Difference between COCO Goya and COCO Lopez cream of coconut?

What's the best?
Any difference? Or just difference to specialized guys?

Coco Lopez is by far the superior product. It’s nice and thick and very sweet. Coco Goya can leave you with a slight oily taste; like you mixed in some of your tanning oil by mistake. Besides the taste, who can resist a product that has a cute mascot? Senior Coco Lopez, the happy (perhaps drunk) parrot, is practically begging you to have a Pina Colada with him on the beach! Seriously, the big issue with coconut creams is freshness. They can and do go bad in the can; especially if they are left in a warm or hot place for too long. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell before you open the can. Spoiled coconut cream will have a dull brownish hue and may smell a little rancid. A little taste will let you know right away because the mixture will taste/feel/look grainy. I’ve had the misfortune of using a bad can before and ended up having to toss a whole batch of pina coladas right after I spent the time making them look all presentable in their fancy mugs with fruit and umbrellas… Talk about the best way to ruin a luau. Anyway, stick with Coco Lopez and buy it from a place that frequently replaces their stock. If you get a rancid can, take it back, explain how the mishap almost ruined your party… the store will refund your money and should replace the rest of their stock so that the same thing does not happen to another unsuspecting tikifile.

[ Edited by: 2QueerTikis on 2004-05-10 18:11 ]

I cannot remember any brands off the top of my head, but if you have any asian grocers that cater to Thai, Vietnamese, Laotians, Indonesians, Malaysians, etc., then look for cocount cream there. Also, you'll find some other fruits for garnishes and snacks that you wouldn't normally find in your local A&P.

No Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company here on the West Coast. :) 2QT, definitely try some asian brands of Cream of Coconut like Newton Foods. you're less likely to hit a bad can if you shop @ a busy Asian or Caribean market.

Has anyone used Coco Casa or Sysco brands? I'd assume Sysco's used by bars & restaurants, & I expect that Coco Casa's aimed @ the Caribean market.

I enjoy using Trader Vics Co-Co Cream syrup.
Just remember to refrigerate it.
http://www.tradervicsfoodproducts.com/default.asp

I prefer Goya over Lopez. I don't taste a big difference between the two (maybe because I'm a neandertal) but Lopez seems to separate in the fridge and I have to run the container under warm water to get the hard part melted and mixed with the liquid part. The Goya, in my experience, keeps its consistency in the fridge meaning I can have my Blue Hawaiian faster.

I agree with 2queer,
Coco Lopez is the best!

I think Lopez is probably the largest selling Coconut Creme in the country and, so, moves fast. It's possible, too, that the company has superior Quality Control. I've checked the ingredients on several brands, though (Goya included), and have had enough fresh cans of all of them to realize that All Coconut Cream is made with the same disgusting stuff (W. Park Kerr stole a line from Bob Goldthwait when he described it as having "more artificial ingredients than a car battery"). I'd suggest trying others and sticking to Freddie's advice on returning any rancid product.
The Trader Vic's stuff is Great (especially since it comes in a Bottle) but is rather difficult to come by compared to, like, ANY OTHER BRAND IN THE U.S.A., so...

I've been purchasing a brand called Coco Colada from local grocery stores, I assumed it was called Coco Lopez because of the parrot on the can, but this parrot is realistic looking. It's a product of the Dominican Republic.

I like it, but I'm a sweet freak that also happens to be a coconut fiend. Has anyone else tried this brand?

I've been buying it for $4.99CAD a can, but today I noticed that they were on sale at Safeway for $2.48 so I stocked up.

Is Vic's Coco Creme really a good substitute for the canned varieties? It sounds like it is much easier to use and store than something in a can. I foolishly tried to freeze Coco Lopez in cubes this wee, and it doesn't work at all.

-T.J.

I like them both very much . The difference is you use the whole Coco Goya 12 oz can in one blended Pina Colada pitcher . The Coco Lopez if you use the whole can it's WAY to sweet . So you only use a 1/2 of can and you are stuck with the rest in the refreg. getting clumped together .Also you have to add pineapple juice to the original . My choice is COCO GOYA , it is delicious

[ Edited by: tropicaldiver 2009-06-01 16:13 ]

My girlfriend picked this up at Trader Joe's today. Anyone ever tried it before? How does it compare?

i like coconut cream the best because it is not hydrogenated or full of artificial ingredients. i just add my own sweetener, since it is non sweetened. coco lopez is hydrogenated so i avoid that like the plague. coconut cream works great!!!

Four thoughts:

1. I tried, then learned to avoid, Coco Lopez low fat variety because it has more water and separates very quickly. It works, and tastes fine, but it's not worth the relatively meager calorie savings in a cocktail which is already full of alcohol calories. (Who cares if my bar guests get fat, right? ha...)

2. I avoid the white squeeze bottle brand of coconut cream because it has so many additives. Some stores hide the Coco Lopez in weird places, and that seems to cause the white squeeze bottles to seem more easily available.

3. My local Trader Joe's is being built right now. I'll look for their coconut cream and check ingredients when they open. That's about 4 months away right now. I can't wait to finally get a TJ's here. I've been telling everyone about it. Many have heard of TJs here though, and there is no doubt that they will be wildly successful here.

4. I like the idea of making your own sweetened coconut cream from what you can find in Asian food stores. I'll have to try this, especially since I refrigerate my coconut cream and warm, mix, and then decant it from a large glass spaghetti sauce jar.

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