Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Review: Rebel Kitchen Coconut Mylk Drinks


I always love trying new products from health food (or drink, in this case!) companies, especially those based in the UK, so I'm sure you can imagine my delight when I discovered Rebel Kitchen and their flavoured coconut mylk drinks a couple of months ago on GoodnessDirect; I ordered a few flavours and immediately fell in love. I was even more excited when the company contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd like to try the full range of their mylk - of course I jumped at the chance, and thoroughly enjoyed each and every sip! 


As someone who doesn't consume dairy products it's very difficult to find decent non-dairy 'milk' that doesn't contain additives, refined sugar and all sorts of other scary things. It's even harder to find flavoured non-dairy milk and I'm not sure anyone other than Rebel Kitchen is actually making any which consists solely of natural ingredients with no added sugar. The company is dedicated to producing drinks (and snacks at some point in the near future!) that not only taste delicious but are also completely nutritious and beneficial for our bodies. The base recipe for all the drinks is coconut milk, water and date nectar, and all but one flavour also contain cacao - this mylk is the definition of the phrase 'short and sweet' because although the list of ingredients isn't very long and they sound fairly simple they create something truly amazing! It just goes to show that we don't need heaps of complicated and unnatural ingredients in the food and drink we consume in order for them to taste good.

Baked chocolate oatmeal made with Rebel Kitchen chocolate mylk

I was extremely surprised (and very pleased!) when I saw the Rebel Kitchen 'code' on their website and packaging and noticed that it seems to completely describe my blog and the way in which I approach food. The Rebel Kitchen 'rules' are: 
  • Make nutritious delicious
  • Fight refined sugar
  • Bring back freshly made food
  • Get high on whole foods
  • Rebel against preservatives and additives

This is so refreshing to read and I'm really glad that the company advocates this sort of attitude to food and drink, especially since half their products are aimed at children! Lessons on proper nutrition are something that is severely lacking in schools so it's wonderful that Rebel Kitchen are targetting the younger market (as well as the adult one) with their fun packaging and delicious flavours of mylk. The packaging was actually the first thing that caught my eye when I first saw these drinks - the colours and graphics on the cartons stand out and you'd definitely notice them if you were scanning a supermarket shelf. 

There are three flavours available in the adult mylk collection (Chai, Chocolate and Matcha Green Tea) which come in 330ml cartons, and three in the children's collection (Banana, Orange Chocolate and Chocolate) which come in 200ml cartons complete with a straw. The latter drinks are designed for children aged three years and older but are also totally suitable for adults as well; seriously, there's no judgement from me if you drink the ones aimed at children because I've actually subscribed to a monthly delivery of the mixed kid's mylk! You can do this on the Rebel Kitchen website (as well as buying one-off single or mixed flavour boxes) and can either subscribe to a monthly box of 24 of the children's flavours (single or mixed) or 12 of the adult flavours. The subscriptions are £19.99 with free delivery and it works out cheaper than buying each carton individually so it's completely worth it! Plus who wouldn't want deliciously healthy non-dairy mylk delivered straight to their door?

Now, I'm sure by this point you're extremely curious about these products and are dying to know what they taste like - well, have no fear because I'll tell you all about each individual flavour so you can decide which to try first! Believe me, it'll be a tough choice.


Chai Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), date nectar, cacao (2%), cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric

First up is the Chai Mylk; I'm a huge fan of chai tea and I use the chai spice flavour in several different breakfast foods (think oatmeal, baked oatmeal, overnight oats and pancakes) so I was super excited to try this flavour - it didn't disappoint! It's quite spicy but the flavour of the cacao balances it out so your taste buds aren't completely overwhelmed. I drank this one straight out of the carton but I imagine it would be delicious if you used it to make oatmeal, and would also taste amazing blended up with a banana to make a smoothie. This probably tied with the chocolate as my favourite flavour and I'm definitely planning to get my hands on more so I can experiment with it in various recipes!

