We taste-tested the new Milo Intense & made a few new fans

Have you ever drank a cup of Milo and thought: “you know what, I need another version of this drink, but with way more chocolate”?

If you have, cool, because I haven’t.

Fortunately, the nice folks at Milo weren’t as uncreative as I am and made it anyway.

Milo Intense, a new variant of the popular chocolate malt beverage, is essentially dark chocolate-flavoured Milo, made with 2.5 times more cocoa and less sugar.

According to Milo, this variant was sold out upon its release and was only brought back to the shelf recently.

These days, I prefer less sweet drinks, so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this new Milo product.

And because good things are meant to be shared, I rounded up some of my colleagues to give it a try, too.

Hot Milo Intense

When I was younger, my dad would make me a cup of hot Milo every morning.

Needless to say, it’s kind of my comfort drink. Whenever I’m in need of a pick-me-up, there’s nothing better than a mug of steaming hot Milo.

With Milo Intense however, I was immediately struck by the chocolate scent, which was much stronger than in the original version.

The drink itself was also definitely a little on the bitter side; I’d expected your typical Milo sweetness, so it took some getting used to.

Hannah, whose drink of choice is usually coffee, felt that it was a “comfort chocolate drink”.

“I ask for less sugar in most of my drinks these days, so I like that it’s not too sweet,” she said. “I can imagine adding milk or coffee, to make it like a latte.”

Huisi, who isn’t a fan of coffeeshop-style Milo because it tends to be prepared with condensed milk or evaporated milk and sugar, was also pleasantly surprised.

“I don’t have the habit of drinking sweet stuff, and I want to taste the original Milo powder taste,” she explained.

She found Milo Intense to be “even thicker and less sweet” compared to original Milo powder.

Iced Milo Intense

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that any individual trapped in the eternal balmy heat of Singapore, must be in want of an icy-cold drink.

According to Milo, this is the correct way to prepare the iced version of Milo Intense:

• Pour Milo Intense powder into the shaker
• Add 100ml of hot water and stir
• Add 100g of crushed/pebbled ice
• Mix and enjoy.

The result:

Compared to the iced Milo I’d usually get at a kopitiam, the iced Milo Intense was thicker and more gao, with a richer chocolatey flavour.

Interestingly, it was the Milo non-fans who enjoyed this version the most.

Chan Seng, who describes himself as “on the fence” when it comes to Milo, was one of its biggest supporters:

“I love this. I’m someone who doesn’t like sweet, milk chocolate, so this is perfect for me. I usually drink Milo kosong, ‘cause I don’t like sugar or extra milk, but I actually prefer this.”

Joni, the office’s resident gastronomical expert, commented that it would “go quite nicely with rum or Baileys, as a mixer”.

“What I look for in a chocolate drink is whether the cocoa taste will linger on your tongue,” she explained.

“The original is maltier... But this really allows you to taste the chocolate instead.”

Variations

While trying the drinks, we also discussed a few possible variations, like making popsicle sticks or mixing it with other drinks.

One that we tried out was mixing Milo Intense with oat milk instead of hot water:

The Milo didn’t dissolve as well, though it did turn out more creamy.

It was also really popular among my colleagues, who were fans of the texture.

Even Mikayla — who, TBH, is a bit of a beverage snob — remarked on how well the oat milk and chocolate went together.

“I could imagine this with like, espresso tequila,” she considered. What an alcoholic.

Verdict

I’ll be honest — when I took my first sip of Milo Intense, I wasn’t sold.

There’s something about the original formula that’s just so nostalgic for me that it’s hard to let go of.

But as I started seeing it as a different and separate drink in itself, I was better able to appreciate it.

My own views aside, Milo Intense managed to capture the heart of many a Milo-wary soul.

Its chocolatey flavour, so reminiscent of iced/hot chocolate, was better able to appeal to more mature taste-buds — even for those who’d believed they’d long outgrown the childhood drink.

As a grown-up myself, I’ll always love the original Milo in its comforting, familiar sweetness.

But just like how I’ve grown and changed with age, so have my tastes and preferences — and so has my diet.

Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll find myself reaching for a sachet of Milo Intense instead when I’m in need of a comfort drink.

And maybe I’ll end up bugging our HR to start stocking this variation in the pantry. (Travis, if you’re reading this, here’s a heads-up.)

Milo Intense is available exclusively at Fairprice outlets.

Writing this Milo-sponsored article made this writer feel like drinking Milo. Again.

Top photo by Mothership and courtesy of Milo