I have been trying all brands of coconut water. I agree that the Vita Coco is perhaps the sweetest tasting coconut water. I bought the Naked Coconut water right when it became available (at a good price; keep an eye out as prices for several brands of coconut water has been fluctuating on Amazon). Anyway, Naked water is not as sweet as Vita Coco, yet not as sour as Zico. Naked water was certainly good enough to order more.
I work outside in the Texas heat quite a bit. During this summer of 2010 (with temperatures above 100 degrees) I will work up a huge sweat, literally soaking my shirt. I found that drinking coconut water, of any brand, does wonders at refreshing me and giving me the energy I need to head back outside. Indeed, one memorable day I went inside to cool off; I was literally so tired that I thought I would not be able to go back out into that heat and finish my chores. However, after chugging down a container of cold coconut water and sitting for about ten minutes, I was amazed at how refreshed I felt. I was able to head back out and work up a new sweat. From that day on I have been a real fan of coconut water.
I doubt the hype about being 'good for diabetes' and other health-related claims (I am diabetic and have found no difference in my blood sugar levels). However, coconut water does wonders at rehydrating the body: much better than Gatorade. Even Zico (which has been much maligned lately) does me great after a hot session in the heat.
So, load up on coconut water. When you are overheated and thirsty, any brand will go down great. Keep an eye on the prices, since they seem to vary.
I have tried about 5 brands of coconut water, Amy and Bryans, ONE, Nature Factor, Zico, and VitaCoco. This one has the most subtle taste of all of them and looking at the nutritional listing on the box, seems to contain the least amount of sugar. For some, it might taste like water since the flavor does not seem to come out compared to the other brands.
Amy and Bryans and Nature Factor coconuts are way too sweet for my taste and I think they get their coconut water from Thailand. Vita Coco tastes a bit tart.
Zico used to be my favorite before they switch from all natural to concentrate and though I have not tried it, based on other people's reviews, it does not come close to any of these particular ones.
So in the end, ONE coconut will be the brand I will continue to buy and if Zico comes back into the market, I might pick them second. For my taste, the ONE brand tastes the best.
I would rate this at 3.5 star but since that is not available, I guess I will put it at 3. It just tastes too close to water.
Preface: Growing up in south India, I used to drink coconut water almost everyday.
I haven't tried ONE or Vita. I have tried Zico (natural flavor), and it was really disappointing. Everytime I took a sip, I kept turning the tetra-pak to look at the ingredients on the back. It did say 100% coconut water and nothing else. But I am not so sure, I have never tasted any coconut water that sweet, it was just awful. Hmmm.. may be not awful, but that's just not how coconut water tastes.
Compared to Zico, Naked is way better. It is definitely the real thing, though it lacks, just a little bit, in flavor. I would give it 4 stars, but seeing Zico rated higher than Naked, I am giving this a 5 star.
If you grew up drinking coconut water, definitely buy Naked over Zico. If you are new to coconut water, mild tasting Naked might be a let down. You might like the more sweeter Zico better.
Normally I'd like to see more options available with something I love like coconut water, but what really peeves me is how the quality keeps going down! The larger companies are now getting their hands into what is "hot" and they're pumping out low quality coconut water. The only thing that kept me from giving a 1 star is that the better alternatives can't seem to stay in stock. Jeeze!!!
I'm from Brazil, and when I'm home I usually drink coconut water straight from the coconut. When I moved to the states I really missed tating real good coconut water, until I tried this product. Trust me people, this is the real stuff. It's not as sweet as the othe rbrands, and real coconut water isn't supposed to be, but sour coconut water means that they took it from coconuts that aren't ripe yet. This is the best coconut water you can get in the states.
I will start by saying that I am NOT an avid drinker of coconut water. This was my first (and probably only) experience with the stuff. I like trying new, healthy items when they come out and coconut water had been on my list for a while. I decided to bite the bullet with this one since I am a fan of the Naked brand. While I'm sure that the beverage is healthy and good for you, and may even qualify to college kids as a hang over drink, I, on the other hand, think that its distinct taste (not coconut-y, but rather 'earthy') and don't enjoy it. I'd probably say that if you have ever had wheat grass drinks, you would like this. If you don't like wheat grass, you probably will no like this. (I'm not crazy about wheat grass, but I mix it into some drinks for the added health benefits). While they are made of different ingredients and don't taste exactly the same, I think that the taste TYPE is very similar. They will probably taste better in a nice, healthy fruit smoothie.
It's also important to point out that the expiration date of the beverages I received was 2.5 months after I ordered it. That may seem like a lot of time, but if it will take you a while to consume the drinks, you may want to keep that in mind. I ended up bringing them into work and left them in the kitchen for anyone who would want them since I knew I wouldn't finish the entire box before it expired. - Zico - Beverage - Delicious - Health - Coconut - Sports Drink'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
