I don’t remember exactly when coconut water became all the rage — a couple of years ago? I bought a couple of brands from the grocery store. Y U C K. They were bitter. They barely tasted like coconut. I really didn’t get the hype and decided not to waste any more money on the stuff.

Fast forward to this summer. I was wandering around a Trader Joe’s on my way to work, planning to grab a few work lunches and maybe some non-perishables for home. One of the things I like about Trader Joe’s is the sample station. On this day, they were using their coconut water and frozen tropical fruit to make smoothies. I didn’t want a smoothie — I wanted to try the coconut water. So Sample Lady pours me a little dixie cup — and I liked it! I was surprised, based on my previous experience. I could taste coconut, it was lightly sweet rather than bitter, and it was thirst quenching. Wow — maybe THIS is what all the hype was about?

One warning — this is a minimally processed product and highly perishable. You are supposed to use it within two days of opening. I don’t know what bad things happen if you don’t, but we drank it within the window, so I didn’t find out

Standard caveat: This is a personal recommendation. Trader Joe’s doesn’t know I exist and has provided neither product nor compensation for this endorsement. In fact, they’ll probably sue me if this ever gets in a search engine.