Flavored Milk

A reader of the blog, Irina, mentioned that when she was last in Russia, she noticed the phenomenon of "flavored milk." I decided to take a look and taste some if I could find it. I did not find a huge selection but did see two different brands of flavored milk for sale at the grocery story: Chudo (which is a popular maker of flavored yogurts) and Neo/Mazhitel.

Both brands sell small boxes of flavored milk that come with straws, probably aimed at children and perhaps adults on the go. I decided to try to Neo/Mazhitel version because it came in more original flavors. The Chudo brand came in predictable flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, while Neo/Mazhitel sold a peach/passionfruit version.

I tasted the peach/passionfruit version and found that it tasted like juice with a little milk in it. It was much thinner than I expected and much less milky. The box promotes the product as "vitamins, milk, juice." This seems to be a pretty good description of the taste, although in that case, I would change the order to "juice, milk, vitamins." It tastes like sweet peach/passionfruit juice with a little milk flavor and a vague sense that you might be getting some Vitamin C by drinking it. Healthier or more tasty than regular milk? I think I will stick with unflavored milk and have my juice on the side! Nonetheless, an interesting product.