Interesting, I have a few coconut palms around the house and my experience is that the coconut water is sweetest right off the palm when the "meat" is already thick but still a little soft. Straight off the palm, the fully ripened ones have less liquid and and it's not as flavorful when the "meat" has reached full thickness and has become quite hard. But I've never tried storing them after cutting them down.
At what point would you harvest them and how long do you wait for them to ripen?

Lucky you, being an urban dweller I myself always get coconuts straight off the refreshment cart and about a quarter of the time would get a still green-looking coconut that has just hit the "sweet spot" giving sweet juice and thick but still soft flesh (am trying not to make this too sexy) The very best. The rest would have a sour twang to it and the flesh is still jello-ishy. You are in a better position to pick and choose so you are more of a coconut expert than me. I also begin to suspect maybe the "singeing" process has to do with something more than just cosmetics? For this kind I'd have to venture a bit further down the soi (alley)... Why don't you try this process and see if it tastes different and how?

For a parting pic - swinging away from a coconut groove - here's something to keep one's mind off the dreary state of world affairs, if only for a minute or two. From my island getaway last month:

Early tea at 5am, waiting for the sun to rise

Attachment 128883


on Phiphi Islands (to us English speakers, the pronunciation is Peeh peeh - ok, don't laugh.)