coconut sugar is sweet??????

[ravi]

Guys need some help on coconut sugar.

yesterday I seen coconut sugar on online market 5kg in 25$. I do not have idea about this item. If it have enough sugar content and flavour then how about trying to distilling + expect some coconut flavor ?????
If someone tried already or have idea about coconut sugar pls share with me.

And, I would like to thank you guys for helping me in my 1st successful run of Rum from high molasses sugar. I got about 4 liters of 43% final product and then converted to Coconut infused rum, spices rum and Oaked rum. Over all very nice taste!!!! all Most every evening i am sipping it!!!!Lovely..

Love u Guys!

Thanks & Regards
Ravi

[Probus]

I'm a novice fermenter and distiller but have worked as a sugar technologist for 50 years. Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the inflorescence of the coconut palm. It is in the general class of palm sugar made from different species of palm trees. Just like juice from sugarcane and sugar beet, the sap has a high concentration of sucrose. Sucrose in palm sap is concentrated by evaporation in open pans so the solid product has the other water-soluble components of the sap. The sap I have seen is remarkably clear so the solid product can be light coloured. The process is similar to how panela, gur or rapadura is made.
So in answer to at least one of your questions, yes coconut sugar is as sweet as any brown sugar of a similar colour. As for a coconut taste in anything distilled from a wash, I do not know.
I would worry about the provenance of low-cost coconut sugar. Sales have increased as coconut sugar is thought to be healthier. I am guessing there would not be enough coconut trees, and people to climb them to tap the sap twice a day to supply the demand. One could easily make coconut sugar from refined sugar, coconut essence and caramel. Maybe your online supplier has seen a market opportunity.

[Demy]

I don't know that product but I think it's worth a try. Sometimes experiencing for yourself is the only way.

[Yummyrum]

We use coconut sugar for some cooking . It isn’t very sweet compared to “Normal” sugar ... IE , where I might use a teaspoon of regular sugar , I would use several heaped Teaspoons of Coconut sugar to get the same sweetness .

I would guess that alcohol yield per gram will be way down on regular sugar .

As far as taste , it has a sort of earthiness to it but certainly I don’t get any hint of coconut at all . Maybe its just my taste buds .

[MichiganCornhusker]

My coconut sugar shows same dietary info as regular sugar, 15calories / 4 grams sugar per tsp.

The stuff I have is called brown coconut sugar, but lists coconut blossom nectar as only ingredient.

It has a strong molasses/dark caramel flavor, like panela but darker, richer.

If I had a cheap supply of this stuff I would try it for sure.