Did 100% grass-fed milk taste "off" to you at first?

[Nan'sMom]

Right now we get most of our milk from Grassy Hill Dairy in CT. Their cows have access to pasture 20 hours a day (i.e., except when they are being milked) but also 24 hour a day access to TMR (total mixed rations, which has all sorts of things in it, including alfalfa, orange and some soy filler). Other than the TMR they seems great (use antibiotics very rarely and if they do the cow goes out of milk production until she's healed and her milk tests antibiotic-free). The milk tastes great to me. (I'm trying to find 100% grass-fed but I'm in NY State and it's hard to get raw milk around here).

I've also tried a few kinds of supposedly grass-fed pasturized but not homogenized milks from our local hfs. Of these, two taste awful to me and my kids won't drink it. The cream won't mix back in with the milk and the milk tastes almost rancid to me. I've spoken to them and the dates on the milk are fine, and my dh says the taste is different and not pleasant but not rancid to him.

Anyone have similar experiences?

[nicolelynn]

I've found that even if the date says it's "good" for another 10 days...it starts souring within a week of getting it. Dh knows its still good for him at that point, but can't stand the taste of it. But when it's fresh we both love the taste.

I do find that the raw grassfed butter can have a very off taste even perfectly fresh and the date says it's good for 2 months. I guess thats just how butter tastes before you pasteurize it, with hints of the cow it came from haha. I've also got the grassfed pastuerized cheese from Trader Joe's and find it has a bitter aftertaste...guess maybe the cows got into some bitter grass?

[jadasmom]

We drink raw, grass-fed milk and the tastes differs, depending on what time of year it is and exactly what the cow is eating. Ours stays good 2-3 weeks unopened, and dosen't taste bad. We had one experience where the cows had onion grass and the milk had a horrible smell but tasted about the same, but the smell made us nauseated so we had to dump it out. The benefits of it are so great, if you can find a great source!

[pygmywombat]

Our milk definitely gets a grassy taste when the cow first starts grazing. I've found it helps to skim the milk, it seems most of the taste is in the cream (though the butter seems normal).

[naturemama1]

Maybe you could try a different farm? Our local raw milk tastes absolutely delicious, very neutral and creamy.

[mrs_mandolini]

To me the pasteurized grass fed milk can taste.. well, like grass. Raw grass fed milk is less so. I assume it is sort of like why cooked spinach tastes so much stronger than raw spinach.

[Feb2003]

sometimes the weeks where our milk has a stronger flavor (ie grass or onion) I'll add some molasses to some and see if that helps with the flavor. If so, we'll drink "molasses moo milk"...yummy and full of vitamins/minerals (sorry that's vague, I'm tired )...lots of variations on this...cocoa and stevia, cinnamon and stevia, honey and/or vanilla, etc.

[oneKnight]

I think that the "normal storebought" pasturized/homogenized white-water they call milk tastes gone-bad soured.

I get supposedly pasture-fed non-homogenized Organic Valley and it tastes great to me & DH.
Doesn't go bad till about THE date on the bottle, then it just goes buttermilk-like and we still use it to cook.
Guess it varies a lot.

[Nan'sMom]

Thanks! I am thinking it's that the milk isn't super fresh plus the pasturizing making the flavors stronger makes sense. The molasses is a good idea--we noticed that we can tolerate the taste in a smoothie. Hopefully our grass fed milk this summer won't have the same taste issue for me!