Trader Joe's Vanilla Cultured Milk

Raise your hand if you like yogurt. Raise your hand if you like coconut milk. Raise your hand if you make impulsive purchases at the grocery store. I raised my hand for all four of those questions, which is how I bought vanilla cultured coconut milk during a recent visit to Trader Joe's.

Technically not yogurt, this vegan, cultured, milk product is sold in the refrigerated section along with milks and butters. It's a quick and easy breakfast when on a vegan kick and craving a creamy yogurt. Combine it with fruit, chia seeds, or even as a base to make vanilla-flavored overnight oats.

How does the vanilla cultured coconut milk hold up in the Sans Soy test?

Quality: Similar to many generic, vegan products sold at food stores, the packaging is great, but the item itself has much to be desired. After initially opening the vanilla cultured coconut milk (not yogurt!), a layer of liquid is present. Not a big deal when stirred into the rest of the product. If not, a coating of vanilla-flavored fluid with a consistency similar to slime is the initial texture to reach the tongue. After mixing, the rest of the cultured milk is runny and gummy, the result, I suppose, of  tapioca dextrose, organic rice starch, and additional thickeners.

Taste: I enjoyed the floral and fragrant taste of this vegan pudding-yogurt-like cultured milk product. Despite it's name, the coconut flavors are barely noticeable and exist more in subdued undertones. The star of the show is vanilla and sugar, baby! I happen to love vanilla flavor, and the intense notes don't bother me. Yet, this stuff is sweetened with cane sugar, and one 6-ounce tub contains 19 grams
of sugar!

Price: One individual container of vanilla cultured coconut milk is not expensive. I can't state the accurate price because I threw out the receipt; I believe it was no more than $1.25, if less.

Overall grade: C. This vegan yogurt, I mean, vanilla cultured coconut milk did not live up to my expectations. The texture and consistency was too gooey and sticky for my preference. Although I found the vanilla flavor to be lovely, it was saccharine sweet. Palatable when paired with a plain grain, I wouldn't recommend it to a friend.

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar

Who does not love chocolate? Not me, that is for sure. At times, I can have a humongous sweet tooth. This sugar craving is the reason why an organic chocolate bar landed in my shopping cart at Trader Joe's. I was doing well eating clean as I stocked up on fresh produce such as kale, apples and avocados, but the chocolate arrived in my basket while I impatiently waited in line to check out.

Oftentimes, chocolate is made with soy lecithin, an emulsifying agent. For those who suffer from a soy allergy, this is detrimental. After reading the ingredients on my organic chocolate wrapper, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lack of soy. But, does a generic brand of organic, soy-free chocolate hold up well in the Sans Soy test?

Product: Trader Joe's Organic Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar

Quality: For those with willpower and are able to consume solely one quadrilateral of chocolate at a time, the chocolate bar is portioned out into small rectangles, The color is a creamy brown, and melts easily. However, there is a bit of grittiness to the chocolate, as if the sugar did not completely dissolve before hardening.

Taste: A strong chocolate presence is missing from this chocolate bar. At times, I could not decide if the mellow flavor was a bonus, or if it was reminiscent of chalk.  The word "truffle" in the product title had me expecting a luscious chocolate and dairy combination, yet the mix was reminiscent of hot chocolate I drank at school—diluted and dull. There were, however, lovely undertones of caramel and vanilla which complement the rich cocoa flavors.

Price: One chocolate bar costs $1.99 at Trader Joe's.

Overall grade: C+. This bar of chocolate did not mesh well with me. I found the taste to be incomplete, and the texture to contain grit. Compared to another soy-free chocolate bar I reviewed, this generic one is lacking in depth of flavor. However, it is organic, and the price can't be beat.