Why Our Milk Tastes So Good

Our MicroDairy begins with our cows and their milk.

We have a small herd of Jersey cows: the brown cows! We take pride in our herd and know each girl by name. Our cows are seasonally pastured, allowed access to pasture and fresh hay at all possible times (except the blustery winters here in Pennsylvania). We believe in the importance of animal husbandry, which in turn equates to good nourishment and cow health, creating the best possible milk. 

Our milk is vat-pasteurized, using the traditional pasteurization method which allows for safe milk with preserved flavor and quality. Vat pasteurization is rare in food production these days, especially in America where our focus tends to be fast-food run by giant food producers. Vat pasteurization is not nearly as efficient as alternative pasteurization methods such as High temperature short time (HTST) or Ultra pasteurization (UP): these methods essentially sterilize milk, heating it up to 300F for just 2 seconds, yet allowing the milk to have shelf stability. We believe in slow food, we think the highest quality milk is worth the wait. Our vat pasteurized milk maintains the most possible flavor and quality. 

We do not homogenize our milk. This means the milk is Creamline– the cream will rise to the top, as it should! Homogenization is a mechanical process to break up the fat (cream) globules into microscopic sized particles which will then more easily disperse throughout the milk, keeping the cream from separating. Although this final product appears homogenous (uniform), there are studies which prove the homogenized milk lacks some of the health benefits of unhomogenized, creamline milk. Some consumers digest the creamline milk easier than homogenized milk. There is evidence that suggests the homogenization process may alter/destroy some of the protective enzymes of the milk fat when homogenized. Either way, we feel creamline is the way milk is supposed to be. Just shake the bottle before using or skim the cream and enjoy it in your coffee or on a dessert. Any small cream particles are harmless, and certainly enhance the flavor of the milk.

It’s no secret that our milk looks and tastes different than the usual grocery-store milk. We believe that our small herd of Jersey cows produce the highest quality milk. Thus we don’t mess with it. Our milk is gently vat pasteurized and not homogenized, bottled within 24 hours of milking. It’s the freshest milk you can find, and we think you’ll easily taste the difference.