SPOT.ph Roadtests Supermarket Chocolate Milk

(SPOT.ph) If there is one thing that can completely encapsulate the wonders of childhood, it's chocolate milk. That frothy rich blend that has enough of the healthy stuff because you're young and growing, but with a candy element because you are young and meant to have fun and do things that require no other explanation apart from that. Chocolate milk gives everyone that experience. Well, most of us, anyway.

One fine grocery shopping day, we came across a new product that attempts to merge two childhood memories in one: a Cloud 9 chocolate drink. Was it a liquefied version of our beloved chocolatey nougat? Would nuts pervade our sips? Caramel coat our tongues? We decided to put it to the test, and in the process, check if our other favorites-as well as some new ones-could still produce that same blissful effect.

From a blind taste test and further research, we discovered that most of these chocolate milk drinks have the same ingredients: milk powder, milk fat, cocoa powder, "natural identical" flavoring, emulsifiers, stabilizers, vitamins. But you'd be surprised how different manufacturers can produce different outcomes from the same base. See which ones kept their promise and which ones disappointed.

Comments are the opinions of the testers and do not necessarily reflect the views of SPOT.ph and Summit Media.

Photos by Warren Espejo

Goldilocks Choco Buzz Chocolate Milk Drink
Ingredients: Water, refined sugar, milk solids, cocoa powder, milk fat, stabilizers, emulsifier, artificial flavors, iodized salt
Bonus: Maze on the back of the box, a quick note to moms about the importance of calcium and protein
Thoughts from the testers:

Cloud 9 Chocolate Milk Drink (P20)
Ingredients: Purified water, skimmed milk powder, sugar, cream, cocoa powder, stabilizer and emulsifier, natural and artificial flavors, iodized salt 
Promise: Life’s fun with the chocolatey goodness of Jack ’n Jill Cloud 9
Thoughts from the testers:

Alaska Choco Chocolate Milk Drink (P17.50)
Ingredients: Water, refined sugar, skimmed milk powder, milk fat, cocoa powder, carageenan stabilizer, Magnesium Chloride, iodized salt
Promise: Deliciously chocolatey!
Bonus: Maze on the back of the box
Thoughts from the testers:

Selecta Fortified Choco (P19.95)
Ingredients: Water, refined sugar, non-fat milk solids, refined vegetable oil (mixture of coconut and corn oil), cocoa powder, nature-identical chocolate flavor, carageenan (E407) food stabilizer, mono-di-glycerides (E471) emulsifier, iodized salt, vanillin, Calcium, Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B2 (E101)
Promise: Selecta Fortified Choco has the combined creamy goodness of milk and rich flavor of chocolate with vitamins and minerals
Thoughts from the testers:

Anlene Chocolate (19+ Years) (P32.75)
Ingredients: Water, skimmed milk powder, sucrose, whole milk powder, cocoa powder, minerals (calcium, Nano-Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc), stabilizers, chocolate flavor (natural and nature-identical flavor), Vitamin A, Vitamin D 
Promise: Essential Bone Strengthening Nutrients with Nano-Calcium
Thoughts from the testers:

Goody Gulp Chocolate Milk Drink (P21)
Ingredients: Water, milk powder, refined cane sugar, milk fat, cocoa powder, stabilizers (mono and diglycerides of  fatty acids), carragenam, guar gum, flavors
Promise: Soak up on calcium and chocolate goodness!
Bonus: Fun facts about sponges and an inspirational message from SpongeBob Squarepants himself! The side also features a short profile on SpongeBob.
Thoughts from the testers:

Elle & Vire Yag Go! (P46.75)
Ingredients: Skimmed milk, sugar, glucose, syrup, water, chocolate powder, modified starch vegetable oils (rapeseed, sunflower), stabilizers (E407, E415), vitamins (B2, A, D, B12, Ferric Pyrophosphate)
Thoughts from the testers:

Nestle Premium Dairy Chocolate Milk Drink (P30)
Ingredients: Water, milk powders (may contain one or more of the following: buttermilk, skimmed milk, whey or whole milk powder), sugar, milk fat, cocoa powder, emulsifier and stabilizers, food colors, iodized salt, nature-identical flavor, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, and Niacin
Promise: Ultra pasteurized recombined chocolate milk drink
Thoughts from the testers:

Delfi Knick Knacks X Blast Chocolate Milk Drink (P12.50)
Ingredients: Water, refined sugar, full cream milk powder, skimmed milk powder, cocoa powder, milk fat, emulsifier (mono-di-glycerides), stabilizers (E407 and E412), iodized salt, natural, nature-identical, and artificial flavors.
Promise: Snack time is Knick Knack time!
Thoughts from the testers:

Selecta MOO Super Chocolate (P11.75)
Ingredients: Water, non-fat milk solids, sugar, milk fat, refined vegetable oil (mixture of coconut and corn oil), cocoa powder, carageenan (E407) food stabilizer, mono-di-glycerides (E471), nature-identical flavor, iodized salt, vanillin, calcium, sucralose, Vitamin A, Vitamin B3, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B2 (E101) 
Promise: MOOre Chocolate!
Bonus: A quick note to moms about the importance of calcium, protein, and B vitamins
Thoughts from the testers:

Zest-O Choc-O Chocolate Milk Drink (P11.25)
Ingredients: Water, whole milk powder, refined sugar, milk fat, cocoa powder, carrageenan, mono-di-glycerides, iodized salt, vanillin, Vitamin Premix (Niacin, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1), natural and artificial chocolate flavors, permitted food colors including Tartrazine
Promise: With Zest Boosters!
Thoughts from the testers:

Magnolia Chocolait (P12)
Ingredients: Water, skim milk powder, refined sugar, milk fat, cocoa powder, food stabilizer and emulsifier (E460, E471, E407, and E466), nature identical flavors, Taurine, Chlorella Powder, Vitamin B2, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Niacin, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B6 
Promise: Fun that nourishes!
Bonus: A short historical tidbit on Magnolia Chocolait
Thoughts from the testers:

Nestle Chuckie (P11.50)
Ingredients: Water, milk powder (may contain any of the following: skimmed milk, buttermilk, lactose), sugar, vegetable oil (may contain coconut oil,  palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm olein, soybean oil, corn oil, hydrogenated coconut, palm, palm kernel, and palm olein oils), cocoa powder, stabilizers (soya lecithin), Calci-N (Calcium Phosphate from milk), thickener, nature identical, natural, and artifical flavors, minerals (Disodium Phosphate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Iron Pyrophosphate), glucose syrup, sucralose, vitamins (Niacin, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B5, Folic Acid, Biotin), milk fat, emulsifiers, Potassium Caseinate
Promise: My chocolatey buddy-with bone-building Calci-N!
Bonus: Fun fact on kids’ bones

Thoughts from the testers: