Maple Hill Shelf Stable Whole Chocolate Milk 100% Grass Fed, Organic, Non-GMO: 12 Pack 8 Fl Oz Aseptic Milk Boxes

UPDATE: Friday, May 8, 2020 -- Although earlier/below in my review, I stated that I did NOT like the taste of this milk for straight-up drinking or when drinking it with cereal, I am now amending that statement/those opinions, because tonight I had one carton of this milk while having a midnight snack of crunchy peanut butter toast. I didn't want to open the heavy ½-gallon glass bottle of milk from Oberweis Dairy, and so I drank one of the cartons of this  Maple Hill 100% Grass-Fed Organic Shelf Stable Whole Milk  and now, I don't mind (maybe even LIKE!) the taste of this milk like I did before — or at least as much as I did before.Accordingly, I am increasing the rating of this milk to 4 stars.______________________________________________________________________________________________________Although I haven’t bought milk very much the past couple/few years (trying to be more keto, or at least low-carb, I’ve mostly stopped drinking milk on its own, or with other foods [like cereal, which I also don’t really have much anymore either!] and I use whipping cream in my coffee, tea & other drinks and in cooking) I bought this  Maple Hill 100% Grass-Fed Organic Shelf Stable Whole Milk  during this coronavirus lockdown, because like many or most, if not all, food & grocery items, unfortunately organic whipping cream (like the  Kalona SuperNatural Organic Whipping Cream  that I use in coffee, tea & other drinks and in lieu of milk in cooking) seems to be out of stock or sold out in all nearby stores, along with organic half & half and organic milk.So rather than using chemical additive & preservative-filled creamers or non-organic milk full of hormones & antibiotics, I bought this  Maple Hill 100% Grass-Fed Organic Shelf Stable Whole Milk  for emergencies (like the one we’re currently having). That way, there’d be something to use for coffee, tea & other drinks as well as in cooking, if & when neither organic cream, nor organic half & half, nor organic milk are available. I mainly bought this milk because:
1. Its organic & grass-fed milk2. Its WHOLE milk — because full-fat dairy is better for people (especially on keto & low-carb diets) than low-fat or skim/non-fat milk3. Because its shelf-stable, and doesn't need to be refrigerated until its opened, it can be bought in bulk to stock up for emergencies without taking up a lot (or any!) valuable space in the refrigerator or freezer.Since I got this milk, I’ve used about 2 or 3 of the boxes, mostly in coffee and tea and when cooking and I didn’t notice much difference, taste-wise. But one time, I made the mistake of using it with some low-carb/keto cereal, and I really did not like it. I also tried it with some regular granola (organic pumpkin granola from Aldi) and it didn’t taste any better. Which is why I do NOT recommend this  Maple Hill Organic Milk  for anything but emergencies — and even then, only for cooking or adding to coffee, tea, hot chocolate & other beverages.Because the taste/flavor of this milk is NOT very good for straight-up drinking or using with cereal or having milk & cookies. Now, I don’t know for sure if its because of the UHT (ultra-high temp) pasteurization of the milk, or what (though I strongly suspect that is exactly the reason!) but this milk has NO real taste — and while I don’t expect it to taste like raw milk (which I enjoyed for the 10 weeks I was in Paris in the fall of 2009 and was literally the BEST milk I’ve EVER tasted in my ENTIRE life!), it does not taste like other grass-fed, organic whole milk, like  Kalona SuperNatural Milk , either or even like REGULAR non-organic pasteurized milk. Instead, its like a dead white flavorless liquid. It is NOT like real milk AT ALL!Of course, if its an emergency situation, and the ONLY option for shelf-stable organic milk for cooking or beverages, that’s one thing. But if refrigeration is not an issue, then FRESH MILK such as  Kalona SuperNatural Milk  not only TASTES much better, but also, because its low-temperature batch-pasteurization has NOT killed all the beneficial bacteria & enzymes along with the bad, its MORE NUTRITIOUS/HEALTHIER!Moreover, it would be nice if this shelf-stable milk was available in a larger size than just these 8 oz boxes. Like maybe 16 oz or 20 oz so that once opened, the box wouldn’t finish so quickly. It is a pretty good shelf-stable organic milk for cooking or mixed into beverages like coffee, tea & hot chocolate. Its definitely better than the Carnation non-fat powdered milk that my mom used to keep for emergencies when I was a kid. However, being organic and grass-fed milk, it IS also more expensive — and whether that’s worth it or not depends on people’s priorities. But for me, I’d rather pay more for organic than buy regular milk, full of antibiotics, hormones & other junk. That being said, especially given the price (and the taste) of this milk, I’m ONLY using it as a last resort for the aforementioned uses.In short, this is a GREAT shelf-stable organic milk for emergencies, but in non-emergency situations, there are MUCH better tasting milks out there!⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 STARS!!!!!!!!!

The price seems high for basically a 1/2 gallon of milk and for many people this would be if you drink lots of milk in your household. I was buying 1/2 gallons of this very same brand of milk in the store and throwing more than half out every time. I use it in coffee and I cook with it and for the most part that's all. Buying these small cartons means that I am opening and using an entire small carton of milk and not wasting any. The shelf life of the unopened milk is quite a long time. I do wish the price was a little cheaper but I was probably spending this much and pouring it down the drain in the same time frame it is taking me to use up the half gallon of milk in these smaller cartons. I just ordered my second case. A side convenience is that if you only need a cup of milk in a recipe, then you don't even have to dirty up a measuring cup, just open a carton and pour it in.

I'm writing this review mainly because of the poor reviews I am seeing here. Now I am not saying that the producer can't be having production problems of some kind. I am just here to say that I have bought this product repeatedly for several years now and had very few issues.This milk is perfect for people like us who can't justify a big bottle of milk for our occasional usages. In all this time I have come across only one bottle which had a bad seal and had spoiled. Usually they are perfect. In addition, I find that they are just fine quite a while after the "best by" date. They are not a "long term storage" product.

I just got a box today for the very first time. I will say that in my case, the box came in fine, with no breakage. The expiration date was in December, so that's about five months out, which is perfect. The boxes themselves are easy to open and drink from, and it tastes like chocolate milk. My 10-year-old son liked his and said it reminded him of a Wendy's chocolate Frosty. I had one and can see why he said that, although the taste is not the same.One odd thing, though. I could hear just a slight little bit of milk splash around when I shook it at the end of my testing, but nothing more would come out no matter how I held the box. It's like just a little bit got "stuck" somewhere, as if there was a fold or pouch that wouldn't empty. I'll have to see if another does the same, but it's no big deal whatsoever. Definitely not enough to worry about, and I'll take that in exchange for being shelf-stable.

I really like the individual size of these milk cartons. I really appreciate singleserve because I live on my own and don’t drink enough milk regularly- so I need it to be shelf stable and just pull a few out at a time to put in the fridge as needed for recipes or when I think I would like to have cereal. This works perfectly for me, and I don’t end up wasting 1/2 of the normal size carton milk down the drain ( I used to feel so guilty about that). I am so grateful for the singleserve size!

I use very little milk, just for my tea and a splash for the cat, and it was always going bad before I used it all. This works perfectly. The screw cap means it can be securely resealed. Eight ounces is the perfect size as I can use it all before there is a hint of turning. And I still don't have to go running out to the store all the time. The cost is comparable if you count all the milk I had to pour down the drain. The last time I had tried shelf-stable milk it was a disappointing experience - it tasted bland or stale or something. But this is delicious! If you're used to milk from grain-fed cows, this may taste different to you. It has a richer flavor that I prefer - it reminds me of the milk I used to get growing up in dairy country.