I never rode the coconut water train. I’ve always loved the coconut’s other gifts to this earth, whether coconut milk, coconut FrozFruit bars with as many chunks as possible, or Dang toasted coconut chips. But I found the taste of coconut water muddy or cloyingly sweet, depending on the brand.
Recently, I started noticing Strange Water—a canned coconut water with packaging chic enough to buy on looks alone—popping up at what I’d call the “cool kid” coffee shops of New York, like my neighborhood haunts Rhythm Zero and Acre. Turns out, it’s the secret ingredient behind some of the viral coffee and matcha drinks flooding my feed: the Coco Americana at Rhythm Zero in New York or the Coconut Butterfly Pea Flower Matcha at Stagger Coffee in Los Angeles.
Naturally, I had to see what the hype was about. First, I tried it on its own, then in my coffee. Strange Water isn’t like any coconut water I’ve tasted before. It’s effervescent, refreshing, and tastes like coconut in its purest, cleanest, nuttiest form. I started with the still can and quickly graduated to the sparkling. Both are worth every penny of the three- to four-dollar price tag. And while coffee shops might hand you these specialty drinks in a plain plastic cup or one with their own logo, once you taste Strange Water solo, you’ll know it’s the Strange Water doing most of the legwork.
What sets Strange Water apart is the organic coconuts the LA-based brand sources from the Bến Tre region of Vietnam. Founder Tal Ohana—who also runs the live events company Stranger Than (where you can expect to find Strange Water-based drinks), tasted over thirty coconuts before finding his singular supplier. His goal was to capture coconut’s naturally sweet, nutty flavor with nothing extra. There’s no added sugar, just a touch of citric acid and vitamin C for balance. The sparkling version, a first of its kind, fills a gap in the coconut water market.
So if you see me strolling around the farmers market with my reusable tote and a Strange Water can in hand—still in the morning, sparkling in the afternoon—don’t be surprised. You might just find yourself grabbing one too, and adding it to every drink you make from here on out.
