Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Alright now boys and girls of the beverage persuasion, here we go with the last Zico Coconut Water review! And just in time too, I was gifted an entire box of drinks perfect for us, and I need to get on those soon.  What would be better after a long day working outside in the heat than an uber-hydrating glass of coconut water?  Not much, and anything else would distract from this review, so forget about it.  This is just what I needed after an afternoon of significant perspiration, and we already know its benefits, but let us see how the ‘natural’ coconut water stacks up against its flavored comrades.

Coconut water has a very peculiar and pleasant scent to it, at once nutty and fresh.  The taste has a similar quality, with the nutty flavor coming through well with the water in its natural state.  There is something else to flavor I can never quite put my finger on, and for those unfamiliar with coconut water, I’m not sure if I can adequately explain it, you must try it.  The sweetness is very light, and as expected, comes naturally from the water itself.  The aftertaste I can only describe as similar to having just eaten a handful of almonds, it has a similar nut-like quality.  This really makes me miss eating fresh, young coconut at my favorite Thai place, a seasonal delight around these landlocked parts.

Overall, for anyone seeking serious hydration and refreshment, but isn’t too preoccupied with counting calories, this is the perfect way to go.  It’s healthy, all natural, and if you recycle the bottle, not a burden on the environment.  These are by far superior to any average sports drink or ‘health water’, and taste better than most.  Still, if you need to spare the calories, stick with water, you can’t go wrong with H2O.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. A hydration master from nature and better for you, even with the sugar.

– WiseGuise

User reviews: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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**Danithius Review Rebuttal!**

I think Zico has a decent coconut water here.  It has the lowest sugar content that I’ve seen in any coconut water so far, so it does win in the health department.  But flavor-wise, it feels like it lacks a certain body that I’ve found in others.  While snooping around online for coconut waters, I found some Zico customer reviews that were lamenting a recent formula change.  I wish I could have tried some of their previous formula to judge for myself!  But nitpicking aside, it is still a great hydrating refresher, so I’d probably give it a 4.0

4-Star Reviews, Zico Coconut Water all natural, coconut water, drink reviews

Perfect for chillin' on the couch

Hello libationers! I’ve been absent for a while, mostly due to my own laziness, but partially due to aiding my girlfriend in her ceaseless endeavor to save every homeless dog in the tri-county area.  Any-who, I’m going to be finishing off this string of Zico reviews, first with a tasty-sounding combination of pomegranate, berry and coconut water.  I’ve been enjoying the last few flavors, but feel slightly guilty not adding my opinion, so enjoy my detailed reviews.

Senses: After finding my way through the maze of packaging that would have impressed Daedalus (look it up, kids), I got to inspect the olfactory complexities of this drink.  The distinct pomegranate scent takes the leading position, followed closely by the nutty coconut scent, and a sweet, tangy but vague background of berry.  Off to my expectant tongue.  The taste strikes me as predominantly coconut, then a slight tang of sour and followed by the pomegranate and a hint of something berry-like.  There is a slight, lingering sweetness, which is surprising with the 12 g of sugar in the 14 oz bottle.  The overall flavor leaves me wanting more pomberry and less coconut.

Sensible: There is a total of 60 calories in the 14 oz bottle, all of them coming from the naturally occurring sugar in the coconut water.  There are five electrolytes inside, including more potassium than a whole banana.  I’m writing this review after a hard day working in the ninety-degree Utah summer, and I feel quite refreshed and hydrated after finishing this.  Reading up on their product, Zico claims that coconut water is the only natural substance that can be used as an emergency intravenous fluid, and from what I’ve gleaned from the Internet, it’s true.

Overall, although it is still a tasty and unique flavored coconut water, this is probably my least favorite flavor from Zico.  I feel it lacked somewhat in the flavor category, and could have easily handled more pomegranate flavor.  That being said, I am biased due to my love of pomegranate juice, and I still enjoyed this beverage.  I will personally continue to support Zico by using their coconut water line as a great recovery drink, and for general re-hydration purposes.  The only other issue I can take with this drink is the excessive packaging, which prohibits a more immediate refreshment, and isn’t particularly environmentally friendly.

