As a lifelong connoisseur of whole milk, who literally drank gallons a week from the time I could walk until I graduated college, I decided it was long past time I sat down to figure out if there really is a difference between regular whole milk, and the organic variety that costs over $3 per 1/2 gallon. While I was at it I figured I’d see if Hood Simply Smart 1% really has the taste of whole milk.

When choosing the Milk I went with brands I thought you’d be most likely to find in your local store. I believe Horizon is probably the most popular, and readily available organic milk product. I chose the national Hood “Simply Smart” brand over the regional Garelic Farms “Over the Moon” brand. For the regular stuff I went with the supermarket brand (in my case Hannaford), since I figure everybody can find supermarket brand milk (quality will likely vary).

The Testing

With the help of my wife, I conducted a blind taste test to determine which type of whole milk really tastes the best. The setup was simple. I hid in another room while my wife filled 3 glasses, labeled them A, B, and C, and hid the answer key inside tent cards. It was all very official.

All 3 varieties of milk were purchased in 1/2 gallon cardboard cartons. The cardboard matters as plastic ruins the taste of the milk. True milk lovers know this. If you didn’t know that, then this review is probably not for you.

Swirl Tests

Glass A

Before tasting the milk I tried to get a read on thickness. Like a pretentious wine snob I swirled the milk around in the glass and checked for adhesion. Glass A was thick. It clung to the side of the glass Amy Winehouse to a crackpipe.

Glass B

I conducted the same swirl test on the 2nd glass. While not watery, the glass B didn’t cling to the side of the glass nearly as much as glass A.

Glass C

The results of the swirl test on glass C were very similar to that of glass A. I went back and forth swirling A then C, C then A, A and C together. The results were practically identical. In the end I decided to call it a push. Besides, I need to start drinking this stuff before it got warm.

Taste Tests

While swirling is lots of fun, it’s really the taste that matters. The goal wasn’t to determine which kind of milk is the stickiest, I wanted to find out about taste, and for that to happen, I was going to have to drink.

Glass A

Would you be surprised if I said it tasted like milk? Well, that’s exactly what it tasted like. It was thick and a little creamy. And it was good.

Glass B

Glass B tasted thicker than it looked in the swirl test. It was creamy, but not as rich as glass A. It tasted good enough. While I hadn’t arrived at a absolute decision, I was pretty sure I knew what glass B was.

Glass C

Oh it was thick…like Elmers glue. Rich, creamy, buttery. In a word, it was heaven. All milk should taste this good.

Wanting to be more definitive (and wanting an excuse to drink the fatty goodness that is whole milk), I disappeared from the room while my wife refilled my glasses.

The 2nd time around I went the extra mile and ate a spoonful of lemon sorbet between glasses…you know, to cleanse the palate. Milk tasting, after all, is serious business.

As I went through the 2nd round of tasting I made a special effort to let the milk rest in the back of my throat, as I’ve discovered this is where you can really get a sense of the flavor. Between letting the milk sit in my mouth, and the lemon sorbet, the 2nd test provided a much clearer picture of what was what.

The Results

Much to my wife’s surprise I was able to correctly identify all 3 varieties of whole milk. Like I said, I’m a connoisseur (and quite likely a guy with too much free time). Glass A was in fact your everyday run of the mill supermarket milk. It’s unspectacular in it’s taste, but if you love whole milk, it will do the trick every time.

Glass B, with it’s thinner consistency was, no doubt, the Hood Simply Smart. I liken the Simply Smart to the campus pizza I used to get in Binghamton. True lovers of milk are never going to confuse it with the actual whole milk, but if you understand what you’re getting, it’s pretty good in its own right. For those conscious of fat and calories, it’s a more than adequate substitution for the real thing. Actually it may be one of the greatest low-fat alternatives the food industry has every created. As you might expect, it does cost more than the average half gallon of milk.

That leaves glass C as the Horizon organic whole milk. Unless you’re a devotee of organic products, the $3+ price tag per 1/2 gallon (and the fat content of whole milk in general) is probably enough to keep you from drinking it every day. There’s no arguing, however; that organic milk is simply the best tasting milk you can buy. It’s so unbelievably delicious that I consider it dessert milk. You certainly don’t want to waste any by floating your Cherrios in it. If money and a big butt weren’t of concern, I’d drink 3 gallons a week, but maybe that’s just me.

More information about Hood Simply Smart 1% can be found here.
More information about Horizon Organic Milk can be found here.

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