Attractive coloration, flavor that’s reminiscent of sweet & salty caramel candy. It’s almost milky, but has a ‘thickened’ feeling that is a departure from natural.
All in Mexico
Nestle Nesquik Chocolate Reduced Sugar
Chalky, plasticky feel, and a flavor that is dominated by an artificial sweetness. You can taste the cinnamon, which may cater to local tastes, for me it doesn’t work in a chocolate milk.
Lala Yomi Chocolate
A heck of a lot sweeter than the label reads, it’s too much. Upfront, the sugary blast shocks your tastebuds and prevents them from registering any other flavors. In the end, the aftertaste turns sour and metallic. The texture is nice, but that’s really the only positive quality.
Kellogg's All-Bran Chocolate
Has a surprisingly milky look and feel, and though there’s definitely a malty-to-wheaty taste, the flavor is much better than that of say, Nestle Milo or some of the boxed Ovaltine drinks. The creaminess is very well executed also, I’m surprised and pleased with the outcome here.
Kellogg's All-Bran Chocolate Deslactosada
A tad thinner and chalkier than its lactose-containing counterpart, and the malt flavor is a bit more prominent. The cream and texture are its strong points— it’s easily drinkable despite its lack of chocolate flavor.
Altea Leche Chocolate
From the intriguing light-brownish-but-somehow-more-grayish color, to the non-chocolaty-but-surprisingly-creamy flavor and peanut-buttery finish— I must say it’s refreshing in its uniqueness, somewhat reminiscent of Enfagrow 4 (Thailand).
San Marcos Lechita Chocolate
Milky smooth, and dominated by a ‘nutmeggy’ flavor that would have most people guessing ‘egg nog’ in a blindfolded trial. It’s much thinner than traditional egg nog, and is plenty sweet to feel desserty, but packaging and appearance aside, this isn’t quite chocolate milk.
Hershey's Leche Sabor a Chocolate
Nothing like the Hershey’s I’ve had elsewhere— this is cloyingly sweet in a fruity way and has a disturbingly plastic-like texture. The signature Hershey’s cocoa flavor is entirely absent, and the aftertaste is reminiscent of garage sweepings. After 4 or 5 sips I’m left disoriented, and dangerously close to rinsing my mouth out with the equally noxious Mexico City tap water.
Hershey's Leche Tropichoco
Definitely contains coconut flavor (not specifically called out on the label), which slaked my curiosity for what “Tropichoco” might be, and that gives the drink just enough direction to feel like an improvement over the previous Mexican Hershey’s boxed products. It shares the same cloying sweetness and contrived texture, but at least delivers on its (ambiguous) claim of difference.
Hershey's Leche Chocolate Deslactosada
Similar fruity over-sweetness as the lactose-containing version, but has a stronger cocoa flavor. Still, this is not enjoyable to drink, it feels off in both texture and taste— both a significant departure from how chocolate milk should be presented.
Santa Clara Lechita Helado de Chocolate
Flavorful chocolate milk that doesn’t stray too far in any direction. There’s a quiet confidence about it, and the experience is chocolaty and mature feeling. The chocolate ice cream on the label is not hyperbole, this does feel indulgent, and stands above the field of Mexican chocolate milk so far.
Alpura Me Late Choco Latte Deslactosado
Such an abrasive sourness that I was staggered from the first sip, and never quite regained my balance. It’s very thin and undersweet-- neither of which are bad things, but the flavor is so far in the sour & earthy direction that it renders all other characteristics moot.
Santa Clara Lechita Helado de Chocolate (200mL box)
Flavorful chocolate milk that doesn’t stray too far in any direction. There’s a quiet confidence about it, and the experience is chocolaty and mature feeling. The chocolate ice cream on the label is not hyperbole, this does feel indulgent, and stands above the field of Mexican chocolate milk so far.
Alpura Deslactosada Chocolate
Boozy and sweet— makes me wonder if this milk is in the process of turning foul. There's a very prominent powdery feel, which may be in part due to the rehydration. I watch its solute cling desperately to the inside of the glass, as I regrettably afford my innards the same fate. Ok, ‘no mas.’
Alpura Vaquitas Chocolate
Sweet, yet fairly bland with a lightly nutty flavor in place of chocolate. The texture is close-but-not-quite milky; there's a powdery component that is perhaps from the rehydration process.
Bové Chocolate
Excellent thin, milky consistency that does well to deliver the flavor that it is tasked to carry— a flavor that I’m warming up to with each sip. It’s highly unique, and has a buttery-rum like quality but not in a nasty/boozy manner. More butter than rum, the cocoa is there but can get a little lost in the shuffle. Give this an honest try, I promise by the end you’ll appreciate the uniqueness.
Borden Leche Chocolate
Smooth, sweet, and creamy— this has all the makings of a delicious chocolate milk, but where’s the chocolate? I bet that 9 out of 10 people would taste this (blindfolded) and identify this as a vanilla milk or milkshake— not because it tastes strongly of vanilla, but because it’s sweet and devoid of any other notable flavor.
Marinela Leche Gansito
Every bit as gray as wet cement, the flavor is less remarkable and very much skews toward the ‘sweet and not much else’ region. Though, the ‘not much else’ manages to contain a mild, multi-vitaminish note, but it’s distant enough to offend only the most sensitive.