it’s pronounced “fa-yeh”

Several friends of mine and I were recently able to review Fage Greek Yogurt as sponsored by BlogHer and Fage (pronounce fa-yeh).

The draw about said yogurt is that it is 100% natural. As per Fage’s website, it has no added sweeteners, preservatives, or additives and is made from only raw milk, raw cream, and live active cultures—the watery whey has been removed. The milk and cream supply come from cows who have not been treated with rBGH. Fage’s yogurt is also suitable for diabetics, and non-gluten eaters.

My first impression upon receiving the yogurt was that the serving size of the flavored varieties was small—approximately 5.3 ounces. (the plain yogurt is 8 ounces worth) Each flavored container is actually two-in-one: the 5 ounces of plain yogurt, and then a little side plastic pocket if you will, of the flavoring. We were able to sample peach, honey, strawberry, and cherry in addition to the plain.

Plain—I’m not a big fan of plain yogurt, but I tried it and found it to be very thick, quite similar to a sour cream consistency and taste. It strikes me as something that would be great for baking as a substitute for other more caloric ingredients. But as far as just plain yogurt goes…ehh…I’m not sure what the hubbub is all about. Isn’t that like eating plain vanilla ice cream without anything in it? Or a sandwich with no insides? A taco without the filling? It’s just not for me.

Honey—I’ve never heard of nor tasted honey-flavored yogurt before, and I tell you what, I loved this. The combination of the thick yogurt with the sweet honey was so good. Only half our taste-testers liked it, however I liked it so much that I decided to use the rest of my plain yogurt with some of my personal honey (now that sounds like something used in a personals ad, doesn’t it?—“personal honey”?) and mix it up. Good stuff, and great idea, Fage!

Peach—This was good. Most of our tasters really liked this. It’s flavor was subtle; mine was actually a bit too subtle, which tells me I didn’t combine and dish out the portions very well to our testers, but I liked it.

Cherry—My least favorite. But I equate any and all cherry-related things to cough syrup so this one I could do without. The rest of my testers liked it, however, aside from one gal not liking chunks in her yogurt.

Strawberry—We all liked this. This was easily the house favorite and a flavor I’d likely purchase again for my family. Just sweet enough, not too many chunks (ha!), just enough flavor without the overkill. 4 stars.

Fage’s greek yogurt is a good alternative for the health-conscious or those under restricted diets. It’s a little high in calories compared to some other brands out there, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it a diet-friendly food, but give it a shot.

Get your own opportunity to win a case of this yogurt here!