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Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

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  • Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

    This is in todays SMH
    A bit hesitant to post these articles as what passes for news these days tends to be hype. Im currently using Woolies Light and Im getting acceptable results but the taste isnt quite right. I think I will switch to something else. Im also concerned that milk farmers may be getting a raw deal because of it.


    MILK at $1 a litre may cut grocery bills, but beware: cut-price milk could cost you a decent cup of coffee.

    Baristas have backed up claims cheap milk does not froth as well in household coffee machines.

    Coles and Woolworths are in a price war on milk, selling store-brand milk at $2 for two litres, compared with the $2 a litre paid by cafes for a higher grade of milk.
    Advertisement: Story continues below

    Ross Quail, of the Australasian Specialty Coffee Association, said cheaper milk would affect a cup of coffee. He said some of the cheapest milk may have been sitting in cold storage or on the shelf, so it was less fresh and had a shorter use-by date.

    Customers will vote with their palate, he said and tell people what they are prepared to pay for a cup of coffee or for good-quality milk from a local retailer.

    Rob Forsyth, owner of Forsyth Coffee and Tea, said quality milk was crucial in a cup of coffee: I dont know if [producers of generic brand milk] water it down or not, but it really has that feel about it when youre trying to froth the milk - theres no fat in it.

    That effect may come down to permeates - a naturally occurring milk product added to some lines, ostensibly to maintain consistency, but regarded by some as diluting the milk.

    Generic milk at Woolworths has a lower fat content - 3.4 per cent compared with 3.6 in standard milk - a Woolworths spokeswoman, Clare Buchanan, said. Its a negligible difference but its a difference. Some people can taste that.

    It was not known if the house brand had permeates in it as that was determined by the processor and not part of our product specification.

    National Foods uses permeates in Pura and Dairy Farmers milk. The company said: The core purpose of permeate use within National Foods is protein standardisation of its products. This ensures a consistent product can be produced all year round, despite the significant fluctuations in raw milk received.

  • #2
    Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

    i actually like the woolies $1 milk, i can get pretty decent texture with it.

    maybe if i was charging $4+ a cup i would be offering a better brand (but is it better quality?)

    who actually supplies it to W,  nat foods or  ?


    as for the farmers do they get any more $$ selling it as pura etc ? or does the big end of town just pay the $.50 a L to the farmer and then mark it up depending on advertising.

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    • #3
      Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

      actually i stopped buying the cheap milk for this frothing reason recently but thought it was just psychlogical

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      • #4
        Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

        Ran with a couple of times at market events (both woolies brand).
        One time the smell was wrong and got some comments that the coffee wasnt quiet right. Textured ok.
        The next time it textured poorly.
        I stick with Pura now and bear the extra cost. It has been very consistent and always steams well. To me it is worth the extra money for a good consistent product.

        Taste? I dont know. I havent drank milk in the last 16 years due to intolerance.

        Originally posted by 316E76606B606C656566666E626D030 link=1299533787/5#5 date=1299620412
        *wondering when ill-informed writers will learn about texturing milk*
        ;D
        Changed for you!

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        • #5
          Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

          Originally posted by 3B382A2A2E3820590 link=1299533787/3#3 date=1299543719
          Taste? I dont know
          Doesnt affect the taste of your coffee?

          Spose the best way to get around the milk quality problem is to drink short or long blacks

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          • #6
            Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

            *wondering when ill-informed writers will learn about texturing milk*

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            • #7
              Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

              Originally posted by 0C534B5D565D5158585B5B535F503E0 link=1299533787/5#5 date=1299620412
              *wondering when ill-informed writers will learn about texturing milk*
              Not, as long as they frequent cafes that froth their milk : (assuming they dont just drink the free international roast from the company kitchen)

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              • #8
                Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                Depending on where Im shopping I chop and change between Aldi (full cream), Coles (DF full cream but Coles lite of late) and Woolies (usually full cream).
                I havent had many problems with texturing any of them.

                On the odd occasion that I do, its my fault because the next time I get it right.

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                • #9
                  Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                  I get sick of the rubbish tricks that companies do market their products, not just milk.

                  Here in WA, i dont even know if the Coles and Woolworths milk is made here or over east. All i know is that their contact details are based in Melbourne and Sydney.
                  Ive been seeing and reading about what companies do to their milk, and frankly im tired of it.

                  I do what some have done, buy Bannister Downs milk. Its local, worth a a bit more but i know it tastes better, it;s not diluted and im supporting the local farmers and help create jobs instead of profits being sent to the east.

                  Gary at G

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                  • #10
                    Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                    Originally posted by 28323F3E2C3A2228285B0 link=1299533787/8#8 date=1299641783
                    I do what some have done, buy Bannister Downs milk. Its local, worth a a bit more but i know it tastes better, it;s not diluted and im supporting the local farmers and help create jobs instead of profits being sent to the east
                    A follow up the article I posted:

                    South Coast Dairy is so small that when its processing competitors Dairy Farmers and National Foods offer in-store specials on fresh milk, it cannot afford to match them.

                    Its farmer members promote the 1.5 million litres of milk they sell a year by making milkshakes at community events.

                    They say that because they do little processing, their milk tastes better and has none of the frothing problems coffee lovers have reported with the generic brand. The big companies do a lot more to milk than we do, Mr Timbs said. They take it all down to skim and only put back what they think you need.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                      I use A2 milk because it tastes a lot better and I find it is easier to digest. It costs quite a bit more but I rather drink a bit less milk and pay more than drink bad quality. And you can really pick the cheap milk by tasting it.

                      Woolies and Coles are known to be crippling the farmers. Not just with milk but with fruit and veggies, too. Again, I rather pay a bit more at my local green grocer, try to waste less and have much better quality.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                        Originally posted by 7F42454D370 link=1299533787/10#10 date=1299652205
                        Again, I rather pay a bit more at my local green grocer, try to waste less and have much better quality.
                        I agree, however thankfully our local fruit shop and butcher are MUCH cheaper than the big supermarkets anyway, so we get better produce, and save money.

                        I drink Pauls Zymil (lactose free), so Ive been paying ~$2 a litre for as long as I can remember. Because I drink so little milk these days, I can handle a little bit of lactose, so maybe I should try the A2. Not sure if Id get through 2L in a week though (~35mL milk per picollo, 3 per day...10 days for a Litre. Damn).

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                        • #13
                          Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                          someone (no authority) told me today that dairy farmers get about .47 cents per liter for the milk.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                            Originally posted by 4C404944444D210 link=1299533787/12#12 date=1299653739
                            dairy farmers get about .47 cents per liter for the milk
                            A bit less than that if this info is credible. Depends on which sate.

                            http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Our-Dairy-Industry/Industry-Statistics/Milk/Farmgate-Prices.aspx

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                            • #15
                              Re: Milking the price war is froth and trouble for coffee lovers

                              Here in WA I change between harvey fresh and browns.  I find depending on the batch and the time of the year that they both steam differently.  Both browns and harvey fresh are local milks.  My preference at the moment is browns but in winter time it was harvey fresh.  I find at times the milk wont texture properly and can only imagine it is the use of permeates.  Brownes do a cafe milk but I dont like the flavor of it as the cream taste comes through too much.  Ive used A2 before but at $2 a litre I dont buy it.  I find it tastes great and doesnt leave that milk aftertaste milk often leaves.  BTW I have been paying $1 L for the past 4 years at my local IGA.

                              I really do think that it depends what state you come from too. I have used Pura a couple of times and found it terrible. Watery and doesnt sweeten up when textured up. Leaves you with a very flat and thin tasting cup of coffee

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