| Perhaps one of the greatest additions to the American diet is 0% fat Greek yogurt. Triple strained, the thick, creamy yogurt gives no hint that it’s fat-free. There’s also a natural sweetness to it, as if the tang were strained out as well—even though Greeks will tell you that their yogurt is naturally tangy. Not so in our experience with factory-produced, as opposed to homemade, Greek-style yogurt.
We chanced upon Voskos all natural Greek-style yogurt, a brand new to us, during a recent stroll through the latest New York City Whole Foods Market in TriBeCa. (This is an enviably enormous store for a zip code with so few residents. Our population-dense Upper West Side store seems at least half the size, with a corresponding fewer choices of yogurt and ice cream brands, to name just two categories dear to our heart).
We were only able to find the Nonfat Honey Vanilla Bean and Nonfat Blended Wild Blueberry, but based on our happy experience, we’ll track down the rest of the line, which includes the additional nonfat flavors of Exotic Fig, Honey and Wild Strawberry. The company also makes 16-ounce containers of Plain Lowfat, Nonfat and Original (i.e., full fat). With nonfat yogurt this delicious (also see our review of Chobani’s nonfat Greek-style yogurt), who needs yogurt with fat? |
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Voskos Greek Yogurt: 0% fat, 100% delicious. |
Unlike most Greek-style yogurts, which are thick-bodied like sour cream (and that’s part of the appeal), the two Voskos flavored yogurts we tried have a delicate, soft, pastry cream-like consistency—in fact, you could pipe it into cream puffs, if you wished. They don’t read the traditional Greek yogurt script at all, but are as pliant as any natural, unthickened yogurt. While the container says “thick and creamy,” don’t believe the thick part (for thick, try Chobani). But for creamy—aah, so creamy, so happy.
- The Honey Vanilla Bean tasted like it had been made by a fine pastry chef, full of superb vanilla flavor and tiny, crunchy flecks of vanilla bean. It is perhaps the best vanilla yogurt we’ve ever had. There’s more evaporated cane juice than honey as a sweetener and we didn’t taste any honey notes, but that’s just as well—we wouldn’t want anything to interfere with that divine vanilla flavor.
- The Wild Blueberry had a cultivated rather than wild blueberry flavor, but that was fine with us, as well. (Honestly, how many people have ever tasted wild blueberries? We have a suspicion that no commercial enterprise is using them in yogurt, either—the label says “blueberries” and “natural flavor.” ) It’s not the same memorable flavor that the Honey Vanilla Bean is, but it’s a lovely blueberry yogurt, and we savored every drop of creaminess.
Speaking of every drop, our one complaint: the 5.3-ounce container. We are not children, we are not Lilliputians, we are not ballerinas. We are adults with adult appetites. First the yogurt manufacturers shaved our 8-ounce cups down to 6 ounces; now it seems that the avant-garde is heading to 5.3 ounces. What’s next: 4-ounce “yogurt shots?” Manufacturers should simply “man up,” charge more for the product and give us back the 8-ounce portion. If it’s a good product, consumers will pay another 20 cents for it—especially the consumers who shop where this line is sold. At $1.49, the 5.3-ounce container of yogurt is no bargain in the first place, so give us a larger container that’s no bargain. (Well, let us rephrase that: $1.49 for something delicious is worth it; $1.69 for something delicious is equally worth it.)
A visit to the Voskos website indicates that it is made by Sun Valley Dairy of Sun Valley, California, north of Los Angeles (www.sunvalley-dairy.com). It’s sold at AJ’s, Andronico’s, Ralph’s, Safeway, Sprouts, Wild Oats, Whole Foods Markets and natural food stores. (Remember, not every story in a chain carries the merchandise.) Cleverly, the website includes a downloadable form that you can submit to your store manager: “Dear Store Manager, I am a regular shopper here at your store and would love to be able to purchase Voskos Greek Style Yogurt. If you carry this brand of yogurt, I will purchase it. Thank you, Your Customer.” That’s a good template anytime you’d like to petition for something! However, it left off the most important part: “P.S. Please contact your Voskos sales rep at 1-800-123-4567, today. |
