I have bought and scored every coconut water below, paid for out of my own pocket. They are ranked by overall score, best at the top. My reviews are not scientific but if you click on the individual reviews you can learn a bit more about my thought process.
| # | Product | Overall | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harmless Harvest — Organic Coconut Water | 8.1 | Harmless Harvest's classic unpasteurized Thai coconut water. Crisp, punchy, and floral with no aftertaste. Industry-leading ethics. |
| 2 | Kirkland Signature — Organic Coconut Water | 7.9 | Costco's Kirkland Signature organic coconut water. Unpasteurized Thai coconut, fruity and bright, very refreshing. Likely related to the TJ's and Sprouts organic offerings. |
| 3 | Sprouts — Organic Coconut Water | 7.8 | Sprouts Farmers Market organic coconut water. Young Thai coconut, unpasteurized, USDA Organic. Likely shares a source with Trader Joe's Organic — they taste identical. |
| 4 | Trader Joe's — Organic Coconut Water | 7.8 | Young Thai coconut water, unpasteurized, USDA Organic. Perfectly balanced between floral and sweet. |
| 5 | Harmless Harvest — Organic Sparkling | 7.4 | The OG pink water, carbonated. Industry-leading ethics, unpasteurized, but the floral flavor doesn't quite work with bubbles. |
| 6 | Coaqua — Sparkling | 7.3 | Coaqua's smooth, milky profile works well with carbonation. Very lightly effervescent. Ethics remain a problem. |
| 7 | Zico Pure — Organic Coconut Water | 6.9 | Zico's answer to Harmless Harvest. Organic unpasteurized Nam Hom water from Thailand. Better than boxed Zico but a bit too sweet and lacking earthy depth. |
| 8 | Coaqua — Still | 6.6 | Single-origin Vietnamese coconut water with millennial marketing to match. Smooth and milky but added sugar makes it less refreshing. |
| 9 | Zico — Natural 100% Coconut Water | 6.6 | Thai Nam Hom coconut water, pasteurized but brighter than most tetra-pak options. Quite refreshing. |
| 10 | Simple Truth — Organic Coconut Water | 6.3 | Surprisingly mild Filipino coconut water. Fair trade and organic, very refreshing and light. |
| 11 | Moon Boo Sun — Organic Coconut Water | 6.2 | Upmarket organic Vietnamese coconut water from the Ben Tre region. Creamy mouthfeel with mild fruitiness, but a burnt note from pasteurization limits the freshness. |
| 12 | Taste Nirvana — Real Premium Coconut Water | 5.4 | Thai Nam Hom coconut water, steam sterilized. Claims to be the most delicious on the market. Not organic because Thai farmers won't pay for certification. |
| 13 | Nilo — Coconut Water with Pulp | 5.3 | A Vietnamese coconut water with higher than usual natural sugar but nothing added besides pulp. Surprisingly smooth and mellow with a fresh, not-burnt taste. |
| 14 | Real Coco — Organic Pure | 5.2 | Mildly sweet organic Vietnamese water. Very inoffensive, almost waterlike, but surprisingly refreshing. |
| 15 | Sprouts — 100% Coconut Water with Pulp | 5.2 | Sprouts Farmers Market's standard pasteurized coconut water with pulp. Unremarkable but solid, with notably quality pulp texture. |
| 16 | Vita Coco — Farmers Organic | 5.2 | Filipino organic coconut water, lighter than most boxed options, smooth with no bitterness. |
| 17 | Vita Coco — The Original | 5.0 | The original mass-produced coconut water on American shelves since 2004. Sweet, slightly acrid, not impressive. |
| 18 | C2O — Organic Coconut Water | 4.8 | C2O's organic Thai coconut water with some added sugar. Better than the standard C2O but still tastes burnt and too sweet. |
| 19 | Goya — Coconut Water | 4.7 | Goya's Vietnamese coconut water, pasteurized with a hint of added sugar. Standard inoffensive option from one of the largest global food conglomerates. |
| 20 | Goya Organics — Coconut Water | 4.6 | Goya's organic coconut water, which still manages to have added sugar. Acrid and gray-tasting despite the sweetness. |
| 21 | Maui & Sons — 100% Pure | 4.6 | Not from Maui. Vietnamese pasteurized coconut water with a slightly burnt flavor and a boring profile. |
| 22 | Once Upon a Coconut — Premium Coconut Water | 4.6 | Once Upon a Coconut donates 10% of profits to undisclosed charities. Pasteurized but doesn't taste cooked — just too sweet and surprisingly artificial. |
| 23 | Vita Coco — Extra Coconut | 4.6 | Coconut water with added coconut cream and a gumming agent. More weak coconut milk than coconut water. |
| 24 | Blue Monkey — Organic Pure Coconut Water | 4.4 | Pasteurized organic Vietnamese coconut water. No added sugar, tastes burnt but not bad. Zero freshness, great if you don't like sweet waters. |
| 25 | Goya — Coconut Water with Pulp | 4.4 | Goya's Thai coconut water with pulp and a massive 12g of added sugar per 8oz. Covers bland flavor with sweetness. Solid pulp texture. |
| 26 | C2O — Coconut Water with Pulp | 4.2 | A Thai coconut water with a smidge of added sugar and pulp. The pulp makes a noticeably chemical-tasting base more palatable. |
| 27 | Cocochito — with Pulp | 4.1 | A heavily sweetened Thai water with added pulp. Bitter and sweet at the same time, with highly variable pulp. |
| 28 | Hydro Coco — Original | 4.1 | Indonesia's shelf-stable coconut water, reviewed on location. Super sweet with almost no body, but pleasant and not burnt. |
| 29 | El Mexicano — Agua de Coco with Pulp | 3.9 | A Thai coconut water pasteurized with a bunch of added sugar. Super smooth but milky, with zero freshness or green floral character. |
| 30 | Trader Joe's — Coconut Water | 3.9 | Brazilian coconut water, pasteurized, tetra pak. Very mature tasting with an almost burnt flavor. |
| 31 | Visvita — Coconut Water with Pulp | 3.8 | Mysterious Vietnamese coconut water with a ton of added sugar and some pulp. Almost soda-like sweetness blasts any flavor out of the picture. |
| 32 | Coconut Season — Coconut Water with Pulp | 3.7 | Thai coconut water with added water, preservatives, and 15g of added sugar per 8oz. Diluted enough to be manageably sweet, but plain and unimpressive. |
| 33 | Parrot — Coconut Water with Pulp | 3.1 | A Thai coconut water with an absurd amount of added sugar and pulp. Candy-sweet with a nice consistent pulp texture, but the sweetness is overwhelming. |
| 34 | C2O — Coconut Water Original | 2.9 | Thai coconut water in a sturdy can, pasteurized with added sugar. Impressively artificial for a natural product. |
| 35 | O Organics — Coconut Water Original | 2.4 | O Organics Brazilian coconut water. No added sugar but ascorbic acid added. Tastes sour, acrid, and sharp. A disappointing shelf-stable option. |
Narrower cuts of the same scores: The Best Organic Coconut Water. Coconut Water With No Added Sugar. Unpasteurized Coconut Water. The Best Thai Coconut Water. The Best Vietnamese Coconut Water.
Every review in full, with tag filters and the score-by-score comparison: all reviews. How the scores work: the rating guide.
These coconuts are grown in habitats threatened by palm oil deforestation. If you find this site useful, consider donating to the Rainforest Action Network.