Disclaimer: This is an honest review and not a sponsored post by Califia Farms brand for any blog website or service.
For me, coconut isn’t just one of those summer-only flavors or scents. It’s a year-round favorite of mine—even in the middle of January.
Nope, there aren’t too many coconutty things that I won’t try. And for as crazy as I am about the stuff, I know two people on opposite ends of the coconut spectrum: one who flat-out can’t stand it and one who’s allergic to it. (Dave, fortunately, isn’t either of those individuals.)
I love the fact that there seem to be way more varieties of nut milk blends in the grocery store than there were in the past. Fortunately, almond-coconut milk is one of them. I think it has a much better flavor than its plain soy-, almond-, or coconut-only counterparts.
Califia Farms Toasted Coconut Milk, specifically, which I found last year at Target and decided to try, has a toasty rich and nutty flavor unlike any other dairy-free milk I’ve had. I don’t really eat cold cereal as much as I used to, but it’s really good mixed in with a bowl of granola or overnight oats when compared to plain ol’ cow milk. It has also become my go-to choice when making homemade chai tea, too.
I haven’t graduated to the point of using nut milks as a total replacement for dairy, but I do like the flavor and combining the two. In coffee, specifically, I sometimes use a 50/50 combo of cow milk and coconut milk. I’ve also tried Califia Farms creamer, which is actually pretty awesome and has a thicker texture, similar to creamer, which I like and lightens coffee more to my liking compared to plain nut milks. It comes in good flavors, like pecan-caramel. These are much thicker than the regular coconut milk, which means they do a better job of lightening coffee to the point I like them.
If I had a complaint, it would be the size and shape of the container. While it certainly stands out at the grocery store compared to a standard carton to make it easier to find on the shelf, it can be hard to fit in the refrigerator once I get it home and am putting away groceries. The large, round base doesn’t fit in the space on the side of my fridge where I would normally store milk, so I put on one of the inside shelves in my fridge that I normally try to keep open for bigger items like leftovers in large containers. With any nut milk, I always seem to have to buy a whole half-gallon when I’d much prefer to buy a quart to guarantee that it doesn’t go to waste before I can use it all, and only a few brands that I like sell in quart sizes, so I wish this came in a smaller size.
What are you favorite brands of nut milks and ways to use them? Let me know in a comment below or @fromannakitchen on Twitter.
