Review: POM Coconut

POM Wonderful entering the coconut water category is sure to get some buzz, and this product was the starting point for our sampling of its three newest flavors. The beverage, which is labeled as 100 percent juice, is made with 60 percent coconut water (from concentrate), 10 percent pineapple juice, and 30 percent pomegranate juice. In addition, the product, which is flash pasteurized and requires refrigeration, contains stevia and natural flavors. So how does it taste? We were quite pleased with what POM has created, with the pleasant flavor of pomegranate and pineapple providing the majority of the flavor. The coconut water does provide some flavor on the tail end, but it also serves as a way to add natural sugar and electrolytes to the product. Plus, it helps keep the pomegranate flavor under control, giving the product a much lighter body than POM’s flagship pomegranate flavors. As for the stevia, you can’t taste it at all, with the strong fruit flavors masking the sweetener entirely. That’s a definite plus in our book. Nutritionally, the product has 140 calories and 31g of sugar, which might make one question the use of the word “light” on the back of the bottle (there is no mention of this on the front, which is a good thing). Otherwise, we like the packaging that POM has created for this product. It makes great use of POM’s existing brand equity while also managing to make it obvious that it’s something new and unique. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the company has steered clear of the cliche blue beach and coconut imagery that seem to be used for every other coconut water product coming to the market. Overall, a very solid new product from POM.

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