Chocolate Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), date nectar, cacao (2%)

As I just mentioned, the Chocolate Mylk is one of my favourites which is rather unsurprising considering my incorrigible love of chocolate! I'm super pleased that Rebel Kitchen use cacao in their drinks because it imparts a much richer flavour than cocoa and also retains the nutrients that are lost in the process of heating it up to make cocoa. This drink honestly tastes just like regular chocolate milk, but without the sickly-sweet taste and all the added nasties! I used half of it to make baked chocolate oatmeal and drank the rest on its own; it would make an ideal snack to power you through the morning or afternoon, or a great addition to any main meal. 

Matcha Green Tea Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), date nectar, matcha green tea powder

The Matcha Green Tea Mylk was my least favourite flavour (probably due to the lack of cacao!) but it was still surprisingly delicious; I say 'surprisingly' because I'm not a big fan of green tea so I wasn't expecting this to taste good - luckily it did! The flavour is more earthy than the others but the date syrup adds enough sweetness to ensure it doesn't feel like you're drinking grass, and the coconut milk gives an extra flavour to make it a bit more interesting. If you're not a fan of cacao then this flavour would be perfect for you, plus green tea contains heaps of antioxidants so as well as tasting wonderful this mylk also has a vast array of health benefits (as do all the others!).

Banana Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), crushed banana (8%), date nectar

The first of the children's flavours is the Banana Mylk which contains actual banana and not just 'banana flavouring'! This was an exciting prospect when I first saw this mylk and it really does make a huge difference because it tastes like real banana (this should be a compulsory requirement for all banana flavoured food and drink!). I have consumed approximately ten of these cartons so far and I have no intention of stopping any time soon because they are utterly delicious. Children would love this flavour (and the other two that are designed for them) because it's tasty enough to disguise the fact that it's healthy. Adults would enjoy it too though, of course! 

Orange Choc Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), date nectar, cacao (1.5%), orange oil

The combination of chocolate and orange is always a winner, and the Orange Choc Mylk balances the flavours perfectly so neither one is too strong. This mylk contains orange oil so it tastes a lot more natural than products which use orange 'flavouring' and it also has lots of health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties. I adore this drink and plan on using it in oatmeal and various smoothies!

Choco Mylk ingredients - water, coconut milk (11%), date nectar, cacao (2%)

This is essentially just the adult's Chocolate Mylk in a smaller and more child-friendly carton, so the same words I wrote about the adult version apply to this too! For adults this would be suitable for when a light pick-me-up snack is needed and would definitely give you more than enough energy to keep you going until your next meal. You could even heat this mylk up and drink it as a hot chocolate, something which I haven't yet done but definitely will try soon - especially since it's getting into the colder months now!

It's companies like Rebel Kitchen that make me truly proud and pleased to live in the UK, and I can't wait until they start making snacks too! If the drinks are this good one can only dream of what they'll come up with in terms of food.

For more information about the health benefits of all the ingredients they use visit this page and to order a one-off box or a monthly subscription of their mylk click here. Unfortunately they don't yet ship outside of the UK from their website but you can buy them from Real Foods who ship internationally. They're also stocked in Whole Foods, Waitrose and Ocado, as well as a few other retailers (a full list is available here).

You can find out more information about Rebel Kitchen by visiting their website, , or . 


Note: I was sent these products to review and all opinions expressed are my own.


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4 comments

  1. Laura2 September 2014 at 14:45

    I love Rebel Kitchen! Tried it when I went to London (and bought a few with me back home along with some coyo - in my suitcase, lol!) and it is sooo good! Especially the choc orange flavour :)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 3 September 2014 at 17:20

      The mylk is amazing isn't it! Haha, I feel you - when I went to London and into Whole Foods I wanted to take the entire shop home with me ;) the choc orange flavour is insanely good, you have wonderful taste haha :) xxx

  • 2 September 2014 at 19:15

    I've been dying to try their products! When I first saw the chai flavour I knew I had to get my hands on it someday!
    Since I'm currently traveling it's proven impossible, but this has just reminded me I need to add them to my 'must-track-down' list!

    {Teffy's Perks} X

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 3 September 2014 at 17:21

      They're so delicious and will be well worth the wait once you get your hands on some! Ahh, I hope you find some soon - I bet you're having fun travelling though :) xxx

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