ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Natural, 14-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

by Zico

Product Features

• ZICO Natural 14 oz. is Pure Premium Coconut Water made from a unique blend of Thai and Indonesian coconuts, specially selected to provide optimal hydration
• Case of twelve 14-oz. bottles.
• Only 60 calories per bottle with over 30% less sugar and 20% fewer calories per oz. than other leading Natural coconut waters.
• Blend naturally contains a better balance of potassium and sodium electrolytes to optimize post-workout hydration.
• Environmentally minded resealable bottle: from 30% recycled content, produced domestically from concentrate to minimize global emissions and #2 HDPE, making it recyclable everywhere.
• All ZICO products are low in acidity, gluten free and kosher certified.
• The ultimate hydration drink.
• Zero fat, zero added sugar and zero cholesterol.

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

ZICO Natural 14 oz. is Pure Premium Coconut Water made from a unique blend of Thai and Indonesian coconuts, specially selected to provide optimal hydration and replenishment in a better-for-the-environment package.
For centuries, tropical cultures have revered coconut water as a natural source of nutrition, wellness and hydration, believing it had magical healing powers. Today, ZICO has become the choice of endurance athletes as a natural part of hydration. We invite you to take the Naturally Powered Pledge and embrace the ZICO lifestyle at ZICO.com.
ABOUT ZICO Our Founder, Mark Rampolla, fell in love with coconut water as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America. An avid athlete, Mark loved drinking fresh coconut water after running, hiking or hanging out at the beach. In 2004 he left a fast-track corporate career to pursue his dream of bringing the healthy, natural benefits of coconut water to consumers across the world. As a company, we’re on a mission to tell the world that Mother Nature made a better sports drink: ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water. We’re athletes. We drink ZICO daily (lots of it!), know it works, and want to help others make the switch to ZICO too. We also think coconut water can become an important alternative agricultural product for the developing world and are committed to bringing you ZICO in a socially and environmentally responsible and sustainable way. Naturally Powered, Team ZICO	PRODUCT BENEFITS	ABOUT ZICO ZICO 11-oz. and 1-liter tetra cartons are produced in Thailand and deliver a light, refreshing taste and a nuttier flavor profile, similar to fresh green Thai coconuts from the grocery store. ZICO 14-oz. bottles are a nutty blend of Thai and Indonesian coconuts and contain more sodium than other coconut waters for superior sports recovery. THE ZICO BOTTLE naturally has 20% fewer calories/oz. than other leading coconut waters and 40+% fewer calories/oz. compared to leading flavored coconut waters. In addition, ZICO naturally contains a better balance of electrolytes, including increased sodium, to optimize hydration during exercise. ZICO’s resealable bottle is perfectly suited for on-the-go, active lifestyles. It’s 100% recyclable (#2 HDPE), made from 30% recycled materials and produced domestically from concentrate for a reduced global carbon footprint.
WHAT IS NATURALLY POWERED? Naturally Powered means being in charge of your own life. It means being a dedicated athlete or simply dedicating more time toward being healthy. It means achieving insurmountable goals or maybe just setting a few. It means understanding that what you put into your body directly affects what you get out of it. But hey, that’s just what it means to us. What does it mean to you?
Natural (Bottle) Chocolate (Bottle) Mango (Bottle) Pineapple (Bottle) Lima Citron (Bottle) Pomberry (Bottle) Natural (Tetra) Passion (Tetra) Mango (Tetra) Natural (Tetra - Liter)

Product Description

New exotic flavors in a conveniently resealable, fully recyclable bottle with less calories and carbs! As always, Zico is naturally full of electrolytes, antioxidants, minerals, amino acids and other amazing nutrients to support an active lifestyle. Zico brings you the best nature has to offer to keep you hydrated, energized, and at your best.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B003CIBPN8
• UPC: 180127000531
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115 in Grocery & Gourmet Food (See Top 100 in Grocery & Gourmet Food)
  • #3 in Grocery & Gourmet Food > Beverages > Water

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars New bottle/formula tastes plastic-y, July 22, 2010

By 

formerfan - See all my reviews

This review is from: ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Natural, 14-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12) (Grocery)

I really like Zico in the tetra pak. When I tried the bottled formula, I didn't realize that the formula was any different...I just thought it was a new bottle. My reaction to every sip was that it tasted and smelled very plastic-y. It seemed that sitting in the plastic bottle was imparting a plastic flavor to the drink. I couldn't even finish the drink and immediately wrote a letter to Zico asking for the Tetra Pak back! I then did a little research and realize that this is the new flavor of this formula using a new variety of coconut and from concentrate. I really don't like this new flavor at all. I will not be buying this product in the bottle again.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Step in the wrong direction, June 3, 2010

By 

H. Vega "z4nc" (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Natural, 14-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12) (Grocery)

I've been drinking coconut water for years and I've tried them all ONE, Vita Coco, Naked, etc.. Zico was my favorite until this recent change where they added a new ingredient called "natural flavor". It use to be be pure coco water but the new ingredient change the taste for me. This was one of the highest reviewed coco waters on Amazon before this change...what a pity...
I'm dropping Zico from my auto-ship and going back to something that doesn't have artificial "natural flavor" added to what should be pure coco water.

75 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bummer: My fave packaged coconut water is RUINED!, May 17, 2010

By 

Mir (North Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Natural, 14-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12) (Grocery)

Note: Please carefully review the NEGATIVE reviews before purchasing, as a Zico sales manager and probably others have been affecting the ratings/reviews/comments here due to original Zico drinkers posting critical reviews about this inferior new product that's nowhere near as good as original Zico. Be forewarned.

