Dug milk: we’ve given the new potato milk a thorough taste test

The potato, an ultimate Swiss staple, has now made its way into plant-based milk. So could people soon be reaching for vegan milk over «rösti»? While it’s typical to see oat-, almond-, soy- or rice-based milk alternatives abound on supermarket shelves, Dug Milk, produced by Swedish start-up Veg of Lund is made from processed potatoes and pea proteins. On Tuesday, it became available in some Migros stores. As we’re a Migros subsidiary, we were given some samples to try in advance of the launch.

I served eight of my colleagues (some of whom have a strong anti-milk-alternative bias) three varieties for testing – Original, Barista, and Unsweetend.

Original

Let’s take a look at the Original version first. With a 1.5 per cent fat content, it’s the least fatty of the bunch. According to the manufacturer, it goes well with coffee, tea or cereal, or can simply be drunk from the glass.

Verdict: an acceptable milk substitute

On their first sip of the milk, the majority of my fellow testers found the drink took some getting used to. Their verdict? Too watery, with too little flavour. After a few more sips of just milk (we didn’t allow ourselves to add coffee until a later stage of the test), however, most of my testers liked it.

My fellow editor and culinary expert Simon Balissat, who appraised the milk with more distrust than anyone else in the group, is left suprised. Despite ordinarily only drinking cow’s milk, he says, «It’s not bad at all». Our colleague Patrick Vogt, on the other hand, says he’d only have the Original version with unsweetened cornflakes. He’s emphatic about the «unsweetened» part, as otherwise, the milk would end up with a sweet flavour. Everybody thinks the milk is good when added to coffee.

Most of the testers wave off my suggestion that it has a gluey aftertaste – they’re not bothered by it. The majority would also drink the milk straight, with just one tester turning up their nose at it. Without the involvement of coffee, my editorial teammate Luca Fontana isn’t a fan of the milk.

Barista

Let’s move on to the Barista version, which has a fat content of three per cent. Made specially for hot drinks, the manufacturer describes the Barista variety as creamier. I’m able to froth it up nicely, getting a firm, stable foam.

Verdict: milkier than the Original

In the first instance, everybody tastes the Barista version without adding it to coffee. Opinions are divided among the group about whether the milk might have an aftertaste. Half of the testers perceive it to have a stronger glue-like flavour than the Original, perhaps because of the strength of the coffee. The other half of the group don’t notice the taste, and would happily drink the milk on its own.

Added to coffee, however, it manages to win over the entire group. They’d all buy the Barista version for coffee, with the vast majority of the group of the opinion that it’s «somehow milkier» than the Original. Someone says the Barista «goes down easier» than the previous variety.

Amateur barista Simon Balissat once again proves to be the outlier of the group, swearing that the Barista version leaves a furry sensation on the tongue. With 2.5 gramms of sugar per 100 millilitres, the Barista is no sugarier than the Original. So the furry sensation can’t be a consequence of the milk being oversweetened.

Unsweetened

To finish off, we try the Unsweetened version. While this variety also contains three per cent fat, it’s sugar free. The manufacturer says it also goes well with coffee, tea or cereal, or can simply be drunk straight. Besides the taste test, I used the milk in a potato gratin, which turned out really well. Unlike other plant-based alternatives, the milk didn’t curdle or go flaky.

Verdict: too salty

The Unsweetened version has to get the most criticism. It’s unanimously deemed too salty to be enjoyed on its own, so we decide not to try it in coffee. The gluey aftertaste we got from the other varieties is even more noticeable in this one. That’s probably because the sugar in the other versions does a better job of covering it up.

Besides subjective perception, objective criteria are important too. Having too many additives ruins your enjoyment of the milk, leaves a bitter aftertaste and is unhealthy, so I took a close look at the ingredients.

The ingredients

All three milk varieties have similar ingredients. Compared to other milk alternatives, the ingredients list is on the shorter side, which is good. Here’s what’s in Dug milk:

• Water
• Potatoes (4.5 per cent)
• Rapeseed oil
• Pea protein
• Acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate)
• Natural flavour
• Vitamins: D, riboflavin (B2), B12 and folic acid

According to Veg of Lund, the milk is made from «an emulsion of water, potatoes, canola oil and pea protein produced with a patented technology.» Fortunately, then, it’s not just raw potato juice. What’s more, the milk doesn’t contain nuts, soy or gluten.

What about sustainability?

In terms of sustainability, Veg of Lund writes on its website: «If you compare dairy milk with a potato-based alternative, the climate footprint of the potato drink is significantly lower. In fact, switching to a potato-based alternative reduces the climate impact by about 67 per cent.» Dug milk Original has a climate footprint of 0.27 kilos of CO² per litre.

According to Veg of Lund, the cultivation of oats requires about twice as much water as potato cultivation does. As for almonds, they need 96 per cent more water, so in this respect, the potato-based variant is worth it.

That being said, the potatoes used in Dug Milk are grown in Germany before being dried into potato flakes in England, where they’re also processed into milk. In a press release, the manufacturer said it had recently started production in northern Germany, allowing the transportation route to be shortened slightly.

Then there’s the import to Switzerland. As yet, there are no potato milk production facilities here. When announcing the launch of Dug milk, however, Migros emphasised that if the milk were to become established, there’d be an opportunity to begin producing it in Switzerland.

A carton of Dug milk costs (as of 11 April) 2.60 CHF. After you’ve opened it, it can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. My biggest criticism of the Dug Milk has to be levelled at its packaging, which, after one journey in my backpack, broke its seal and created a lake of milk. I would’ve preferred to have the Dug milk in my coffee, not in my bag.

As an online store, we occasionally test milk alternatives. You’ll find our last taste test here. We’re in the process of clarifying whether we can bring Dug milk into the Galaxus range too.