Gatorade is so over. Vita Coco is the new Vitamin Water.

Roughly translated, it means ‘coconut life’.  The name alone cracks me up.  Come on, what’s not to love?

Our story of discovery begins in an afternoon class of Ashtanga at Downward Dog (735 Queen St. West) where the faithfully devoted, hardcore Yogi’s teeter on their limbs while performing wall-less headstands and maneuver into Scorpion like it’s not a thing (hardcore!).  I mean, this is where Sting flexes his ballerinka limbs when he’s in town and the shortest class runs 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Not for the faint of heart. 

After more than an hour of multiple series of sun salutations and killer chaturanga (eek forearms!), our lovely yogi master begins to blast Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ as the class individually perfected their poses.  Dizzy, because I forgot to bring my water bottle, I used the semi-break to scurry out of the class for agua.  There was no water to be found but the girl at the desk suggested Vita Coco as an alternative.  Desperate for hydration, I grabbed a drink box and the rest my friend is history. 

Vita Coco was born a few short years ago when two ingenious business men were speaking with (my guess: flirting with and trying to pick up) two Brazilian girls who missed coconut water, a popular native drink from their homeland.  Noticing there was an opportunity to import the drink from Brazil, they did just that uncovering a niche for natural, delicious healthy drinks (more electrolytes than sports drinks and no added sugar).  You may start to hear more promotion about the drink as Madonna and her Kabbalah friends (Demi, Ashton, etc) have recently invested in the company.

What does Vita Coco taste like?  Have you ever been to a tropical country where someone climbs a tree like a monkey, pulls down a green coconut, takes their machete, chops off the top and then sticks a straw in it for you to drink?  Like that.  The coconut water tastes a bit milky, a smidge almond-datey and a bit fruity.  I stocked up on it for the beach in Miami but my sister was not a big fan.  So although I am obsessed with it, it may not be to everyone’s taste.