Head's up, Seattle: There's a new oat-based milk company in town, and it's called Oatly. You will notice it on shelves by the catchy slogan found on the cartons—"Wow No Cow!". Based in Sweden, Oatly has been around for about 25 years, but it's only recently made inroads in the US and at local coffee shops, including Espresso Vivace, Broadcast Coffee Roasters, Third Culture Coffee, Seattle Coffee Works (parent café for Capitol Coffee Works, Ballard Coffee Works, and Cascade Coffee Works), Anchorhead Coffee, and Sound & Fog. This is good news for vegans and vegetarians—and for the environment.
Oatly is one of those rare milk producers who seem to care as much about its ecological impact as it does taste and profits. Commendably, Oatly touts its "sustainability in terms of the way the company evaluates land use and perception and the production of the product itself. Oats are a great rotational crop actively contributing to greater biodiversity and combating monoculture
. In Sweden, oat milk production produces 69% less greenhouse gas emissions, requires 79% less land, needs 85-90% less active substances in pesticides and uses 60% less energy than cow’s milk production."
But how does it taste, you breathlessly ask. Quite good. I don't drink coffee, so I used Oatly in cereal, and it nicely enhanced my Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat—not the most dynamic brands on the market, admittedly—with its smooth, oaty grace notes. I normally buy Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milk for such purposes, but I'd switch to Oatly if my local Red Apple started to stock it. Because, among other things, I'm a sucker for a kicky ad slogan. For another, I will consume oats in any damn form the world thrusts at me. It has been among my most reliable and comforting foodstuff for five decades now. For yet another, it feels good to support a company that's so conscientious about its carbon footprint.
Oatly makes a chocolate milk version, too, and Stranger receptionist Mike Nipper tried it. He praised its "subtle flavor" and commended the product for not being too thick. "It was chuggable," he added. "It paired well with meals, and it also seems decadent. Who really needs chocolate milk? Nobody. Who wants chocolate milk? Everybody."
There you have it: an endorsement from a guy who drinks non-dairy milk instead of water after his long bike rides home from The Stranger's offices. Chuggable milk with no dairy, no gluten, and no nuts is the future—especially for lactose-intolerant people whose guts turn into war zones after drinking mammal milk. The only cream you really need, after all, is the British psychedelic-blues-rock band with Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton.