I just have to say, the production values are *absurd* for a relatively new channel with just a few thousand subscribers. The set, the lighting, the multiple camera angles, the depth of field, the editing... These look like videos from a much bigger, more established channel, which I'm sure will be the case before too long. :)
It's funny to see the color of Coco Lopez, make me think that has something to do of cooking their sugar, almost making a caramel out of it. I really don't have idea on their process but get me curious about it.
Used both, prefer Real. It's just easier to store the unused portion and has a great coconut taste. The mouthfeel is different with the Real though and is definitely an adjustment at first. I do agree with the other commenter that said Coco Lopez is better for shaken drinks.
This is an absolutely great educational video! Educated barfly and other youtubers have struggled with this in the past. Cream of coconut should really be called coconut syrup like orgeat is just almond syrup. That would make it much clearer for the greater public.
Thank you so much for this education. I live in a tropical country where I could literally make my own fresh coconut milk. But most dairy free recipes in the internet are using all those coconut cans and I had no idea of what they're using before. Now I understand :)
i think the best way to use the REAL coconut is to add 1/4 oz less, than mentioned in the recipe. it will make the cocktail more balanced, and less sweet. That's why I prefer the canned ones lately over the real bottle.
They could have the same recipe. The color or even the hint of cooked or 🔥 taste could came from the process, like a indirect heat process that could burn a little bit the mixture. This happen to uht milk and cream as well
This episode was great! Good to know the Real is worth using. Especially since I don't have the Coco Lopez near me. I don't make many drinks with it but there are a few and I have no complaints. Cheers!
I have not been able to find coco lopez and real when i was in the usa. But i get access to plenty of nice coconut milk here in asia and honestly, coconut milk, immersion blender warm to 40°c on pot, add sugar mix then whisk and the result is scrumptious in 5 min
Oh my goodness. Thank you! I have been searching for 'coconut cream' for months and always being referred to cream of coconut. It's been so frustrating. I type in coconut cream for shopping and all I get is suggestions for cream of coconut.
Weird quirk of mine: Prefer Coco Lopez for shaken drinks (a little less viscosity makes it mix more evenly imo). But Real works so well for anything blended.
I always use less cream of coconut than what the recipes call for (I use Real) still get the sweetness and coconut flavor without over sweetening the drink.
Man, here in puerto rico we don’t even get cans of coconut cream, but rather the cream of coconut one. It has always been like that, heck I wouldn’t even know what coconut cream would e called here😅 because in Spanish both products translate to crema de coco.
They should make these cream of coconut mixes with about 1/3 to 1/2 the sugar. They are way too sweet. Why does everything processed have to be loaded with sugar or salt?
This guy is great. Kinda funny but also pragmatic. 100% agree with his assessments here but would add that Real Cream of Coconut has a cleaner color so more appealing I also use it in Asian recipes. Excellent and good in the fridge like he says for a year!
REAL Protip: Store the squeeze bottle capside up, don't know if something has changed but the last couple of bottles I've had has slowly leaked syrup around the seal when storing them capside down in the fridge.
The Pain Killada from Distinguished Spirits uses coconut cream along with cinnamon syrup, thus creating a sort of cream of coconut in the drink itself.
Oh thats interesting you make your cream of coconut by mixing coconut milk with simple syrup. I just whisk the coconut milk with sugar. It's less watery. Maybe i should try your way.
I prefer Real simply because of the bottle. Coco Lopez requires a separate container to store it in and that's just a separate step most people won't do. Taste wise, they're the same. It's just coconut milk and sugar.
I use a mix of Coco Lopez and coconut milk. And then I out it in the freezer I do that with all my syrups that isn't just sugar/water. They don't go solid, so I can stil use them and they haven't gone bad yet.
I think Real tastes very slightly sweeter but both have excellent coconut flavor and work well. Real is easier to use and can be kept in it's handy squeeze container. Coco Lopez has a can that's more awkward to deal with and you have to find some other container or a cap to store it. It requires a lot of stirring before use. It doesn't pour well so I've had to spoon it out and scrape it into my measuring jigger.
