Strong cocoa flavor, but severely lacking accompaniment (creaminess, in particular) that could elevate the experience dramatically. Instead, you’ve got a watery-feeling boxed drink claiming ‘200% chocolate’— when the ingredients read: (1) water; (2) sugar; (3) milk solids; (4) cocoa powder…
Sweet, milky, and under-chocolaty, but rather pleasant, and decently natural feeling for a shelf-stable, boxed item. It won’t light your tastebuds on fire, but it also won’t be the last thing you reach for in the fridge (or even off the shelf).
Unnecessarily thick and has an acidic quality to the flavor that doesn’t pair well with cocoa in this instance. It’s starchy, and doesn’t taste nearly as nice as some of the Lactel concoctions I’ve had in the past.
Feels more syrupy than milky— not only texture-wise, but the flavor is also more of an empty sweetness than one of chocolate. It checks the box for the waning populace to whom the phrase ‘fat free’ still holds cachet— but this is yet another example of nonfat chocolate milk attempting to please everyone, whilst effectively pleasing no one.
Richly chocolaty in a mature, slightly under-sweet way. The strong cocoa is delivered through a chalky, yet still milky-feeling medium that does its job well. This wouldn’t look out of place in glass— be it on a supermarket shelf, or stemware at home.
Awesomely chocolaty, supported well by all other factors that clearly understand their place in the hierarchy. Worthy of the ‘deluxe’ billing, it wields a dessert-like indulgence, in spite of remarkably low monetary and caloric investments.
Well-executed chocolate malt flavor that goes down with blissful facility. It satisfies without being clingy in the afterglow.
Well-executed chocolate malt flavor that goes down with blissful facility. It satisfies without being clingy in the afterglow.
In spite of its ‘low sugar’ assertion, this tastes distractingly too sweet— and there's a synthetic feel to it that heightens imbalance. Also present is the sourness of the ‘normal’ UHT version, which doesn't work to its advantage here.
Simple cocoa taste paired with a light sweetness that does well to limit its foreground exposure. A slight sense of ‘powder’ haunts the texture, conjuring industrial imagery rather than the idyllic farmlands we hold in reverie.
The texture feels unnatural, congruent with the spotty, not-super-well-mixed appearance. There’s also a strong sourness that steals away any remaining attention not usurped by the texture concerns. I’ve certainly had worse, but this is a rather unfortunate UHT port of the ‘fresh’ version.
Competent all-purpose chocolate milk that should't feel self-conscious around more indulgent options. It’s averagely sweet, salty, chocolaty, and dons a noticeable, but relatively sheer cloak of malt. The package design and color scheme is genius.
Labelling this as ‘chocolate' is a definite stretch. It tastes more like a bland latte that sat in a paper cup for 48 hours. Sadly, I’ve had that experience, and am forced to relive it here.
Strong cocoa flavor in a thin, and slightly under-creamy (considering the fat content) medium. It satisfies your chocolate craving in a pinch, but comes up a bit short on the 'milk' side of the ledger. All in all, it balances out to an average experience.
SUPER-chocolaty and delicious! A brilliant departure from the boxed, rehydrated standard in the Philippines. The non-homogenous nature of it does limit the smoothness— but you get the sense that each granule you feel is working overtime to deliver a cocoa punch to your senses that is hard to come by in creamy, liquid form!
Excellent texture and a surprisingly clean finish, making it easy to want more. The sweetness is appropriate, and there’s no funky aftertaste or curious residue left in the mouth afterward. It’s not obvious that it’s rehydrated.
Smooth, bland, tastes of wet cardboard— the kind that had a lot of permanent marker writing on it. There’s very little depth to the flavor, and there’s nothing to hold your attention beyond the initial “I wonder what this tastes like” sip. The answer comes quickly, and you only take additional sips if you’re dying of thirst, or reviewing the product. Damn.
Salty and ferrous, as though someone poured watered-down clam chowder through a rusty gutter and boxed it up for you. The basketball player on the front of the box is blatantly exposing both armpits, perhaps a subtle harbinger of what’s inside.
Very unique— not only because it’s the first Kalabaw (Filipino water buffalo) milk I’ve had— but there’s a flavor to it that I've yet to experience in over 1,000 previous chocolate milks. It’s ‘spicy’— not in the traditional ‘hot’ sense, but it’s reminiscent of spices like cinnamon and perhaps tamarind (not a spice, I know) more so than chocolate. Pleasant, nonetheless, and worth a try if visiting Manila.
