Vita Coco

Product name: Vita Coco
Purchase details: Sainsbury’s Local
Calories: 59 per 330ml container
Country of origin: Brazil

I picked up this bottle of Vita Coco for free from Sainsbury’s Local with a voucher I won as part of my Higgidy picnic.

This drink is simply described as ‘natural coconut water’ so, at this point, I shall make a confession: I don’t actually like water. However, I do love coconut (although, granted, I never have it in its natural form), so I hoped this would be enough to make this beverage enjoyable.
I was slightly miffed that this bottle contained 59 calories but, on the plus side, the drink contained no fat or cholesterol and boasts more potassium than is found in a banana – good for hydration, apparently!

The container this Vita Coco came in was attractive and fresh-looking, with a handy screw cap which is why I can’t quite decide whether to class it as a bottle or a carton! The liquid inside, understandably, was more boring in appearance – it was basically cloudy water.

One of my favourite things about coconut is the smell but it soon became apparent that the smell I’ve come to know and love is not the pure variety! This drink did have a scent which I could identify as coconut (although it wasn’t quite as special as what I’m used to) and there was also a slight juicy element to it.

Texturally, this chilled Vita Coca was a simple, smooth liquid which was slightly thicker than water. On hitting the tastebuds, it was extremely sweet, but it did then make way for a more nutty flavour which was more coconut-like. However, again, it just didn’t compare to other foodstuffs that contain coconut, and quite frankly, I just didn’t like it.

Although I was unaware of a ‘normal’ water flavour, I did wonder if there was an element of this somewhere which caused me to dislike this product. I tried to persevere with the drink but, ultimately, only managed to drink half of it. However, I wanted to know if it was just me who had issues with it so offered the remainder to two of my relatives. They each took a sip, pulled faces and declared it to be ‘not very nice’.

I can see that this is a natural product and, for that reason, I feel bad about criticising it. However, this just wasn’t for me (or my relatives). If I was desperate for hydration, I’d definitely reach for tap water over this.  

Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 3/10
Texture: 6/10
Overall score: 5.75/10