Score: 4 out of 5. A superb re-hydration beverage that only lacks a little flavor.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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**Danithius Review Rebuttal!**

Took the words right out of my mouth.  Decent flavor, but I think it could be polished up with another trip to the flavor lab.  I want more of a true pomegranate punch with a twist of fresh berry.  I also give this a four.

4-Star Reviews, Zico Coconut Water coconut water, drink reviews, no added sugar

Howdy, enlightened libation seekers!  Today I’m fresh off a session of Kenpo and ready for my next Zico contender: Tao Mango.  (The logical next step in the tropical fruit spectrum, of course!)  I’m thirsty and covered in sweat, so let’s skip the pleasantries and get right to it.

Aroma: Mango tang!  I love it when drinks nail the nuances of fruit flavors, and it smells like Tao Mango is right on track.  It smells of that citrus-y tropical bite you get when cutting into a real mango.   

Taste: Coco-mango!  The flavor turned out to be a lot lighter and smoother than the scent led me to believe.  I believe the coconut water has something of a muting, smoothing effect on other flavors that results in something totally new. Evidently when mango and coconut water are combined, you get a bonus banana-like flavor that also springs up to say hi.  I am surprised that the distinct mango tang that I smelled turned out to be mostly absent in the taste, though.

Health Factor: 12 g of sugar in the whole 14 ounce bottle.  Tons of potassium and other vitamins and minerals.  All-natural.  No fat.  Need I say more? 

Overall:  As you may have noticed from previous nitpickings, I’m something of a purist when it comes to drink flavorings.  I dearly appreciate companies that can get spot on flavor profiles.  This flavor is a worthy nod to mango, but at the same time I can tell that it is indeed a flavoring – something that was concocted by a research lab somewhere.  It feels a bit hollow, like it’s missing that distinct bite of a real mango.  It’s still tasty and quite refreshing, don’t get me wrong.  The flavorings in this are all natural.  But the thing is, for a perfect 5 star drink I really want to be WOWed by the flavor profile.  (See: Zico Chocolate)

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

-Danithius-

User Ratings: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Zico Coconut Water coconut water, drink reviews, no added sugar, reviews

Ahh, pineapple and coconut.  One of the tastiest flavor combinations to come out of the tropics.  (And responsible for the inebriation of countless sorority girls across the country).

Aroma: The second I crack open the seal, I’m greeted by a distinctive citrus-y pineapple tang.  The pineapple scent seems to be right on target – I hope this carries through to the actual taste!

Taste: The sweet tang of pineapple (and possibly a little mango or citrus) does indeed take center stage in this drink.  It tastes light and almost a little creamy.  At first I was concerned that the pineapple would overpower the rather delicate flavor of the coconut water (which has a much lighter flavor than cream of coconut), but it seems to balance out just fine here.  Sweet pineapple-citrus up front, and slightly nutty coconut on the back end. 

Health Factor: Like all its coconutty siblings, Pina Tropicale pulls off an amazing level of sweetness with only 12 grams of sugar in the entire 14-ounce bottle.  Part of this is simply because of the nature of coconut water – it always seems to deliver a big sweetness punch without a lot of sugar.  But out of everything I’ve tried so far, Zico ranks the lowest in total sugar grams per ounce.  That’s quite the accomplishment!

Overall: While deciding my final rating, I had to think long and hard about the flavoring of this drink.  I could nitpick about wanting a slightly sharper, fresher pineapple flavor from it.  I felt like it could be a little more full-bodied.  But after pondering it for a while, I concluded that it is meant to be a light, refreshing sports drink, and it does has a wonderful flavor for that.  And like the other flavors, it kept me coming back for more until the entire bottle disappeared with alarming speed.  I’m taking it for what it is – a light, tasty, and very refreshing sports drink.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5

-Danithius-

User Ratings: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Zico Coconut Water coconut water, drink reviews