Taster's Choice: Rating canned coconut milk

Canned coconut milks are indispensable for making curry at home, but a trip to the market, especially an Asian grocer, can yield more than a half dozen choices.

Nearly all are imported from Thailand, with brands like Chaokoh and Mae Ploy earning top billing from chefs. But would they fare in a blind tasting of 15 coconut milks?

After vigorous stirring - some milks had naturally separated, with a layer of thick cream rising to the top; others had added binders like guar gum to prevent separation - our panelists dove in, looking for fresh flavor and a pleasing texture.

The winner was indeed an import, but not one of the better-known brands.

Orchids ($1.75 for 14 ounces at Berkeley Bowl) stood out for its "pure coconut flavor" - "clean" and "straightforward," if somewhat "mild." This "shiny" and "very white" coconut milk had a "medium thickness," but was "creamy" and just plain "good." Four would buy, while the fifth, who found the flavor "a bit off," would not.

Second place went to Thai Kitchen ($2.09 for 13.66 ounces at Berkeley Bowl). "Thick" with a "cream-like consistency," its taste split the panel. Three liked the "fruity" coconut flavor; the rest found a "nice sweet start" ruined by an "unpleasant bitter" and "soapy finish." The latter two would not buy, the other three would.

A Taste of Thai ($3.39 for 13.5 ounces at Safeway) was third. This "mildly sweet" coconut milk had "good coconut flavor," but again, some detected a "bitter aftertaste." It was also "very thick" with a "loose custard-like appearance." Three would buy and two would not.

In fourth place was Roland ($2.99 for 14 ounces at Rainbow), an organic coconut milk that was "very thick," "to the point of being lumpy." But while nearly all the tasters liked its "creamy mouthfeel," a few felt it had "little discernable coconut flavor." Two would buy, two might and one would not.

Sun Lee ($1.59 for 13.5 ounces at New May Wah) rounded out the top five. This one had an "uneven texture," with panelists describing everything from a "skim milk mouthfeel" to "curdled." A bigger problem was taste. "Strong" and balanced to some; "Acrid. Bitter," another wrote. Two would buy, one might and two would not.