oh yeah peat crushes everything...i'd use it if the bugs didn't love it so much. Growing up in commercial nurseries peat/poo mixes is all I ever used or saw used. And yeah coco was just marketed as a growing medium because they use it as a terrace builder in azn countries, and it worked decent. I don't think coco is a perfect medium at all, but the advantages are definitely there so I choose to work with it.
and yeah, keep your coco simple. Remember it's not soil, so whatever you amend will probably be washed out or used up in the first month or so. That's why I like the simple amendments that don't immediately break down, and will contribute more to a "soil" environment for the micros.
also - another good amendment for coco is pelletized calcium carbonate. using standard dolomite or hydrated lime I see weird deficiencies I can't explain, but the prills of carbonate (same idea as slow release fertilizer) last a LONG time and make a good buffer/cal source.