Manolo Blahnik Milk

[janeer]

Saw this article in today's WSJ. The heads of Manolo Blahnik are selling their own milk at a premium price. Apparently sold at Whole Foods (in the East, I'm guessing). Anyone tried it? What do you think about this? Doesn't seem like anything special beyond the particularly pampered cows.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I guess the cows know they'd better produce if they don't want to be turned into shoe leather.

[ScoopKW]

Designer milk -- how precious.

Sad thing is, if Manolo Blahnik came out with a raw milk from single-pasture cows, I'd shell out for the stuff.

I hate US milk. It tastes like chalk-water. I won't drink the stuff. I drink a LOT of milk when I go to Europe -- particularly Northern Europe. That is what milk is supposed to taste like. Gimme that unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk from the farm down the road. The French call it "liquid sauce" for a reason. Milk from my local dairy doesn't taste anything like "liquid sauce." (Unless diluted library paste is some new "modernist" sauce.)

[prasantrin]

I can't speak to Manolo Blahnik milk, but when I lived in Japan, I used to pay a premium price for non-homogenized milk from special dairies. These were well-known dairies in areas famous for milk production, so I guess you could say they were "designer" dairies. An ordinary 1L carton of milk could be had for about Y200 (less if on special), but for some premium milks, ９00g would go for Y500, and some other brands were even more expensive.

Was it worth it? You bet.

[kayb]

I pay four bucks a gallon for unpastuerized, single-farm milk via my CSA. That compares to $3, or thereabouts, for regular milk at the supermarket. I'm not sure why anyone buys or uses or drinks supermarket milk when they have access to the real thing.

I wonder if the Blahnik cows wear high heels?

[ScoopKW]

I pay four bucks a gallon for unpastuerized, single-farm milk via my CSA. That compares to $3, or thereabouts, for regular milk at the supermarket. I'm not sure why anyone buys or uses or drinks supermarket milk when they have access to the real thing.

I wonder if the Blahnik cows wear high heels?

Where are you able to get unpasteurized milk? (I don't know what "CSA" stands for. (Cub Scouts of America? Caesar Said "Aaaaugh?") We don't seem to have any CSAs in Las Vegas, because nobody here knows where decent milk can be found.) I thought all milk in the US was pasteurized per federal regulations. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I hate US grocery store milk. Hate. Hate. Hate.

[butterscotch]

CSA= Community Supported Agriculture. you pay a flat fee to a farm, and get produce all season

[janeer]

Thing thing is, this is NOT unpasteurized or unhomogenized. I buy unhomogenized milk seasonally at local farms--it is a little more expensive, and worth it. This is $4.50 a gallon conventional milk, hormones/antibiotics and all. But single farm.

I agree that the real deal is worth the money. I remember drinking it warm from the cows at my uncle's

[prasantrin]

Thing thing is, this is NOT unpasteurized or unhomogenized. I buy unhomogenized milk seasonally at local farms--it is a little more expensive, and worth it. This is $4.50 a gallon conventional milk, hormones/antibiotics and all. But single farm.

I agree that the real deal is worth the money. I remember drinking it warm from the cows at my uncle's

I read the article a few times, and looked at the slideshow...

Where does it say the milk is unpasteurized and unhomogenized? I did see that they have a pasteurization machine, but does that mean all their milk is pasteurized (although I assume it is, since in most states, it would be illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in such a fashion--pun unintended)? The article says they used to sell their raw milk to a co-op, but not if they still sell raw milk in addition to pasteurized milk.

According to the article, antibiotics are only used when cows are sick. They don't claim to be organic (if they were, I think they would be required to remove cows from milking for a period of time (or perhaps permanently?) after being given antibiotics). And I don't see anywhere in the article that hormones are mentioned.

And I would hardly say the milk is "conventional". The cattle are certainly treated better than your average dairy cattle. I would imagine stress-free cattle might produce better tasting milk than regular cattle, and these cattle are certainly treated well enough to have less stress. Plus feed makes a difference (I thought grass was supposed to produce better tasting milk, but I've never done a taste test comparing hay-fed cow's milk to grass-fed cow's milk). The way these cattle are treated reminds me of wagyu.

Really, the only way to say if this particular milk is worth the premium price is to taste it. It would be terribly small-minded to judge it as being a rip-off without having tried it. Anyone want to give it a go? I would, but I'm in Canada and don't have a whole foods within 500km of my house.

[AAQuesada]

I pay four bucks a gallon for unpastuerized, single-farm milk via my CSA. That compares to $3, or thereabouts, for regular milk at the supermarket. I'm not sure why anyone buys or uses or drinks supermarket milk when they have access to the real thing.

I wonder if the Blahnik cows wear high heels?

Where are you able to get unpasteurized milk? (I don't know what "CSA" stands for. (Cub Scouts of America? Caesar Said "Aaaaugh?") We don't seem to have any CSAs in Las Vegas, because nobody here knows where decent milk can be found.) I thought all milk in the US was pasteurized per federal regulations. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I hate US grocery store milk. Hate. Hate. Hate.

Raw milk is legal in Sunny CA! You can smuggle some across the border ;^)

[peterm2]

That's interesting. I hadn't seen that at Whole Foods here in CT. If I were going to spend that much for milk at the supermarket, I would buy the nifty CT milk in a glass bottle that's there. Then you at least get a cool bottle out of the deal if the milk is no different.

[janeer]

Thing thing is, this is NOT unpasteurized or unhomogenized. I buy unhomogenized milk seasonally at local farms--it is a little more expensive, and worth it. This is $4.50 a gallon conventional milk, hormones/antibiotics and all. But single farm.

I agree that the real deal is worth the money. I remember drinking it warm from the cows at my uncle's

I read the article a few times, and looked at the slideshow...

Where does it say the milk is unpasteurized and unhomogenized? I did see that they have a pasteurization machine, but does that mean all their milk is pasteurized (although I assume it is, since in most states, it would be illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in such a fashion--pun unintended)? The article says they used to sell their raw milk to a co-op, but not if they still sell raw milk in addition to pasteurized milk.

According to the article, antibiotics are only used when cows are sick. They don't claim to be organic (if they were, I think they would be required to remove cows from milking for a period of time (or perhaps permanently?) after being given antibiotics). And I don't see anywhere in the article that hormones are mentioned.

And I would hardly say the milk is "conventional". The cattle are certainly treated better than your average dairy cattle. I would imagine stress-free cattle might produce better tasting milk than regular cattle, and these cattle are certainly treated well enough to have less stress. Plus feed makes a difference (I thought grass was supposed to produce better tasting milk, but I've never done a taste test comparing hay-fed cow's milk to grass-fed cow's milk). The way these cattle are treated reminds me of wagyu.

Really, the only way to say if this particular milk is worth the premium price is to taste it. It would be terribly small-minded to judge it as being a rip-off without having tried it. Anyone want to give it a go? I would, but I'm in Canada and don't have a whole foods within 500km of my house.

Perhaps it should be put to the test, as you say. A competing farmer claims "...Arethusa's milk is inferior because the owners use antibiotics—a forbidden practice in the organic world. He considers it to be "conventional milk." They say they only use them when sick, as you note. No evidence on either side, just testimony. I'd be willing to try it...if I can find it here... and compare it to that from the KY dairy that I buy from.

[kayb]

Come to Arkansas. You can buy milk straight from the farm. Unpasteurized. Unhomogenized. With a layer of cream a quart thick. Makes hellacious cheese.