Tag: Chocolate Milk

REVIEW: Creamy Chocolate Silk Ultra Protein Drink

Marvo 4 Comments

Creamy Chocolate Silk Ultra Protein Drink Carton

What is the Creamy Chocolate Silk Ultra Protein Drink?

It’s Silk’s attempt to get into the lucrative protein drink industry. Along with this one, there are also two other flavors — unsweet and original.

While it’s a “soy protein beverage,” it pretty much looks and pours like soy milk. How much protein does it have, you ask? Twenty grams per one-cup serving. That’s 40% of your daily recommended intake and slightly more than double the amount in regular Silk Chocolate Soymilk. Plus, Ultra has half the sugar of chocolate milk, 35% of your daily recommended calcium, and 130% of your daily vitamin B12.

How is it?

It’s chocolatey and chalky. It’s chalkolatey.

Although I’ll admit, it’s not the chalkiest chocolate plant-based milk I’ve had. That sad, sad honor goes to the Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk I tried a few years ago. It was so chalky that I can still remember how much so it was all these years later. It’s like a bad food memory that’s tattooed on my brain, like that time I drank bacon-flavored soda or learned I have a shellfish allergy.

Creamy Chocolate Silk Ultra Protein Drink Closeup

However, to make Silk Ultra’s texture significantly less noticeable to not noticeable at all, might I recommend adding it to cereal or iced coffee. For some strange reason, it fades when used in those ways. I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s soy magic.

When it comes to chocolatiness, and this could be my imagination, it seems to be slightly more so than regular Chocolate Silk Soy Milk. But overall, the Ultra version pretty much tastes like the original one, except, you know, chalkier.

Anything else you need to know?

I’ve read that regular chocolate milk is an excellent post-workout drink because it has the right balance of protein and carbohydrates. And I’ve learned through personal experience that regular chocolate milk is an awful pre-workout drink. Oh, also egg nog.

The midnight black carton looks cool.

Conclusion:

Because it tastes like regular Silk Chocolate soy milk, I’ve been enjoying Creamy Chocolate Silk Ultra. Also, I love the efficiency of getting 40% of my protein in just a cup of it. Its chalkiness isn’t a complete deal-breaker for me. Then again, isn’t that quirk par for the course when it comes to protein drinks. It would probably be a huge endeavor to make them not so chalky.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 59 fl oz
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 190 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 280 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of total sugars (includes 10 grams of added sugars), and 20 grams of protein.

REVIEW: TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk

Marvo 8 Comments

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk

What is TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk?

It’s part of TruMoo’s decadent line of flavored milk that has a name that I only say using a seductive whisper.

The line also includes Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel and Vanilla & Chai Spice. This spicy flavor is dark chocolate milk with notes of cinnamon and a kick of chili pepper. The dairy base is whole milk, and it’s sweetened with real cane sugar.

How is it?

The chocolate and cinnamon in the ultra-pasteurized milk help create a delicious treat that the artificial growth hormone-free cows used to provide the base of the beverage would be proud of. Unfortunately, the ingredients list doesn’t contain cinnamon. Instead, it’s under “Natural Flavors.” But, the milk’s tastiness helps me turn a blind eye to that.

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk Closeup

As for the burn one would expect with Mexican-style chocolate, it’s there and it happens on the back of my throat. Most of the time it occurs after the first sip, but other times it takes a second sip for the spiciness to hit. To me, it isn’t intense. It’s below a hot cinnamon candy. But if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, definitely avoid it.

Is there anything else you need to know?

TruMoo After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk Pour

If you avoid carrageenan, this is not a beverage for you. But speaking of liquid thickeners, maybe it’s just me but, I found this flavored milk to be thicker than others I’ve had. Along with the seaweed extract, the milk also has cellulose gum to help thicken it. There’s also cellulose fiber, which after a lazy Google search, I still don’t know what it does. Is it another thickener? Maybe one of the food scientists in the audience can educate me.

Also, I’m a little sad this doesn’t come in a half gallon size.

Conclusion:

I like TruMoo’s After Dark Mexican Style Chocolate Milk. I also like TruMoo’s decision to branch out into flavors that seem more mature and creative than what TruMoo is mostly known for, which is adding food dyes to vanilla flavored milk.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 1 quart
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk

Marvo 1 Comment

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk

What is Suja’s Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk?

It’s a dairy-free, plant-based chocolate milk that made using flax seeds, peas, and sunflowers. A cup provides 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, 30 percent of your daily calcium.

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk 2

How is it?

Whenever there’s a new chocolate milk on the market — dairy or non-dairy — I like to give it a try, because chocolate milk makes me smile, and I want every one to reach that standard. But Suja’s Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk doesn’t. All I can think about is how I want to scratch out the word “chocolate” on the bottle and replace it with “chalkolate.”

As you can probably guess, it’s chalky.

Look, I get it. It probably has to be that way since it’s made with sunflower and flax seeds, which also helps give it four grams of fiber (16 percent of your daily recommended intake) per serving. But its chalkiness makes it seem more like chocolate-flavored medicine than milk.

As for its flavor, it’s okay. It’s similar to other non-dairy chocolate milks. Cacao powder is used to give it its chocolatiness and it’s sweetened with cane sugar and monk fruit. But I’m so used to non-dairy milks being creamy, that its texture takes away from its flavor.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk Version 2

Is it just me or does the leaf in Suja’s logo look like an angry face or the face of someone who doesn’t like the chalkiness of this non-dairy chocolate milk?

Conclusion:

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk 3

If you’re looking for a non-dairy, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free, GMO-free, carrageenan-free, and vegan chocolate milk, then the Suja Chocolate Milk is a great option. But, again, I’m looking for chocolate milk that makes me smile, and this doesn’t do it for me.

