
Milo is added to hot or cold milk to give it a malted chocolate flavour and extra texture. When combined with cold milk, it retains the gritty texture of its raw state. Milo can be stirred into steamed milk or hot water to create something similar to hot chocolate or cocoa. Sugar can be added to the milo beverage, but many people enjoy it without the addition of sweeteners, appreciating it for its subtle chocolate flavour. Another possible use is making a normal cup of cold Milo and microwaving it for approximately 40–60 seconds. This gives the Milo drink a biscuity cover on top.
Another popular use is to sprinkle it on ice cream, especially vanilla ice cream. Milo can also be sprinkled on breakfast cereals. Milo is often the favoured beverage for the
Tim Tam Slam.
Also very popular is the "Magic Milo" which involves adding Milo to a small amount of milk with sugar and whipping it to increase the amount of air in the milk, thereby doubling it in size. Then one adds small amounts of hot water and milk in layers stirring each new layer vigorously to maintain its lightness. A final layer of whipped cream topped with extra Milo or chocolate sprinkles. This is more of a 'warm' beverage rather than a 'hot' one and is a more popular version of hot Milo for children.
Milo manufactured outside
Australia is customised for local methods of preparation. In
Ghana,
Malaysia, the
Philippines,
Singapore and
Indonesia, it is mixed with hot or cold water instead of milk, with the instructions "Add milk and sugar if desired."
A cup of hot Milo.
In
Australia and most other countries the packaging is green and has people playing sports on the tin. There is an organisation called "Milo Cricket" which operates in most areas by volunteers, children participating are given small packets of Milo to eat or drink. The commercials and taglines are "Go and go and go with Milo" and a popular commercial is 4 generations of women on a skipping rope singing "and my mum gave me Milo to go and go and go" and the line "I need my Milo Today", because it has a low
glycemic index. The packaging of tins of Milo in
Singapore are also green and also have people playing sports on the tins. In
Colombia, Milo is closely tied to football (soccer), and the slogan several generations have sung is "Milo te da energía, la meta la pones tú" (Milo gives you energy, you set the finish line).
Milo is very popular in
Malaysia, where the brand name is synonymous with chocolate flavored drinks: Milo has a 90% market share in Malaysia (not the often quoted 90% worldwide share of Milo consumption)
[4], and Malaysians were said to be the world’s largest consumers of Milo.
[5] This is because Milo was once used as a nutrient supplement when it was first introduced in the country, and has thus gained a reputation as a 'must have' drink for the old and the younger generations. Milo manufactured in
Malaysia is made to dissolve well in hot water to produce a smooth hot chocolate drink, or with ice added for a cold drink. Milo in Malaysia is served in
kopitiams and
mamak stalls offering versions such as "Milo
Dinosaur" (a cup of milo with an extra spoonful of powdered undissolved Milo added to it), "Milo
Godzilla" (a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or topped with whipped cream) and "Neslo" (combined with
Nescafe powdered coffee). It gained popularity in
Singapore soon after.
Milo with ice added is known as "
Milo Peng" (alternately, "ping"), "peng" ( 冰 ) meaning ice in
Cantonese and
Hokkien. In
Japan, Milo is marketed as a canned energy drink, available in vending machines.
In Hong Kong, Milo is served in
Cha chaan teng.
Milo is also a famous beverage in
Indian Muslim stalls, or fondly known as
Mamak stalls in Malaysia. It is also sometimes used as an alternative to jam and put in bread or also as an ingredient in
Roti Canai.
In
Trinidad & Tobago and some other
Caribbean territories, Milo is synonymous to any hot tea other than coffee.
[
edit] Milo B-Smart
In Australia, a new version of Milo called Milo B-Smart was released in 2008 (the original Milo and Malt Milo varieties remain); which is of a finer texture and has added B vitamins and iodine. It has a different taste from the original Milo formula and is marketed as a health food for children.
[6][
edit] Nutritional information
Milo is supposedly high in
energy, because the drink has 1,760
kJ in every 100
g of the drink. It is also for this reason, marketed as the "Energy Food Drink". It is also supposed to have a low
Glycemic Index (GI), that is, "33 made with whole milk, 36 made with reduced fat milk". This allows the energy in Milo to be released slowly.
The Milo website states that the drink "is high in calcium, iron and the vitamins B1, 2, 6, 12."
[
edit] Availability in other markets
Milo differs among regions, as is seen in this side-by-side comparison of Milo from
New Zealand and
Ghana.
Milo packaged in cans being sold in a
Hong Kong Food Market in Northwest
Houston.
Availability of Milo in North America is rather limited and is an imported product only. It can be found in Latino & Asian markets with a large East Asian American population in areas such as
California,
New York City,
Philadelphia,
Washington and
New Jersey. It can also be found in areas with a notable Latino & West Indian population.
Publix supermarkets in South Florida stock the Colombian-made Milo drink mix as well as cans of Milo produced in Malaysia. Recently, it has also been available in larger Wal-Mart and Shopper Food Warehouse stores in the Hispanic foods aisle.
Nestle has now introduced a Canadian version of Milo. It is made in Canada. It dissolves rapidly like Nesquik, probably due to market expectations, but still retains the Malt flavour. It is also sweeter than other varieties. This Canadian variety has been available since early 2006 and is widely available in the above mentioned stores as well as
Superstore,
Extra Foods and
London Drugs. Some East Asian supermarkets (such as
T&T Supermarket in Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary) will carry the version imported from
China or
Hong Kong.
In the 1980s this brand was sold in Mexico and distributed there by Nestle. It was a very successful product but it disappeared after Nestle introduced the
Nesquik brand there.
It can also be found in the
UK in some Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets, which import it from Kenya or Uganda. Oriental Food specialists, such as Mini Siam Oriental Foods and Hoo Hing also stock it. A similar product called
Ovaltine is most popular with
UK consumers.
In the past Milo was available in
Portugal and in
Brazil. Nestle Brazil discontinued production of Milo in Brazil to focus on the much-popular domestic brands Nescau and Nesquik.
The Chilean version of Milo is still in production and is identical in taste and texture to the one that was once produced in Brazil.
[
edit] Other Milo products
WelCoMe To Drink My Milo Ais....Place At Coffee SHOP......