To not confuse them, I just look in the small cocktail area in grocery stores and they should only be keeping Cream of coconut their. Real makes a lot of great other flavors too and I prefer it over coco Lopez.
Good explainer! Here's something I don't get fully: why add simple syrup (which is watered down sugar, so to speak) to coconut milk, and not simply dissolve sugar in coconut milk? Wouldn't you get more concentrated coconut flavor that way? Anyway, after making my own, I've stuck with store-bought or cutting Real 3:1 with a bit of coconut milk as per Tropical Standard.
You definitely could just add sugar instead. Not sure how much sugar or the ratio you could get to dissolve would be. For me, the main reason to do a 2:1 + coconut milk is that’s the cream of coconut that Smugglers Cove uses and while I’ve not studied the sugar/dilution/coconut ratio, my understanding was it’s basically a sub for CocoLopez. The Tropical Standard Mix Coco is great as the idea behind it is intensify that coconut flavor without increasing… if I was coming up with my own cocktails I’d use that mix over straight CocoLopez or Real.
@@makeanddrink At a 1:1 ratio, even a 20% fat coconut cream will dissolve all the sugar, no problem. Makes a beautiful cream of coconut. I still lean on Real for shelf life though. Edit: You do need to put a little heat to it... warm, do not boil.
Has anyone else compared the brix level between the SC coconut cream vs Garret Richard’s coco mix from tropical standard? I was close to 50 brix for the coco mix (which is what he stated in the book. For the SC Coconut Cream I was getting about 40 brix and we curious if anyone else has compared. My temperature may be a bit off so I am not sure if I am getting an accurate reading.
The degress brix on the SC version will be less than the TS version because it's equal parts Coconut Milk to a 2:1 simple, and that 2:1 simple is 33% water. Where as the TS version adds the exact amount of coconut milk to reduce CocoLopez to 50 Brix. SC should be 33 Brix since your taking a 2:1 simple at 66 Brix and cutting it in half essentially. But SC is also introducing water into the mix through the syrup, lowering the coconut flavor, as opposed to the TS version.
@@makeanddrink thank you. I didn’t check the brix of my coconut milk but online I read it is approx 7. So I think the syrup is approx 37 which is close to the reading I got. This version tastes fresher to me. There is something about coco Lopez in anything that has a metallic taste. I may up the sugar in the SC version to get brix to 50 and try it in tropical standard cocktails. I made the PKNY this weekend and it was great. But would love to try with SC coco cream instead of coco mix but want to match the brix level. Although may not matter as there is so much else going on in that cocktail :) Or I may try the art of the drink spec adding sugar directly to the coconut milk. Or try both :)
What's your thoughts on making your own with Honey syrup instead of simple syrup? I have a friend who can't have processed sugar and make a lot of cocktails using Honey syrup that I make.
I personally don’t prefer the taste of honey, if I needed to sub out simple syrup I’d use agave as it very neutral in flavor. It is sweeter than 1:1 or 2:1 simple so it would need to be adjusted.
@@makeanddrink thanks for responding. But they can't have agave neither. Lol Honey is just about the only thing they can have that's a sweetener. Thanks though.
Thanks for the tip on making home made. I read the ingredients on the 2 commercial versions and ran away!!! (have used both in the past) Now I have an option.👍
Thank you for this Video. I agree, at one time I was at a crossroads between both and it seemed like everyone on RU-vid recommended the coco Lopez, but honestly I enjoy the Real stuff.
The similarity to sunscreen is because coconut has a very high natural sun protective factor. Old school sunscreens and newer “natural” sunscreens use lots of coconut. But most new ones just use artificial coconut scent to make you think it’s good.
I have no evidence to back this up, but I don’t think “coconut cream” was very common 10-20 years ago. If you went to just about any grocery store I doubt you’d see it so there wasn’t much chance of buying the wrong product.
This is a great video! I think a lot of RU-vidrs use certain ingredients, and don't think about how viewers may need additional info on them. I've used all of these except the coconut water from an actual coconut. I think lots of people must "frown" on the Coco Real - I used it in my last video and I saw a dropoff in viewers at the moment I added it to the drink! Now that I hear you say you don't mind it, I don't feel as much like I did something wrong, lol.
