Years ago (OK, like six), I loved to rehydrate after my runs with VitaCoco Coconut Water with Pineapple. I used coconut water because it has a lot of potassium, and I sweat so much while running that I get leg cramps if I'm not careful about replacing the potassium - if you've ever woken up with a massive Charley horse in your calf in the middle of the night, you know what I'm talking about. I loved this drink, and even got Jeff hooked on it, but a couple of years ago it disappeared from the grocery store shelves in our town. Honestly, I wondered if VitaCoco had gone out of business, but nope - apparently the powers that be in our area decided we weren't worthy of such a delicious drink. We tried some other brands of coconut water but didn't like them, so eventually I switched over to either Gatorade or Nuun (and we know how Nuun has ruined THAT now, ptooey).
Cut to a couple of months ago, when we were at a grocery store in Dallas - I couldn't believe it when I saw my beloved VitaCoco pineapple on the shelves! I bought a couple of cartons and proceeded to hoard them, telling Jeff we had to save them for a particularly sweaty post-run reward. Then he wondered if, since it had been so long since we'd had the VitaCoco, if we'd really notice that much of a difference between that brand and other brands, so we bought a couple other cartons of coconut water proceeded to have a taste-test throwdown.
The contenders:
Naked, Vita Coco, Yaco - all coconut water with pineapple puree added.
The throwdown scene - about 6:30 am, after a steamy 2.5 mile run:
Interestingly, the Naked brand looked the most colorful...but how would it taste?
Jeff stood with his back to the table, so he didn't know which brand I was handing him. He guessed the VitaCoco correctly right away. The one he liked the least was the Naked, which I thought was interesting considering it looked the most flavorful, in terms of color vibrancy. He said the Yaco could do, but still, the VitaCoco was far and above the best-tasting of the three.
As for me, I started with the Naked brand and hated it. I thought it had a bit of a dirt taste - it was not good. Then I tried the Yaco brand. The flavors were faint, like there just wasn't much to it at all. I saved the VitaCoco for last, and of course I loved it, but I did feel like it was pretty heavy, and I'm not sure if that was because A) it is; B) I had it after two lighter-tasting drinks; or C) I'm not used to drinking it anymore.
So, the VitaCoco pineapple flavor is still our favorite, but even if I could easily purchase it, I'm not sure I'd drink it after a run now, just because it seemed so heavy to me. Now, for a fun drink on a hot afternoon, over some crushed ice? Sure thing!
I tried coconut water a few years ago because ya know it was suppose to be the thing to do. I don't remember what brand it was but I'm sure it was Not Naked. I just couldn't acquire a taste for it because I felt it tasted "dirty". I even tried the pineapple flavor and felt the same way. Some friends suggested an alternative brand that tasted less "dirty" but I have yet to try it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you thought it tasted dirty, too.
DeleteI loved coconut water when I first tried it. But then I read it had minimal electrolytes and so I kind of gave it up for plain old water. We do use it here for smoothies, tho.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have a lot of electrolytes, but it does have a lot of potassium, so I figured that would help with the cramping...so would a banana, but that would mean a lot more trips to the grocery store (they go from ripe to bad in about a day here). Lazy me just wanted something tasty and easy, LOL!
DeleteI have tried the VitaCoco a couple of years ago and it was okay. Since then I haven't bought it anymore but I see more brands in stores nowadays.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is that I was meal planning yesterday and am going to try a new recipe for a smoothie bowl next week and it uses ... coconut water :) So next week I will try it again.
I bet it will taste good in your smoothie!
DeleteThat cracks me up, having your own taste test! I don't think I've ever had coconut water. Then again, I don't think I've had too many sweaty runs :) But I love coconut and pineapple combined. Maybe I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteWe like to entertain ourselves... ;)
DeleteI love that you had your own taste test!!!! So fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've tried coconut water and I just don't get it - maybe I should see if I can find your favorite brand?!
ReplyDeleteWe used to do taste tests with the kids when they were little - with Coke vs. Pepsi - high end milk vs. store brand - that brought back nice memories for me :D
You know I love the coconut water. I like the fruit flavored ones, but will certainly drink the plain. I like VitaCoco or ONE brands. I don't think I have tried the others. After a sweaty workout, I like to have coconut water with some pretzels so I replace the sodium and the potassium with a bit of carbs in there.
ReplyDeleteI really need to try coconut water myself as I'm with you in the ruined Nuun group. Every time I open a new tube of my precious Grape, I feel a bit sad knowing that soon I won't have any left. Nuun makes me MAD!
ReplyDeleteI'm still upset over the Nuun mess, and my tubes of original formula are disappearing too quickly. :(
DeleteI've always been a fan of Vita Coco. I used this drink to re-hydrate myself after a long run. It's always my partner together with water. I haven't tried other brands yet because I am satisfied with VitaCoco.
ReplyDelete