew up drinking it from the coconut in Brazil. With that said, it is hard for me to find a coconut water that is close to the fresh ones I used to get.
    I haven’t tried all you reviewed, but my favorite from that list is Vita Coco, to me it is the only one that tastes more like the true coconut water. I really enjoy it!
    I find O.N.E. to be nice (but not as good as vita coco), and I am also not a big fan of Zico. Naked coconut water is awful, like you said it is kinda of bitter, which coconut water certainly is not.
    Thanks for the review, I will see if I can find the other ones you mentioned and give them a try too! I just love coconut water 🙂
    Ana

  9. i love coconut water! We buy it by the carton all the time……… if only we lived in the tropics and could drink it strait from the coconut.sigh……
    We usually buy Zico because thats the only brand Trader Joes carries and that’s where we usually shop. I like it but the only other kind I’ve tried besides fresh is the naked brand and i didn’t like it very much, I’ll have to try those other brands though.
    I LOVE COCONUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Great post, I’ve been sampling coconut waters lately too, they are so diverse. I recently discovered Body Ecology Coconut water. They have a raw frozen version that is very fresh and tasty. I get it at whole foods in the freezer section, It’ not cheap but I look at it as an indulgence since we don’t drink wine!
    FYI: I just read on their site that the coconut water can be made into a kefir that is supportive of those with autism.
    http://bodyecology.com/coconut/

    I like Amy & Brian and agree with Kelly that Zico is bland.

  12. Wow Andy, this is a great post and review of the various brands of coconut water! I’ll have to show it to Tom, he and the boys drink a lot of coconut water. I personally don’t like any of them very much. Though I do love coconut water fresh from a coconut! When we were in Hawaii, there were people selling freshly cracked young coconuts in pick-up trucks at many of the beaches and markets. I couldn’t stop drinking those! 🙂

  13. Thank you for the review. Ten years ago I realized food was making me sick. One of the first things I did was follow “The Body Ecology” diet by Donna Gates. She uses coconut kefir from young coconut. I actually made my own following her instructions and it was quite good. I have been curious about coconut water since I’ve been seeing it in stores. I appreciate the review and the comments I will definitely pick some up today. Your blog and cookbook are one of my staples. Thank you.

  14. I AM SO GLAD YOU DID THIS! I’ve been wanting to do this myself. I have been scared of trying the large can one, but now I will! I have tried One, VitaCoco, Taste Nirvana and Zinco. I like One and Taste Nirvana (both very different), but don’t really care for VitaCoco or Zinco at all!

  16. I personally love Nature Factor Organic Coconut Water. While I have tried several listed on your review, I always end up going back to this one. The only ingredient is Organic Young Coconut Water. I especially enjoy it after I have placed in the freezer for 10-15 minutes! Yum!
    I was suprised by your review so I personally called the company and while they state that a small trace of BPA is present, the company conducts their testing to lower limits of detection than other companies do (they test to 0.2ppm where others test to 0.5ppm). My father is a biochemical engineer and he explained to me that in reality, all can’s have BPA present in their linings, it is used as a barrier between the product and the aluminum/tin of the can. I am confident that Edward & Son’s makes every effort to seek low levels of BPA in their can linings. The companies’ quality in not only this product but their others makes this evident.

  18. Nice reviews, we have only had the chance to taste a couple of those flavours since we are in Australia. Although we have our own industry of coconut waters here which we have been reviewing.

  21. I’ve tried a few different brands as was initially surprised out how different they can taste. Vita-coco feels has a refreshing plain taste after a work-out but my favorite taste one is Taste Nirvana, it’s like an enveloping milky sweetness ^^. It’s so good I think it could be a soda replacement for those that drink soda.

  23. I agree with Kelly! I have tried nearly all the ones you have listed, as well as some other brands you can find at Whole Foods such as Blue Monkey, and I have found my favorite brands to be Amy & Brian and Taste Nirvana also. Thank you for the informative post!

  25. Thanks for the work! Was looking specifically for what the C2O cans are made of as I’m looking to boost coconut water intake but reduce aluminum containers. Thought it would take me ages to find the info, but voila!