Maybe I’m so used to the flavour of soy milk that it’s ruined my ability to instantly detect that characteristic soy milk flavour, but in my mind all you can taste in Vitasoy’s Peppermint Chocolate soy milk is chocolate and peppermint. It’s like a candy cane stirred into a glass of chocolate milk. It tastes milky, but not soy milky. It’s not too sweet, either.
After the disastrous results of heating both So Nice Noel Nog and Silk True Almond Dark Chocolate, the “delicious warmed or chilled” blurb on the carton intrigued me. I know it’s great cold, but what about warmed?
It’s actually pretty damned good. I zapped a mug of it in the microwave until it was hot, and presto, dairy-free peppermint hot chocolate. The flavour balance is certainly different served hot than served cold; heated, it lacks the cooling character of the peppermint, and the soy base seems a tad more detectable. But really, I could totally go for a hot mug of the stuff after trudging home through the snow.
RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: About $3 for a 946 ml carton.
Value for cash money: Not bad. It’s a specialty organic product, and it carries the corresponding price tag. Look for deals after Christmas.
Availability: Planet Organic and other shops that carry soy milk in unrefrigerated Tetra Paks. Look for it on a grocery aisle shelf, not in the cooler.
Nutrition?: 140 calories per 240 ml serving. Some protein, and small amounts of iron and calcium, but nothing even remotely close to the vitamin fortification found in So Nice products.
Shelf life: It doesn’t need to be refrigerated until you open it, so stock up now for the rest of the winter. My cartons purchased in early December expire on August 5, 2011. By the time they expire, I’ll be nursing cold pints on a warm patio.
The verdict: Amazing stuff. Thanks for the tip, uncle Peter!