Geographic variations in coconut milk

Coconuts don't vary that much around the world, so coconut milk is pretty much the same no matter the source country. I have tried coconut milk from many places and prices and I've never found a difference in flavor that would justify a difference in price. The main difference I've found is generally in the ratio of cream to coconut water, the cream on the top is what makes a dish rich and luscious (it also make a great vegan whipped cream substitute) so more is generally better. The other differences seem to be brand and the section of the supermarket it's found in.

I've generally found that the expensive high priced premier brands like Amoy or Blue Dragon have the least amount of cream, so they are the absolute last ones I would buy. The ones from the Indian section are better but the best overall from a cream content are from the Caribbean section. I've found this to be the case in both the UK and the USA. If there's an Asian supermarket near you it's worth a trip there to stock up as well as they'll have many varieties and their prices are very good.

Depending on where you are your mileage may vary, it's worth buying a can from each section to compare. If you let them sit undisturbed for a couple of days the cream will separate and float to the top, you can then see how much cream each has.

If you examine the ingredients on different brands of tinned coconut milk you can find percentages of coconut ranging (and I used the Tesco Supermarket website to get a sampling as they always list product ingredients) from 25% up to 72% and possibly higher. There will also be varying proportions of water, thickeners and emulsifiers such as Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Polysorbate 60 and Locust Bean Gum.

Sometimes the coconut content is described as 'coconut extract', I have no idea what that means.

Products marketed as 'Light' will typically have more water than coconut.

It is possible that in markets outside the UK there are 'better' canned products available.

I get Creamed Coconut in block form, which is 100% coconut and can be grated into the dish as required, where you can add such liquid as you choose and the gratings melt into it as it heats. You can also get this in sachets if a whole block seems like it would be more than you need.

At least where I live (Florida), every brand of coconut milk seems to come from Thailand. Sure, they are marketed as Hispanic, West Indian, or various Asian brands, including Thai, but if you look in the can, it says "Product of Thailand". One brand that I've found to be a good value is Grace from Jamaica, but again, while the brand is Jamaican, the product is Thai.

What will affect the most your recipe is not the geographic origin. Rather it is the fat content. Personally, I look at total percentage of fats, first. Then starting with the highest fat option, I verify that the ingredients are legit. Coconut: pass, other additives: fail.

Basically, you want to maximize the fat from coconut origin. The cheap (and some high-end ones too) products will typically have more water. If you need water in your recipe, take it from the tap :-).