steven_meyer Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 255 Location: San Bruno Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: ECM Giotto Grinder: mahlkonig vario Roaster: Gene Cafe
Posted Sat Aug 15, 2009, 10:44am Subject: Straus barrista milk
Maybe this should be in another forum, but since this is a local bay area business I'll post it here. Has anyone tried this milk? And How does it compare with Organic Clover whole milk?
ManthriSrinath Senior Member Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 55 Location: santa cruz, ca Expertise: Professional
Espresso: La Marzocco Mistral, Linea Grinder: Mahlkonig K 30 Vario... Drip: Clover 1s, Fetco Extractor Roaster: Diedrich IR-12, i-Roast
Posted Sat Aug 15, 2009, 11:21am Subject: Re: Straus barrista milk
It's a very good product. To the best of my knowledge, the only difference between it and the cream-top variety is that it's homogenized. Compared with Clover homogenized whole milk, it's noticeably richer, with a heavier, yet clean mouthfeel. I don't perceive a difference in sweetness, however. I find the Clover Extra Rich milk, which is our standard in two of our four stores, to be indistinguishable from the Straus homogenized product.
I like Clover and what they do with their farmers. I also like Straus. I am increasingly wary of the organic label as it is used these days, however. I think knowing the manufacturer, grower and retailer from whom you're buying is a whole lot more valuable than any organic or fair trade certification. Remember, Safeway has organic produce too. It's still Safeway.
For the record, we offer Straus Barista milk in all our stores as an option. Clover is our default milk. I couldn't agree more with Straus' contention that, given how much milk is in American espresso cuisine, it's essential to use a high quality product.
The Straus homogenized is an excellent product for your daily cup, the cream on top variety is far too inconsistent. From time to time Strauss can be a bit more grassy tasting than the Clover, though I don't notice that it is much more rich. If you're calorie counting, keep in mind that your average whole milke has about 3.5% fat and Straus whole milk is up around 5% (as are most good organic whole milks). So the difference from regular whole milk to the Straus whole is nearly the same again as the jump from 2% to whole. I believe the Clover extra rich exceeds even that, although I don't recall it as being an organic milk FWIW.
While I do prefer the whole milk from Straus and Sunshine dairies, I've found that Organic Valley whole milk also yields excellent results, for a fair bit less coin.
Sorry for the late response. You can check Barefoot down in Santa Clara and check the Barista milk for yourself. (No I don't work for Barefoot, I am just a fan)
Rawman the Expobarbarian.. AKA the Original Jon R.
I would try putting them head to head if possible. Try them straight out of the fridge and if possible try them as a finished steamed milk. I personally lean towards the Straus milk as I feel it has a great flavor to it. All other things equal I'd pick the Straus based on taste. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the event the held when they were first developing the barista milk. Many of the baristas felt that the milk overpowered the espresso. I felt it paired well. Ive never had a chance to put them head to head but if you happen to remember that these milks will vary greatly throughout the seasons (even batch to batch).
I'm seeing this post for the first time as well. I've used Clover and Straus side by side. I agree Straus has a cleaner mouthfeel and they can track their dairy farms better. Clover is a little too big for my liking. ( I'm writing a health book so I did some digging on both companies). I want to point out that I use half and half and cream never lies. The product is either fresh or it's not. I also notice a big difference in the microfoam - the Straus is like mousse heaven. I can't even quit the stuff now (lol)! I switched to Straus exclusively last year and buy it by the case at my local co-op. (P.S. Not coffee related but it makes yogurt like you've never had before.)
lbj Senior Member Joined: 5 Mar 2009 Posts: 45 Location: Sonoma County Expertise: I live coffee
Drip: French Press Only Roaster: Hot Top Roaster, and Cast...
Posted Sat Nov 7, 2009, 8:39am Subject: Re: Straus barrista milk
i concur on the straus milk... i visited dairies from both, and straus has a bit more holistic and natural bent... still is a dairy biz, responding to industry.
baristas are people who can influence milk and cows being treated well... what if we regularly obtained milk like how we do our organic vegetables at farmers markets... or from our own yards.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 