Ronnybrook Farm Whole Milk — A Very Good Glass of Milk

Taste and Texture

Unironically, in my mind, this section is Flavourtown.

At the time I drank this, I was not familiar with the farm or the cows’ conditions. So this is mostly about the taste and texture.

The one product I tried is the whole milk. It’s my go-to. Logic: the cow’s body already worked hard enough on doing it like that, why change it too much?. It is pasteurized and, according to the bottle, non–homogenized, a term that I learned means not pressure-blended until the fats are broken so they can preserve the bigger fat and protein particles, so the suspension doesn’t separate as quickly or at all, like usual.

The taste is just awesome. Because it’s a full-fat milk, you can taste some sunny buttery notes, without being salty. It is indeed mildly sweet, but not too sweet. It tastes like the cows were healthy. How do I know? I don’t know, really; that’s just what my brain is telling me. The texture is creamy enough too, like when you have a latte bobba, or a small degree lighter than a canned royal milk tea, without the oil coating afterwards.

One characteristic that I love about good farm milk is that it is refreshing. Yes, you read that right, even when warmed feels refreshing and just as cozy as needed without transforming you into a wool bundle.

Personally I didn’t feel any grainy, or extra textures, which is great, and the fact that I could get the milk in glass bottles does help to maintain the taste, that’s for sure––it’s in fact, not for sure, but I guess it’s the same principle where glass Coca-cola taste better than the tin can, you can quote me on that, but it’s all my personal experience.

About the company

I learned this after realizing that I just got really nice milk after drinking it. Turns out Ronnybrook Farms milk is somewhat of a NY farmers market staple. It’s still a family company, in a world where everyone wants to become a corp for some reason. And per their own description, the cows are grass-fed, which explains the refreshing taste of the milk.

About non-homogenized milk

If you are thinking it tastes better because it’s non-homogenized, the answer is “maybe yes”. I’m not a food scientist, so sorry for this limited explanation. So the process consists of breaking down the particles from 10~15 microns to 2 microns; it affects all large particles, including fat and protein. This allows for a better distribution of all the smaller particles, allowing for a longer shelf life. I do think of homogenization as one of those wonders of industry. Allowing for more stable and longer shelf life reduces costs to consumers and allows for less waste. In big terms, it’s still the same milk, but some breaking down of the molecules changes the suspension structure, allowing for particles that are known flavours into smaller, not so flavourful ones.

Verdict

I will buy again, and I’d recommend it, at least if you enjoy dairy regularly, they do have small presentations too. It’s one of those small upgrades that makes something that could be non brainer to a non-brainer noticeable better.

PD: nope, I didn’t write it with AI––I did learn how to use emdash thanks to it. You live and you learn.