Raw milk is milk that has not undergone pasteurization or homogenization. Depending on the state (in the US), raw milk may be illegal to sell, but there are ways to work around that for the determined.
Creamline milk is milk that was pasteurized, but not homogenized, so the cream floats to the top. It doesn't store well long-term in grocery stores, but can often be found at farm-to-table stores and other specialty boutiques.
Note that the U.S. (including my parents growing up before we got milk cows) has an obsession with "reduced fat" milk. Switching from 2% milk to whole milk makes a world of difference for taste, even without going cream line.
My favorite milk was raw from our Jerseys (they have average ~5% fat compared to national average of 4% [1]), but I've had raw Jersey milk, mixed-breed creamline milk and store-bought whole milk depending on what's available, and they all taste better than 2%.
Raw milk isn’t inherently more flavorful than pasteurized. It’s by necessity consumed sooner which enhances the flavor profile vs milk that’s spent weeks going through the typical logistics chain before you buy it. But, the safety concerns are significant and you could also get pasteurized milk that isn’t particularly old.
I've been drinking raw milk almost exclusively for about 5 years (and milking my own cows for the last 1.5 years). Whenever I get store-bought milk, I'm hit by the "cooked" flavor of it. I assume it's the pasteurization that makes the difference because I've also scalded milk on the stove -- same taste.
MillironX|1 year ago
Creamline milk is milk that was pasteurized, but not homogenized, so the cream floats to the top. It doesn't store well long-term in grocery stores, but can often be found at farm-to-table stores and other specialty boutiques.
Note that the U.S. (including my parents growing up before we got milk cows) has an obsession with "reduced fat" milk. Switching from 2% milk to whole milk makes a world of difference for taste, even without going cream line.
My favorite milk was raw from our Jerseys (they have average ~5% fat compared to national average of 4% [1]), but I've had raw Jersey milk, mixed-breed creamline milk and store-bought whole milk depending on what's available, and they all taste better than 2%.
[1]: https://queries.uscdcb.com/publish/dhi/current/hax.html
a_t48|1 year ago
Retric|1 year ago
rmosolgo|1 year ago