Why Does Raw Milk Batch Taste Different From Before?

by Jolene Blessing
(Sacramento)

I bought about five individual half gallons of organic California raw milk over the past month. It was yummy!

Today, I bought 3 more half gallons of fresh raw milk from the same supplier, (I have to drive 30 minutes, so I stalk up) but they tasted so different! The raw milk did not taste near as good as my last batch, although very good for you.

I don't know what to say. Why didn't the raw milk taste as good or the same as the first batch?

I understand that milk would taste differently from different farms. Is it common for a raw milk farm to not be consistent? Is it hard to be consistent with the flavor of the milk? It was a big difference with an aftertaste not to my liking. It didn't seem to be rotten or anything though. Hmmm. I love raw milk though, I will search for my brand...

Eryn's Reply: Yes, there is absolutely a difference in flavor from raw milk from batch to batch, and from the same farm. You see, the flavor of the raw milk varies according to the diet of the cow.

I remember when I was fortunate to drink raw milk from a neighbor's cow. The cow was expecting, and the owner was supplementing the cow's diet with molasses animal feed. The cow was a Jersey breed, which produces milk with a higher fat content than the Holstein. Oh my, first of all, I prefer this higher fat content from the Jersey cow. The delicious cream in the milk is what gives the milk its sweet taste.

Not only was the milk extra creamy coming from the Jersey cow, but it was extra sweet from that molasses it was consuming.

The non-pasteurized, non-homogenized raw milk tasted like drinking melted vanilla ice cream!

There is a farm in Wisconsin from which I was able to purchase raw milk. When cows graze on fresh grass and herbs bursting forth in the spring, their raw milk could have a stronger taste that some don't like. I know this is the most nutrient rich raw milk you can drink during the year - raw milk from a cow grazing on grass in the glorious spring. I was surprised to hear from this raw milk farm's owner, that some don't like the flavor from raw milk in the spring, as that certainly is not the case for me.

From my experiences drinking raw milk from a raw milk farm, I absolutely notice a variation in the flavor of the raw milk. No batch ever seems to taste identical. I believe it largely has to do with the breed of the cows and the diets they are consuming. Just like my neighbor's cow consuming the molasses, if the cows at a farm come across a large particular batch of different herbs, that difference in flavor can be detected in the milk - to the raw milk connoisseur.

Kind of like breast milk from a mother, the nutrients or lack of nutrients in a mother's diet, is passed through to her nursing child. If a mother consumes spicy food, the breast milk "flavor" can be affected. Sometimes the nursing child does not seem to prefer the spicy "flavors" passed through into the breast milk from the mother's diet choices.

If a raw milk tasted really bad, I would not drink it. It is not supposed to taste really bad. I would smell it to make sure it smelled alright. If the flavor was really bad, I would then also call the farmer to see what they had to say.

One time I bought raw milk from a farm, and the raw milk was just terrible. Not rotten, but just poor quality raw milk. Not only that, but there was no cream on the top of my milk in the milk container. I knew my milk was given plenty of time for the cream to rise to the top. Hmmm, where did the cream go? That cream is the most nutrient rich part. Needless to say, I never bought my raw milk there again.

If your raw milk has been freshly poured into a container, that cream within your milk should rise to the top of your milk container - within a few hours you should begin to see it rising to the top. My kids would fight over that cream. They wanted to be the first to pour that milk with the cream on top, into their glass or cereal bowl.

I remember when I was a child in California. My mother would buy the Alta Dena raw milk from a local drive through market. You could always see that cream in the top of the clear milk carton with the orange top, and you couldn't wait to get to it.

I would definitely go back again to the farm from which your bought your raw milk and just share your experience, and definitely buy more raw milk there. I bet you it will taste good. I am sure they would be more than happy to give you a free taste test to make sure it appeals to your palette too.

You sure are lucky to be within 30 minutes of an organic raw milk farm. I wish I lived in Europe where I could simply get my raw milk from a raw milk vending machine.

Imagine the day when our school children, and the general public, have access to raw milk vending machines - from ethical farmers letting their cows eat grass and bringing a high quality and safe source of raw milk to market. The increase in health that will come about from getting this excellent form of nutrients and good fats into our growing children and general public will be a definite cause for celebration.

I hope my information helps you Jolene.

Bottom's up!

Eryn

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