Purchased Price: $6.79 (on sale – $8.49 reg.)
Size: 48 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (8 ounces) 120 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ripple Chocolate Milk

Marvo 3 Comments

Ripple Chocolate Milk

If you told me a decade ago I’d be drinking pea milk and enjoying it, I’d laugh and tell you I’m not into that gross stuff. Then after explaining it’s p-e-a and not p-e-e, I’d again laugh and tell you I’m not into that gross stuff.

I don’t care for the pea’s texture, flavor, and ability to affect a princess’ sleep. I avoid chicken pot pies because of the chance I’ll eat one and I always throw out that one freeze dried pea you get with every Cup Noodles.

So it’s odd I ended up buying a bottle of dairy-free Chocolate Ripple Milk, which is made with flavorless pea protein. It’s not the green peas you’ll find swimming in a chicken a la king, it’s yellow peas. But it’s still peas. Although I don’t care for the vegetable, I might’ve bought this so that I can say in a pretentious tone, “Oh, you drink almond milk? Well, have you tried pea milk? No? You should try it someday.”

According to the Ripple website, a cup of Chocolate Ripple has more protein and less sugar than an equal serving of chocolate soy milk. Plus, it provides Omega-3 fatty acids.

Ripple is available in original, unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. I haven’t tried any of the others, but this chocolate one reminded me of reduced fat chocolate milk. If you gave some to a kid and told them it came from a cow, they’d believe you. But I guess if you put cocoa into any milk it’ll do a great job at hiding whatever it’s made from, probably even pee milk.

While I enjoyed its flavor, I noticed an oddity with its texture. It initially was creamy in my mouth, but then it became thinner. However, I noticed it because I was swishing it around in my mouth, like some pretentious wine taster or Listerine burn lover. But I imagine most folks won’t notice since their mouth to throat transit time will be much quicker than mine.

There’s also the issue of price. Forty-eight ounce bottles retail for five dollars. A half gallon (64 ounces) of other dairy-free milks are about the same price or cheaper.

Overall, I do see myself buying Chocolate Ripple Milk again, if its price comes down. When it does, it’ll be the only way I’ll consume peas.

(Nutrition Facts – 12 fl oz – 220 calories, 80 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 680 milligrams of potassium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 70% calcium, 45% vitamin D, 20% iron, and 4% magnesium.)

Purchased Price: $2.79*
Size: 12 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like reduced fat chocolate milk. More protein and less sugar than chocolate soy milk. Provides Omega-3 fatty acids. Conversation starter with vegetarian or vegan? Listerine burn.
Cons: More expensive than other dairy-free milks. Slightly changing texture is odd. Peas. Listerine burn. Bragging about all the dairy-free milks you’ve had.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Fairlife Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk

Marvo 32 Comments

Fairlife Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk

Fairlife Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk has 50 percent more protein, 30 percent more calcium, and 50 percent less sugar than regular reduced fat chocolate milk. It has no lactose, it’s been ultra-filtered, and comes from cows that are not treated with rBST. The cows that produce Fairlife milk listen to classical music all day, receive daily massages, go to cow hot yoga classes twice a day, are read bedtime stories, eat grass from silver troughs, and have the sound of crashing waves play while they sleep.

Actually, that last sentence I’m not sure about.

According to the bottle, the producers of Fairlife milk provide “extraordinary care for our cows.” I don’t know what that means, so I just assumed they are treated better than the wagyu cattle used to make Kobe beef.

Speaking of producers, if you think this milk comes from some farm in the middle of Indiana, you’d be wrong. It’s comes from some farm in the northwestern part of Indiana. Also, it’s distributed by some small beverage company that you’ve probably never heard of. I believe their name is Coca-Cola.

So how does this milk have more protein and calcium and less sugar than regular chocolate milk? You could watch this video that’ll explain it with cute animation. Or you could read the following boring words: ultra-filtering involves separating the different parts of the milk and then recombining them, but including more of the protein and calcium and leaving out the sugars.

Fairlife Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk smells and looks like every other chocolate milk on the market. It also has a nice thickness, thanks to the added carrageenan. Its flavor is mostly similar to other reduced fat chocolate milks, but it has a different aftertaste. It’s probably because of the added ace-K and sucralose sweeteners (sugar is also added), but I should make clear that the difference in flavor isn’t as dramatic as regular cola and diet cola. The aftertaste is not a deal breaker for me and my diet soda drinking taste buds, but I can see how it might be an issue for others.

Another issue others might have is the milk’s price. Fairlife is being marketed as a premium milk, so it has a premium price. A half-gallon…oh wait. A 52-ounce bottle retails for $3.99, which is more expensive than the average price for a gallon of whole milk, which I obtained from the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

You’re probably thinking, “Holy crap! That is some expensive milk.” And it’s probably being followed by, “Holy crap! You did actual research for this review.”

Fairlife’s Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk is pricey, contains artificial sweeteners, goes through an unfamiliar filtering process, and is distributed by one of the world’s largest beverage companies, but I really like it. I think it has a surprisingly nice flavor for something that has artificial sweeteners, I’m all for more protein and calcium, and the price doesn’t bother me too much because of what it offers over regular milk.

Dairy milk hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s the same milk that did the body good when I was growing up. That milk is still fine, but I like having the option for “super” milk that does the body better.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup – 140 calories, 40 calories from fat, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 280 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein, 10% vitamin A, 40% calcium, and 25% vitamin D.)

Item: Fairlife Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk
Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 52 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like chocolate milk. Surprisingly good flavor for something that has artificial sweeteners. 50 percent more protein, 30 percent more calcium, and 50 percent less sugar than regular reduced fat chocolate milk.
Cons: Pricey. Contains artificial sweeteners. Slightly off aftertaste. Not sure what “extraordinary care for our cows” mean.