Nut Milk Enthusiast
I am a Nut Milk Enthusiast. I love nut milk in my smoothies, in my tea, or straight up. However until recently I couldn't find a nut milk that measured up to my very high standards. The commercial kinds are filled with WAY to many nasties for me, and my own homemade variety left me with too much almond pulp to deal with. A little almond pulp is ok, a lifetime supply taking up your whole freezer is not.
Enter OMilk, an incredible new organic almond and cashew milk company based in Brooklyn. I discovered OMilk this winter and ever since I have been wanting to share it with my friends. Last week, along with OMilk's "partners in nut milk and in life" Greg and Julie Van Ullen I hosted a tasting party to do just that.
Greg and Julie came armed with adorable sample size bottles of all four OMilk flavors: Almond, Cashew Classic, Masala Chai and Cold Brewed Coffee.
For the party I made bites inspired by OMilk including Chai Chia Pudding. Recipe to come!
Julie and Greg brought "Nut Milk Enthusiast" pins for my guests to don. I wore mine with pride all night!
Along with making the best nut milk around, Greg is also an amazing mixologist (very talented that one)! For our party he created two specialty nut milk cocktails. The first involved carbonating OMilk Almond Milk into a lightened version of a Ramos Gin Fizz ( traditionally made with egg whites and heavy cream). It was super fun and super delicious!
Greg's second OMilk cocktail was a play on Chai tea. He used homemade earl grey infused rum, OMilk Masala Chai, and topped it off with a dusting of lemon zest. So so good!
While I could go on and on about OMilk I thought it would be best to get the scoop straight from the source. Greg and Julie were kind enough to let me interview them on all things nut milk. Enjoy!
Tell me a little about OMilk. How did the idea come about? Why nut milk?
When we were getting ready to get married last summer, we were looking to lose a few pounds and therefore a satisfying way to replace the afternoon and late evening cookie eating. After doing a juice cleanse and being introduced to the filling and nutritious nature of nut milks, we started making our own (we think the best ever) cashew milk. Friends and colleagues started trying our cashew milk and soon began ordering it. When friends of friends began ordering our products, we knew we really had something. Wanting to go out to a broader market we wanted to add another nut milk to our line. We spent a good long while perfecting a clean, creamy, rich and refreshing almond milk, unlike anything on store shelves and when we did it, we couldn't wait to get it out to the people.
Have you always been into health and healthy eating? If not, what got you interested?
We don't always eat healthy but we always eat conscientiously. We eat a diet rich in vegetables and when we eat meat, we know where and how the animal was raised and where and how it became meat. And when it comes to dairy, it's hard to find milk that comes from grass fed, well-raised cows, not containing any antibiotics or genetic modification. We can't raise cows in Brooklyn but we sure can make nut milk, which is full of protein, good fats, calcium and numerous good for you vitamins.
What makes OMilk special compared to other nut/alternative milks available?
Most commercial nut milks contain preservatives, stabilizers and are pasteurized to an extreme, killing all good with any potential bad. In addition, they are made from roasted nuts that are ground up and later reconstituted with water. OMilk is none of those things. OMilk is made from organic, raw nuts. The milks are never heated and contain no preservatives or stabilizers. And all those additives change the texture and flavor of fresh nut milk in a not so great way. OMilk is fresh and clean tasting and has a texture much closer to that of dairy milk.
What is your favorite variety of OMilk?
Despite how much fun we have with all of our seasonal flavors, our favorite is the straight up almond milk. It is so clean and luscious and makes any bowl of cereal an orgasmic experience.
How do you like to use your OMilk?
We like OMilk warm at night, ice cold with muesli in the morning, in cocktails, for creamy vegan pasta sauces, in smoothies and green juices, or in baking of any kind. We also thoroughly enjoy a delicious glass of cashew milk all by itself.
What are your hopes and plans for OMilk's future?
We truly hope to bring OMilk to any market hungry for a natural and healthful dairy alternative. And we think that customer base is pretty far reaching. The truth is that people are starting to understand the near impossibility of finding healthful dairy and there are more and more folks with lactose sensitivities. The dairy alternative industry is booming but commercial products are mostly marketing and little substance when it comes to taste and healthfulness. OMilk is as healthful as it is delicious and we hope to slowly grow (to ensure we maintain quality) throughout NYC and then continue to identify new key markets and get our products to as many nut milk enthusiasts that we can!
It's almost summer, if someone (like your awesome husband/wife) were to take you on a fabulous summer vacation where would you go? What five essentials would you bring with you?
This is a mean question - don't you know entrepreneurs don't vacation for at least the first 5 years?! ;) But really, if we could go anywhere this summer we would take a tour of Southeast Asia. And our five essentials would have to be: chapstick, a backpack, a really nice camera, sun block, and a great pair of walking shoes.
OMilk is currently available at the Soho and Madison Avenue Dean & Deluca stores in NYC and also via home delivery. I urge you to try it. You will be hooked!
