Quinoa Milk

I have watched quinoa milk showing up in stores for quite awhile now, but always as a blend with other non-dairy milks.  quinoa-rice, quinoa almond, never alone.  We have not been able to sample any of the blends because they include things that are not tolerated in our house.  Then, about two weeks ago: Ta-Da!  Single grain quinoa milk appeared on the shelf of our local Whole Foods.  Of course I bought some to take home and try.  I'm always looking for non-dairy milks that pump up our nutrition. Here are the ingredients on this one:

I brought home the unsweetened vanilla.  I always try to buy milk with no added sweeteners, and I know that quinoa has a rather prominent flavor, so I thought the vanilla might be a good way to ease into it.

Nutritionally, it has less protein that I would expect with only 2g per serving.  Even without added sugar or sweetener it has 2g of sugars per serving!  (My other non-dairy milks have 0.)  It carries a healthy amount of calcium (30%), vitamin D (25%), and vitamin E (30%), with trace amounts of a handful of other important minerals.

Upon pouring a glass, the color is decidedly not white, more of a gray tan.  I chilled mine prior to sampling.  The mouth feel was similar to rice milk, thin and lacking in body.  The vanilla flavor was very prominent on the front end, with a slightly bitter note following.  All of my taste testers noted a slightly unpleasant aftertaste.  Overall my family agrees that this is not offensive in any way, but not a milk they would not chose to drink plain.

My conclusion:  I won't go out of my way to buy this milk.  It might be a nice way to expand the variety in the house on occasion, but it does not carry significant nutritional load, flavor, or body that would make it a must have.  I think that I shall use the remainder of this carton for baking.