Egg Nog Taste Test
Date Tested: November 28th, 2021
Competitors: Reiter’s, Kroger, UDF, Chobani, Southern Comfort, CG Burger, and variations therein
Test Description: Blind test, set up by third party – Unmarked containers each pre-filled. Tester may drink out of each in whatever order and render a brand guess and/or rating.
| Guess | Notes | Rating | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reiters, | Very good, kinda thick. Nice smell, nutmeg-y/ | 7 | Reiters |
| Kroger Lowfat | Eggy. Loose. Not great. | 4 | UDF Egg Nog |
| Coconut Milk Nog | Pretty good. Tastes like bourbon | 5 | Coconut Milk Nog |
| UDF Holiday Nog | Has some peppermint cookie flavor | 4 | Kroger Low Fat |
| Point Rider | alcoholic, not too bad. I'd drink it. | 6 | Point Rider |
| C.F. Burger Old Fashioned | Very yellow, tastes like vanilla bean ice cream | 6.5 | C,F, Burger Fat Free |
| Oat Nog | very watery, a bit of butterscotch flavor | 4 | Chobani Oat Nog |
| Almond Milk Nog | Watery, low on flavor | 3 | UDF Holiday Nog |
| C.F. Burger Old Fashioned | Very thick, okay flavor | 7.1 | C.F. Burger Old Fashioned |
| Old Saint Nick | Alcoholic, not very noggy, strong | 4 | Old Saint Nick |
| Oat Nog | Watery, lame. VERY Watery - nog flavored water | 3 | Almond Milk Nog |
| Southern Comfort | Fine. Kinda thick. Toothpaste taste. | 5 | Southern Comfort |
Egg Nog, the classic Christmas dairy product. Everyone loves it, but not enough o sell it all year. It has become to Christmas what Pumpkin Spice is to Autumn. There are more variations than you can shake a stick at. There are Egg Nog ice creams, yogurts, and mixed drinks. I’ve even seen Egg Nog candy. But personally, the stuff is so rich that I can hardly make it through a jug before it goes bad. Which means, I really only try one or two Nogs every year and when I buy one I don’t like, it effectively ruins Egg Nog for me for that year. So, we decided to buckle down and get tot he bottom of this. Which is the best and which will I be buying from here on out. Which Nog deserves a spot on family tradition.
We had a good spread here. All the major dairy brands in our area were present and we even had some new age millennial Nogs such as oat and almond and coconut milk, we also had some spiked nogs.The results here speak fro themselves and I do not have much to add. C.F. Burger and Reiter’s topped the charts by a good margin and I will most likely be reaching for them in the future. The alt-milks had a ppor showing. I do not think their watery nature lends itself to a decent Nog.
The most notable feature of this test was the showcase of the power of mind and brand loyalty. One of the testers had been regularly having the oat nog for weeks. Both alone and in their coffee. They swore by it and were convinced it would be their number one, if not everyone’s. This individual not only ranked the Oat Milk dead last, but verbally expressed how much they disliked it. But lo and behold, ones the labels are revealed, the incredulity is unleashed. They refused to believe the results. “There must be some error,” “Something has gone terribly wrong.” Watching the mental strife play out on ones face as they are confronted with the fabrication of ones own mind is something even George Orwell cant accurately put into words. We’ve all been there and its a tough place to escape from. This particular individual fully embraced his double-think. He proudly declared that no blind test or trickery of the devil would stop him from buying Chobani Oat Nog and pouring it into his coffee. On some level, you have to respect that.
Ted, I think this is a credible, worthwhile venture. I’m glad you did it – someone had to do it. My only problem is many of those selected are not available in SoCal.