I'm going to give you my personal review on a few store bought coconut waters, and I'm pretty certain if I was given a taste test right now on all of these that I'd be able to tell them apart because they are all fairly different. Also keep in mind that while a product may state "concentrate" on the label that this does not mean it has bad additives/ingredients, as concentrate can mean that only the healthiest parts of the fruit were used to create the product. The ones I reviewed below are listed from my top fave to least (I typically found these at either Target or Martins), and I think coconut water tastes better cold but these are usually found unrefrigerated at stores.
#1 Harmless Harvest: I feel like this one tastes the way a lot of other coconut waters strive to be in terms of taste as this one does seem to offer the most in terms of flavor. This one did not come in the typical paper carton as most do as it came in a plastic bottle in the fridge section of the grocery store and generally most are on the shelves. I did find this to taste like one of the sweetest coconut waters on here which was a little overkill for me at first, and it was a little off putting that this was a clear pale pink shade of coconut water but apparently that's a good thing since the pink means it contains beneficial phenols.
Ingredients: 100% Natural Coconut Water
#2 Naked: This one doesn't have a lot in terms of flavor so if you aren't fond of the way most coconut waters taste than this is probably a good option for you. It appears to be unaltered (claims no added sugar, no preserves, gluten free, Fair Trade Certified, pasteurized, and vegan) but does not state it's organic, it's slightly milky in color and doesn't appear to have any big coconut particles floating in it.
Ingredients: Coconut Water (contains coconut).
40 Calories (240ml), 60mg Sodium, 450mg Potassium, 10g Carbs, 8g Sugar, 4% Magnesium.
#3 Purity Organic: This one taste great and I found it had no weird after taste, although I feel that not all cartons of this taste completely consistent in terms of flavor (which is a bummer because I personally crave a good carton of this stuff at times). This one does seem to have more floating coconut pieces in it compared to Harvest Bay's, and it's more clear in color.
Ingredients: Organic Coconut Water (water and organic coconut water concentrate).
45 Calories (250ml), 80mg Sodium, 550mg Potassium, 11g Carbs, 11g Sugar, 15% Magnesium, 6% Calcium, 6% Phosphorus, 2% Iron.
#4 O.N.E.: Color wise this looks closest to Naked's but has more fine particles although it has slightly more in terms of flavor than Naked's. This product claims it's not from concentrate, fat free and gluten free. I'm rating this higher than Zico because the additional flavors this comes in are much better tasting (such as the splash of pineapple coconut water). The packaging on this does state that you should drink this within 2 days of opening it which could be a downside for some people.
Ingredients: Coconut Water (Contains Coconut).
45 Calories (240ml), 45mg Sodium, 440mg Potassium, 10g Carbs, 8g Sugar, 4% Magnesium.
#5 Zico: The color of this one more closely resembles Harvest Bay's, and the flavor tastes a tiny bit sweeter than Purity Organic but has an almost caramel flavor to it. Zico also has some pretty interesting additional flavors available such as chocolate (which isn't the greatest tasting in my opinion). Although I do feel Zico is more consistent in flavor in comparison to Purity Organic.
Ingredients: All natural coconut water from concentrate, natural flavor.
70 Calories (414ml), 180mg Sodium, 610mg Potassium, 16g Carbs, 15g Sugar, 4% Calcium, 2% Phosphorus, 10% Magnesium.
#6 Harvest Bay: It's fair in taste but a bit salty and nutty. This also has a yellow hue to it much like Zico's. This one is the lowest in calories compared to most the others on this post.
Ingredients: Coconut Water
40 Calories (250ml), 130mg Sodium, 510mg Potassium, 10g Carbs, 4g Sugar, 4% Calcium.
#7 Vita Coco: I didn't care for the way this one tasted, it has a weird sweetness to it, and the other flavored varieties I found to taste fairly repulsive. Although this product claims it's not from concentrate it does have added vitamin C to it.
Ingredients: Coconut Water, Vitamin C.
60 Calories (330ml), 40mg Sodium, 680mg Potassium, 15g Carbs, 15g Sugar, 230% Vitamin C, 5% Calcium, 5% Phosphorus, 10% Magnesium.
#8 C2O with Pulp: This one tasted the least like coconut water and had an odd taste and smell which I believe is caused by it being in a metal pop can. The "pulp" is actually coconut meat and the non-pulp variety had the same nutrition but was pulp free on the ingredients. I thought Vita Coco was fairly bad but this one takes the cake as my least fave thus far.
50 Calories (240ml), 75mg Sodium, 300mg Potassium, 13g Carbs, 12g Sugar, 2% Calcium, 2% Iron, <2% Phosphorus, 4% Magnesium, 2% Folic Acid, 42% Maganese, 2% Zinc, <2% Niacin.
Ingredients: 100% Natural Coconut Water, Young Coconut Pulp.
