Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We select the best quality foods we can afford and this includes coconut. This review is a comparison between the Bob's Red Mill and Tropical Traditions finely shredded coconut which I have been buying on their website - for some reason Amazon carries many of their products but not their coconut. Here is my comparison. Freshness- This item arrived with an expiration date of 3/2013, which is eleven months from delivery. I wish I knew what the exp date was on the TT brand - but it lasted me well over a year on my shelf and I believe that since they harvest the Coconut (they are primarily a coconut products company) it may have been fresher. Price- I buy the Tropical Traditions in the plastic 3.5 gallon pail, which I buy online when it is half price at $17.50, which costs about $5 a lb. I decided to compare it to Bob's Red Mill which I researched and felt was probably the highest quality on Amazon, so I got it with the Subscribe n Save, so I saved a little more. Without the Subscribe n Save, Bob's Mill has free shipping and currently comes to $4.38 a lb. I think Bob's Mill is priced well for what you are getting. Shred size- is very close - but the Bob's Red Mill is slightly larger. I felt that the Tropical traditions was just a little too small for my taste. It "disappeared" in my cooking and oatmeal and I never got to enjoy the crunch or the chew of it, only able to enjoy the flavor and smell. Dryness- both were equally dry and felt very similar. Aroma- the Tropical Traditions won hands down here. The Bob's Mills smelled fresh enough, just a very mild slightly toasted smell. But the Tropical traditions has a much stronger sweet coconut smell (it is NOT a sweetened coconut product) which I find very appealing. And this is after sitting on my shelf for over a year! It was not rancid at all. Since both of these items are shredded finely, and as I said, I do not "feel" the coconut in my food, I'll probably go back to the Tropical Traditions line since that is what I am left to enjoy - the smell. Packaging- I like that Bob's Mill is conveniently packaged in 4 backs so you can freeze three for later. The Tropical Traditions comes in a plastic pail that is very very hard to open. And then you really don't want to keep opening it. Plus it does not fit in the freezer or fridge. So the pail is a waste in my opinion. I use mine for other things. I rate both products as 5 star items. Tropical Traditions wins if money and packaging are not an issue. If they are then Bob's Mill wins handily. We eat a lot of coconut, I use it in my cooking and we eat it for breakfast. We eat it at least 3 to 4 times a week in our oatmeal mixed in with organic flax seed, Flax USA 100% Natural Organic Flax Cold Milled Ground Golden Flax Seed, 40-Ounce Packages home frozen blue berries (store bought have high pesticides) and maple syrup. What a wonderful way to eat healthy!!! I find that adding coconut adds just enough protein, 1 gram, that I am able to last all the way through till lunch without getting that sudden hunger I get an hour or two earlier without the coconut.