All tagged Organic
Wow, they did it! They actually managed to make extremely bland chocolate milk even blander! In doing so, the 'cooked milk' flavor rises to prominence, sadly this is perhaps the best approximation of what it might be like breastfeeding from an A.I. wet nurse-- bland, sterile, soulless, inevitable?
Bland and inoffensive, unless, like me, you find blandness offensive. It feels as though someone went out of their way to make this register very little on the taste buds-- so if you're that someone, then I bid you a job well done. It's slightly thinner and smoother than average, which is fine, but still leaves you wanting much more-- and not in a good way. The second sip confirms the hollowness of the first, and all sips beyond that are simply to finish the bottle so you can no longer spill it accidentally.
Like many other Organic UHT chocolate milks I've reviewed in the past-- it's appropriately milky, slightly saltier than sweet, and carries a modestly sour cocoa flavor that is neither exciting nor off-putting-- just fairly common for the genre. It drinks smoothly and easily, especially at room temperature should you choose to ration your fridge space. Decent while it lasts-- and it doesn't last long. So.. not overwhelmingly decent in the end.
Well, I agree with the label-- "New Taste." I definitely preferred the old one, which was similarly bland, but had a nicely light-enough cocoa flavor that you could convince yourself it was 'deft' or 'sophisticated.' This version carries one of the stranger cocoa flavors I've had, especially for a meant-for-the-mainstream product. It hits like a cooked vanilla flavor, but even less sexy than that sounds. Strikes me as odd that the ingredients have no hint of vanilla or flavor additives or anything-- how they managed to get this flavor out of organic cocoa will remain a mystery to me, and perhaps is something I should laud as a feat of bioengineering. The remainder of the drink is drably appropriate for the lowfat/lactose free archetype-- a slightly saltier-than-sweet ratio is its most palatable feature.
Delivers on the promise of its strikingly beautiful pre-and-post-shake visuals, with a finely-tuned sweet/salty balance favoring the latter, and a luxuriously indulgent creaminess unburdened by stabilizers, gums, or starches. The cocoa flavor is appropriately mature without veering into sour or earthy territory, and the overall experience gracefully wanes on the tastebuds but remains vivid in mind. If you've not tried raw chocolate milk, this would be an excellent place to start!
Gorgeously well-balanced with a salty uprfont hit that sets the tone early for the delicous deluge that is about to follow. The cocoa flavor is prominent and slightly on the darker side of the continuum-- it's not overly sweet or candified, and comes across as an indulgently creamy treat that lasts well into the aftertaste.
From texture to cocoa to cream flavor to sweet/salty balance to the gorgeous visuals-- this squarely strikes every note with an assertive brilliance and yet somehow still manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. Not only the best raw chocolate milk I've had thus far, but one of the very best I've had in recent memory. And I have a pretty good memory.
Gorgeous from initial eye contact through to warm afterglow. Its unique and slightly earthy cocoa flavor combine with an organic creamline base to deliver an exceptional drinking experience that is meant to be savored, not swilled. Casual chocolate milk fans may lack the nuance (or desire) to give this the attention that it deserves. A wholly-satisfying experience that is highly congruent with Vermont's commitment to quality, locally-sourced agriproducts.
Super powerful cocoa flavor that has an upfront sourness that gradually softens into a deliciously dark & indulgent simmer. All other factors play competent (and fairly distant) supporting roles to the cocoa flavor-- including the sweetness, which is artfully restrained. Points for uniqueness-- this is a drinking experience that won't be for everyone, but will be everything to someone.
Pleasantly balanced with a slight emphasis on cocoa and salt. This stands out among its organic, UHT peers in a good way-- there's a little more depth to the flavor than usual, though it still maintains the sour-ish, almost earthy cocoa presence that is representative of the genre. It certainly scratches the chocolate milk itch, and would be a welcome addition to your bagged lunch (no refrigeration necessary)-- but drink it slowly, as 8oz goes fast.
It's hard to say something interesting about something uninteresting-- so I won't try. It tastes exactly what you'd expect lowfat, ultra-high temp pasteurized, mass-produced chocolate milk to taste like-- inoffensively un-chocolaty, forgettably thin, pleasantly smooth, and blandly balanced. If mediocrity was the goal, they knocked it out of the park.
A modest (but noticeable) step above Horizon's traditional 1% chocolate milk, this build seems to have a bit more cocoa behind it, and the extra dairy fat is appreciated. It won't turn heads or start any new religions, but it's a welcome addition to the limited but long-standing chocolate milk portfolio from Horizon.
Absolutely annihilates that ideal thin-viscosity-to-high-creaminess-ratio that I so covet so much, delivering a fantastic dark and slightly mature cocoa flavor to any and all nearby flavor receptors. There's a grassy butteriness to the cream that ensures maximum flavor extension on the back end with no deterioration whatsoever-- it's flawless from start to finish, the only problem being that the bottle doesn't magically refill itself. All Kentucky roads should lead to Springfield-- I just saved it into my 'favorites' on my GPS.
Appropriate salty/sweet balance for a more adult, sourish, mature(ish) cocoa flavor-- which seems to be standard across many private label 2% organic chocolate milks. Sure, there's a cooked milk flavor from the ultra-pasteurization, sure that kills the 'soul' of the chocolate milk-- but the rest of it is decent enough to satisfy in a pinch, or even feature as the 'indulgent' portion of an unremarkable bagged lunch.
Beautiful coffee-brown coloration with what I swear is a maple-syrup-esque flavor that is tasty, unique, and somewhat...distracting perhaps? I'm enjoying the novelty and drinking experience, but am having difficulty locating the cocoa flavor and there's a bit of a lack of depth as a result. That said, I'm happy to drink more in search of something more tangible.
Undersweet in a way that feels extreme at first, but feels more appropriate once you're several sips in. There's an artificial twinge in the aftertaste that leaves me in a bad place, but I get that this is not meant for recreation, but for discipline. There's a modestly creamy base that can support much more than the dusting of cocoa contained therein, and while uniqueness has cachet with me, too many of its idiosyncrasies stack up in the 'loss' column. Maybe it tastes better through the provided straw, but I'm not curious enough to try this again anytime soon.
Resoundingly refreshing cocoa flavor with a slightly mature/sour pitch in the first third of the sip. It's not particularly wild or 'goaty' for those concerned about that-- it remains confidently under-sweet and cocoa-focused-- and I applaud the commitment to making chocolate milk that feels like: chocolate, milk.
Predictable sourish cocoa flavor with a noticeable cooked milk flavor-- pretty standard fare for a mass-produced low fat, organic, shelf-stable chocolate milk. It doesn't offend, but both calories and attention are better spent elsewhere.
Silky upfront experience with a back-end malt and an almost coffee-like bent to the flavor. There's a modicum of grit left in the mouth post-swallow, followed by a clean, pleasant aftertaste that warrants another pour. This half gallon won't last long.
Excellently warm and creamy texture with a grassy nod at the very end, but otherwise rather bland from a flavor standpoint. It's still enjoyable to sip given its lovely base and texture, but the cocoa flavor is a bit off (almost has a maple syrup hint to it) despite being rather muted.
