This is a 'budget' butter available here in Dubai at a 'budget' supermarket. But does it live up to its 'budget' reputation?
There is practically nothing on the internet about the company Milba beyond its links with the UAE discount supermarket chain, Viva. It's rare that it's this difficult to find out anything on the internet about your product but this is an exception.
On a personal level, we enjoy shopping at Viva as it can cut your grocery bills in half if you're willing to pick up the basics at an Aldi-adjacent type supermarket. Cheapest butter in the city per weight at around AED 7 / 200g. Why not?
Milba Salted Butter Appreciation
Butter Break Down
Appreciation Date: March 24, 2021
Country of Origin: Germany
Point of Procurement: Viva Al Barsha
Purchase State: Fresh
Milk: Cow, pasteurised
Salt Content: Salted; Percentage Not Indicated
Milk Fat Content: 80%
Ingredients: Cows Milk, Salt, Lactic acid culture
Company Website: If anyone can find it, do let us know.
Butter Evaluation
In which we discuss Milba's salted butter.
A nice solid, opaque yellow, Milba's salted butter started out well. It had a nice integrity at room temperature, and was a nice low gloss sheen to it.
Ostensibly, according to the ingredient list, this butter has ferments and lactic starters, but we detected absolutely none in the aromas, which is unusual. Instead, we got a nice buttery smell with hints of milk. Very nice.
What's nice about this one is that it's salted but not overly-salted. Often butters can get almost overpowering to the point where the salt becomes metallic but this butter is different.
The salt is nicely balanced and fades to milky dairy quite quickly... though it does linger a bit on the palate Do we detect notes of hay? There's something vaguely grassy about this one without being pungent.
Overall, we like this one. It's not too salty but we could do with a bit more butter or milk or creamy 'oomph' to make it stand out a little more.
Final Rundown
We do like this butter! It might be a bit unremarkable but the price point is excellent and for a 'budget' butter, it's excellent value for money. If you like your butter sedate and well-behaved, you're in luck!
Colour: Pale matte yellow
Aroma: Lightly buttery
Taste: Pleasant salt and milk