Tamar Valley Greek style yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Tamar Valley Greek style yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this popular yoghurt.
For this review we have tested the original, full-fat version.
This yoghurt is available widely in Australia.
You might also be interested in reading our popular article on the best probiotics in Australia if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Ingredients of Tamar Valley Greek style yoghurt
This yoghurt has only four ingredients - milk, cream, milk solids and cultures. It may not be strictly traditional to use 3 types of milk products to make a yoghurt - but there’s certainly no nasties in there.
Importantly, there’s no added sugar or sweeteners - like in other yoghurts.
It is also gluten and gelatine free.
Tamar Valley yoghurt is made with fresh, pastuerised Tasmanian milk.
Their branding leans heavily on the fact it is made in lush, green, pristine Tasmania - and to be honest, it works on me.
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Benefits of Tamar Valley yoghurt
This product comes with the usual benefits associated with yoghurt.
Vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt is a source of various vitamins and minerals including:
calcium
B vitamins (B12 and riboflavin)
magnesium
potassium
These vitamins support bone health, energy production, immune function and cardiovascular health.
Protein
Tamar Valley yoghurt has a decent amount of protein with 5g per 100g.
Probiotics
Because of its probiotics (ie live bacteria), yoghurt provides a range of health benefits including:
digestive health
immune support
reduced inflammation
weight management
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Bacterial diversity
Unfortunately there is no information given on either the colony forming units of probiotics (ie the amount of bacteria) or what strains of bacteria are used. And their website offers no further information.
Anecdote!
I’m in a homebrew club and some members make sour beer using yoghurt as a starter. Multiple brewers have reported that Tamar Valley works best for this among the popular brands. This (along with the strong sour taste) suggests that there is a strong bacterial colony in the yoghurt.
But it’s a shame they haven’t provided more exact information on this.
Appearance
The yoghurt is plain white in appearance as expected. It also appears thick in that it retains a mounded and uneven structure in the bowl, rather than just sinking to an even level.
Texture
The texture is very thick, creamy and downright luxurious. It is 9.6% fat after all…
Flavour
The aroma is like soured milk - surprise!
The taste is strongly sour, even for yoghurt. Personally I love this, but others might not - especially if they are used to sweetened yoghurt.
Cost of Tamar Valley yoghurt
I bought a 1kg tub from Coles for $7.80. Not exactly cheap - but it’s not much more than the competition and it is a premium product in my mind.
Summary
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Tamar Valley Greek style yoghurt is a delicious, high quality, clean yoghurt with a strong sour kick.
Pros
clean ingredients (but not organic)
no added sugar or sweeteners
thick and creamy
good source of vitamins, minerals and protein
Cons
high in fat
some information on the bacterial strains present and colony forming units would be helpful
not the cheapest
might be too sour for some
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How it’s made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in Australia
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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