The $245 Almond Cow seems to be like a barely prolonged cow-themed electrical kettle, full with a cow button on the highest that you simply press to begin. That’s the one management: The Almond Cow, because the title maybe suggests, is designed to make milk from almonds, though it could possibly deal with different uncooked milk sources like oats. There is not any method to make scorching milk like soy milk. It does a reasonably efficient job of milking almonds, although, so it’s a strong choose if almond is your sole milk supply.

I examined the $325 Almond Cow Starter Set, which incorporates the milk maker and some equipment, comparable to a somewhat cute branded glass milk jug, a cleansing brush, and a number of other packs of the Creamy CocoCash coconut and Original Almonds ‘n’ Dates milk mixes that the corporate sells.

The technique of getting milk out of your electrical cow is easy: Add water to the vessel (between 5 and 6 cups), put the dry substances within the filter cup, twist it onto the underside of the lid so the blender arm is within the supplies, put the lid on, and press the button. The Almond Cow then grinds and mixes every little thing, a course of that takes a couple of minutes. When it’s performed, the sunshine on the highest turns blue, and the milk is prepared. The pulp is stored within the filter cup, which you take away and clear by hand. A collector cup is included, which inserts over the filter cup to cease it dripping in every single place. The vessel additionally must be rinsed out between makes use of.

I discovered the milk the Almond Cow produces was scrumptious: The high-speed blender with a number of blades meant the almonds have been nicely blended and little or no grainy plant materials was left behind. The milk got here out a little bit frothy, like a pint of albino Guinness. The froth shortly settled, although, and the 5 cups that the Almond Cow produces needs to be sufficient for a household breakfast or a day of coffee-making.

Speaking of espresso, it’s also possible to use the collector cup and a smaller quantity of water to make creamer, a extra concentrated mix for individuals who desire the thickness of a nondairy creamer.

The two milk mixes (Almond Cow calls them Milk Medleys) produce tasty milk with a pleasant, creamy mouth really feel. The Creamy CocoCash is made with cashew nuts, coconut, and dates, whereas the Original Almond ‘n’ Dates is created from, nicely, almonds and dates. Both of those mixes could be simple to duplicate, though they use yet another secret ingredient: a little bit of rice flour that thickens the combination.

After utilizing the Almond Cow, there may be a whole lot of cleansing: Clean the filter cup, rinse the highest off (the milk will get splashed contained in the vessel as it’s blended), and clear the vessel itself. It’s no shock that the starter pack I examined additionally included a flexible scrubbing brush that helps get the gunky plant pulp out of the filter.

I additionally discovered that with chunkier substances like almonds, you could push the filter cup up fairly onerous to make sure it’s appropriately locked into place when attaching it to the highest. That’s as a result of the blender blades sit proper on the backside of the cup, and a nut can get caught beneath the blades, maintaining the twist lock from partaking correctly. If the cup works its means unfastened throughout mixing, it makes a large number and will injury the blade. The best method to keep away from this, I discovered, was to softly shake the cup whereas attaching it to the highest to maintain the supplies shifting.

I additionally discovered that once you pour the milk out, the highest of the Almond Cow has a behavior of falling off as you tip the entire thing to get the ultimate milk out of the vessel. There is not any locking mechanism that holds the lid in place, solely gravity.

Still, the Almond Cow does an efficient job. It makes nicely blended milk in respectable portions and does it fairly shortly. What it doesn’t do, nonetheless, is deal with the number of different varieties of milk some machines can. You are restricted to uncooked milk like almonds, cashews, and oats.