Artisana Coconut Butter

When it comes to coconut products for consumption, the product that has received the most praise (to my knowledge) is Artisana's Raw 100% Organic Coconut Butter. You might be scratching your head at this point - is there a difference between coconut butter and coconut oil?

Well, yes. Artisana's website explains that their coconut butter is made from whole coconut meat ground into a creamy butter. In comparison, Artisana's cocout oil is pure extra-virgin coconut oil.

For over five years I had been using coconut oil in my cooking, and when I heard my friends talking about how delicious Artisana's coconut butter was, I really wanted to try it too.  Yet the excitement was tempered a little by concern about the coconut butter's potential coconutty aroma. In the past, coconut oil with a strong aroma made me gag and want to vomit. Neither could I digest dessicated coconut very well... it got stuck halfway down, made me nauseous, and I had to force-vomit it up before feeling better.

So when my cousin presented me with a jar of coconut butter, I unscrewed the lid and gave the face of the open jar a big cautious sniff. Smelled kind of coconutty. Apprehensively, I dipped a teaspoon in and licked...

Mmmmmm!!

Given the coconutty smell that the butter exuded, I was surprised that it did not have a nauseating coconutty taste. Instead, it was decadently creamy, faintly coconutty, slightly sweet, and a little grainy, reminiscent of finely ground nut butter. Immediately I swapped the teaspoon for a tablespoon, took a big scoop and sucked on it, letting the creamy butter fill my mouth.

No doubt Artisana's Coconut Butter would be a good spread on toast, cut fruit, biscuits, even as a dip. It is certainly a good replacement for dinner butter. Me, I enjoyed the coconut butter right out of the jar. It was so delicious and addictive that I finished the whole jar in a week!

In some ways I think that this coconut butter is better than chocolate in addressing cravings... well unless you have a craving for coconut butter! And if you want it chocolatey, you can either add some cacao nibs / powder, or buy Artisana's Cacao Bliss. Give them a shot!

Artisana's Coconut Butter and Cacao Bliss are both available at iHerb for US$11.05 (454g) and US$8.76 (227g) respectively. If you are a first-time customer, the coupon code "XOJ002" will get you US$5-$10 off your first order.

Alternatively, if you prefer Amazon.com, the coconut butter is available at US$12.27.