I'm kind of irritated. I picked up this container of coconut water because it was made in Vietnam. I thought I'd discussed coconut water before, years ago. But I was mistaken. As I scrolled through all of my posts, I never found any about it. Apparently I was confusing coconut water with aloe, or cactus flavored drinks. Whatever the case, coconut water will get its debut today. Specifically it was from the Goya company, which is based in the U.S.
Looking through all those past posts, I was reminded that I've featured Goya products many times. In order of appearance, I talked about Brazilian cookies on May 25, 2016, Spanish cookies on January 6, 2018, pigeon peas on February 10, 2018, sugarcane juice on March 17, 2018, and cuitlacoche on January 30, 2021. So I won't repeat myself yet again--the first one, in 2016 has the most information about the company itself.
Coconut water is the clear fluid found inside of the coconut. It's distinct from coconut "milk," which is a combination of coconut water and grated coconut pulp. (The pulp is the soft whitish layer inside the tough outer husk. This pulp is clearly edible.) Technically coconut water is a juice, but no one seems to call it that. If you're so inclined, you can ferment coconut water into coconut vinegar, or make it into a jelly, even. Usually the younger coconuts, which have green outer husks rather than the brown ones, are the type used for coconut water. In some places street vendors just chop a hole in a coconut using a machete, and then stick a straw in it and hand it to the customers. Probably the most talked about aspect of coconut water is its nutritional value, and its perceived medical uses. This beverage is sometimes referred to as nature's sports drink, since it contains electrolytes. However, the healthiness of coconut water is a bit overblown, to say the least. Coconut water does have B vitamins (electrolytes), but not in huge amounts--the Daily Value percentage of each is 1-5%. It actually has more manganese and magnesium in it, at a "whopping" 7%. Other adherents go beyond the electrolyte/hydration issue. Alas, the scientific evidence is conclusive, and coconut water is not an effective antiviral agent, nor does it lower cholesterol or balance blood glucose levels, as some have claimed. In fact, one producer of coconut water, the Vita Coco brand from All Market, Inc., was reportedly forced to pay a $10,000,000 settlement in 2012 for falsely saying that its product contained 15 times the amount of electrolytes as popular sports drinks. And, to get much darker, reportedly during the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia doctors substituted coconut water for saline in their patients, with disastrous results that are listed as a crime against humanity by the Documentation Center of Cambodia. Finally, drinking too much coconut water can have serious health hazards. The relatively high amount of potassium can cause kidney failure, heart arrhythmia, loss of consciousness, and even death. This is very rare, but it is possible. The overall point being that coconut water is nutritious, is relatively low on calories and sugar, and does have electrolytes. But it's not magic. Don't think it's a substitute for, you know, actual real medications or anything. And a "gallon challenge" of coconut water sounds like an exceptionally bad idea, given the potassium issue I just mentioned.
Goya pure coconut water: I had mine chilled. It looked like slightly cloudy water, with no visible coconut pulp pieces. Had a distinct coconut-y odor. It tasted kind of weak. The other coconut waters I've tried had a bolder taste, stronger, more flavorful. This one was, well, watery. Disappointing. Not terrible--it wasn't hard to finish. It was just kind of boring.
As I said, I've had coconut water from other companies many times over the years, perhaps over a decade. And I enjoyed it much more those other times. Along with aloe it's one of the few juice-type drinks that I like to have pieces of pulp in--these seem to improve the taste. Unfortunately I can't remember which brands these were. I'll try to remember, or I'll just try to get these again, when it's feasible. So, I definitely recommend coconut water in general, but not the Goya brand specifically.
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