~I've been drinking Zico for a couple years, getting my fix via amazon subscription. I and my sisters loved this stuff so much, I used to regularly order my shipments EARLY, and multiple cases at that.

Well, that's it. They have officially lost me as a customer. After waiting impatiently for them to be back in stock in the natural (I hate the flavored ones), I just got the three cases I ordered.

Oh, my goodness. I have three cases of this horror! I can't drink this!

I don't know why they had to mess with a successful and deliciously refreshing beverage. I grew up drinking fresh coconut water (my family hails from the Caribbean), so I am well accustomed to the natural and subtle yumminess of coconut water. A chilled Zico used to be as close as I could get to the treat that is sipping from a straw right out of the chilled coconut that's had it's top sliced open for you on the spot (and it gets harder to find that in Metro Miami, but you still can).

Now, it's not fit to drink. It smells funny. It tastes strange. The best I can describe it is that it reminds me of a watered-down version of the remainder-milk at the bottom of a bowl of Corn Pops when I was a kid--less sweet, more watery, but like that, with a chemically edge and a stale smell.

How messed up is this?

I can't believe someone gave this bottled version 5 stars! That's crazy. The OLD Zico deserved 5 stars. Not this. I hope those yoga places stop carrying it and tell Zico to bring back the fresh stuff. This sucks. I guess I better start mixing up these 35 bottles of zombie Zico with pomegranate juice or Acai Splash or something to cover up the taste and still benefit from the electrolytes. Hm. I suspect there will be an upswing in sales for O.N.E. and VitaCoco and other brands in the old packaging. I've tried both of those (still have some ONE in the fridge from my order while I waited for Zico). Both were inferior to Old Zico. Both are preferable to New Zico.

And someone please hand the president of Zico a bottle of this and ask hm if he REALLY thinks this is the taste of the stuff that made so many rabid fans, like I USED TO BE: past tense.

Hey, Mr. Zico CEO, give me back my money!!!! You sold me rubbish!

Okay, I ranted and got that off my chest. I do think having a recyclable bottle is great. The bottle feels good in the hand and makes it easy to add flavorings for those who prefer that. Easier to carry around. And I strongly suspect that those who are new to coconut water won't realize this has declined in flavor, so it's possible it can sell huge among the new initiates to the health benefits of coconut water.

But I still miss old Zico.

Note: I'm updating cause I found if I let the bottle sit with the cap off or pour out into a glass, the funny smell dissipates and it's more drinkable. HTH.

Update: Found a great replacement. Ordered Organic coconut water from amazon, brand Nature Factor. It's lovely. Lovely! So, at least I've found a happy replacement. Worth a try for those on the lookout for another tasty coconut water now that Zico sucks. Addendum: Found out that this brand uses very high heat to pasteurize and it may be nutrient compromised. If you mostly care about flavor, this one is great. If you are concerned about high heat, prolonged pasteurization, skip this one. HTH.

2nd Update: I received a reply to an email I sent to Zico via their website. I was told that new Zico in the bottle tastes "just like" young Thai coconut water. That it's different from Brazilian c.w. and so takes getting used to. Hm. Well, I've had unprocessed/raw young Thai coconut water. I don't recall it making me wanna spit it out. :) Just sayin'.

3rd Update: Saw a couple online taste tests that gave props to Amy & Brian, also available here on amazon, so will be trying that, too, now that I'm coconut water peregrinating. Might be worth a shot to google up coconut water taste tests and see what might suit you if you aren't anti-can. ADDENDUM: Tried it, loved the first batch in the 17.5 oz cans. I emailed the company and it's just CW (not from concentrate) and it's FLASH Pasteurized, so the nutrient count should be comparable to other coconut waters in the tetra paks (though A&B will likely show a higher carb/calorie count due to its sweetness). If you're carb-counting, you may wanna compare. If your main concern is "natural" and tasty-sweet, then consider Amy & Brian's. Really nice. Warning: Ordered a second batch in the 10 oz cans, and it tasted odd. Candy-sweet, like candy that melted in water. So, I can no longer recommend this brand due to flavor inconsistencies on that scale. Pity, as my first order was AMAZING. boohoo

4th Update: Old Zico from Brazilian coconuts will be back in September. If you liked old Zico, WAIT, don't buy this one. Also, in a letter from the Zico Sales Director to a reviewer here (see discussion for details), the Zico rep said they'd increased sodium in this bottled Asian CW Zico to "optimize" hydration benefits. So, it's not just that it's from concentrate, it's "optimized" to make it saltier. By optimized, I don't mean they ADDED sodium, but used a mix of coconuts to "optimize." (Note: I know this cause the sales manager of Zico, Sherif P. Bates, replied to a discussion with a clarification, and this comment was posted under his own review post here. See discussion of comments under "Todd O'Connor". ) I don't know about y'all, but part of the reason why I like CW is that it's great to keep highish blood pressure normal due to its high Potassium. I do not need--and most Americans don't need--more sodium in their beverages or food. Maybe elite athletes sweating up a storm do, but not the rest of us who just exercise moderately (or not at all). So, there you go: New Zico. More sodium, less flavor.

Note about reviews: Do check the reviewer's profile. If a reviewer is five-star (or four-star, even) raving about this product and has only reviews for Zico products and has no verified amazon purchase, find a grain of salt to toy with. That's no guarantee, naturally, but sometimes is a clue to...well, you can guess. (Note: See comments under the review by "Todd O'Connor" and under Alio "Alio"s review for an explanation of how I learned about ONE fake review and Alio "Alio" confirming the fake identity.)