fbpx ;

Coconut Water’s New Tasty Twist: Chocolate and Latte

I know that plain coconut water divides people. Most people either seem to love it (like, obsessively) or abhor it. I tend to fall in the “love” category. And Zico is one of the brands I regularly purchase — it just has a lighter, fresher taste that I enjoy. (Plus, they sell it at Trader Joe’s.) I like to drink it after workouts, in cocktails and after a long night out to hydrate quickly. And when a box of new Zico flavors — plus au naturale — landed here at FBE HQ, I was thirsty to try ’em. I mean, chocolate, latte and pineapple? SIGN ME UP.
zico-coconut-water-new-flavors
I grabbed chocolate first because, come on, it’s chocolate.
zico-coconut-water-chocolate
A quick peek at the nutritionals made me a little cautious. There’s a lot of sugar there.
zico-coconut-water-chocolate-nutritionals
Especially when compared to the Natural kind.
zico-coconut-water-natural-nutritionals
But, it IS chocolate. And the ingredient list? Pretty clean, minus the carrageenan, which I know bothers some people’s stomachs.
zico-coconut-water-chocolate-ingredients
Up next, Latte. For I adore all things coffee-related.
zico-coconut-water-latte
Unfortunately, Latte had even more sugar than the Chocolate. Darn.
zico-coconut-water-latte-nutritionals
And similar type ingredients as the Chocolate, too.
zico-coconut-water-latte-ingredients
Last but not least: Pineapple!
zico-coconut-water-pineapple
A mix of real pineapple juice and coconut water, it was promising.  And delivered fewer calories and less sugar than the other new flavors — and even Natural.
zico-coconut-water-pineapple-nutritionals
Slightly cleaner ingredients, too. And I was surprised to see the monk fruit. That stuff really is the new hotness.
zico-coconut-water-pineapple-nutritionals
While some of them had more calories and sugar than I’d hoped (my workouts aren’t long enough to require that and Chocolate and Latte would almost be more of a dessert for me, but you might be different!), I still had to taste-test them. And I thought it would be fun to bust out my “party glassware” for it.
Say hello to my retro cartoon jelly jars. They’re cool, right? Right? (Speedy is totally my fave.)
cartoon-glasses
Chocolate was ridiculously good. Kind of like the milk leftover from a bowl of Cocoa Puffs, but in a really good way. I could drink A LOT of this stuff. So tasty. (And if you’re lactose-intolerant and miss chocolate milk, give this stuff a try. It’s not as creamy or as thick as milk, but it’s still delicious.)
zico-coconut-water-chocolate-glass
Slightly lighter in color and depth of flavor, Latte was kind of like a Frappucino mixed with some coconut water. The coffee flavor wasn’t quite as good as these, but it was good. Really good.
zico-coconut-water-latte-glass
And then there was the Pineapple (on the right). A little murkier and more yellow than the Natural flavor (on the left), its taste left me … meh. It really didn’t taste overly tropical or tasty to me. The pineapple juice comes through a little, but I thought it made the coconut water more acidic — and not in a good way. I’d take the Natural over it any day.
zico-coconut-water-natural-pineapple-glasses
The bottom line here: coconut water is hella good for hydration with natural electrolytes. And Zico has no artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. That’s all awesome. While Zico’s new Chocolate and Latte flavors are UBER delicious, they come with more sugar and calories than we like in a drink. That said, if you want a sweet treat or are training for an event, drink up and enjoy!
What’s your favorite flavor of coconut water? —Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!