What do I like most about R.E.A.L yoghurt’s Honey and cinnamon flavour? It’s the aroma. This might be one of the first articles I have written in the 6 years of 4foodssakkeat (Yes, Birthday wishes are in order) that begins with smell. More often than not, sight takes the day.
Smell
This yoghurt, whose name stands for Revival Of East African Ladies, has an aroma that reminds me of fermentation. If you have drank older bushera you might have an idea of what i mean. I have not found any other yoghurt that smells this way. I had to ask the makers and was told the scent comes down to “the way the honey reacts with the yoghurt over time.”
If that doesn’t suit you, there are Pineapple, Vanilla Bean, Plain, Lactose Free Plain and Greek Yoghurt variants.
The thing that drew me to the yoghurt in the first place was the word ‘probiotic’. I had a lot of questions including if sugar affects probiotics in any way.
“Probiotics aren’t generally affected by sugar and can be stimulated by sugar. However if sugar is in very high doses,it can kill Probiotics.” Lydia the founder of R.E.A.L yoghurt shared. Keep that in mind next time you are shopping.
The probiotics added into R.E.A.L yoghurt are pretty amazing. Lydia adds that a lot of their customers with ulcers , constipation, diarrhoea and skin conditions like eczema report positive results. Some completely stop medication as a result.
Read up on these probiotics here.
Taste
R.E.A.L yoghurt has special…notes. They will remain in your mouth long after you have swallowed. And then there’s the sweetness. If for nothing else, try the honey and cinnamon variant to taste a sweetener other than sugar. The best way i can describe it is that it’s whole. If sugar were a scarf on your taste buds, the sweetness here is like a blanket. It covers everything. Unlike sugar which can best be described as sweet, the taste of the honey and cinnamon can be described as sweet, yes, but also warm.
One more thing about the sweetness is it is muted. Where a yoghurt with added sugar would be at a sweetness of 5, this is at a 2.5 but is actually better.
“The reason we don’t add sugar in the honey & cinnamon yoghurt is a) to use honey as a sugar substitute, being naturally occurring b) some of our customers have diabetes – most report that it helps stabilise their sugar levels.” Lydia.
Touch
It is light in consistency. I tend to like my yoghurts thicker but is this because I like my yoghurts thicker or because I have only ever had the option of thicker yoghurts? It is also a bit stretchy. I think this comes down to the honey but i am not sure.
Put it in the fridge for longer and it will assume a fairly firmer consistency. Put it in the freezer and it will become even firmer but the fermented aroma I told you about will be compromised. The taste will change too…It will become less special.
If you are concerned that the price is higher than the average market price, consider the benefits above. If you still are unconvinced, consider this; “The reason the price is high is because of the high cost of quality ingredients like honey and vanilla. In addition, because we don’t add artificial thickeners, we get less yoghurt than the milk we start with. Other companies increase their volumes as a result of thickeners.”
If you STILL aren’t convinced, then consider the fact that the company is run for charity. Every spoon you enjoy, goes towards employing and empowering Ugandans.
