Nesquik Magic Straws Chocolate

...parents used to bring some Nesquik Milkshake powder home, it wouldn't last long at all! We would all swoop down on it and fill our glasses up and have that lovely Nesquik feeling!! So when these Nesquik Magic Straws were released, I was really chuffed, as it was a new product to buy from a brand I have loved since childhood.


===Nesquik, the Brand===


Nesquik was originally Nestle Quik when it first hit ...
...part of the Nestle company. Nesquik originally started by marketing Milkshake powders, first of all chocolate flavour, followed by strawberry flavour. There were other flavours introduced, but they never took too well and were removed from the market. I found that such a shame, as I used to love the banana flavour as a kid. But that's the way it goes unfortunately.


In 2007 Nesquik joined many companies by becoming more health ... more

If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you I am a chocoholic - I love Mars Bars, Smarties, Kit Kats - you name it and I probably have tried it, or have it in my cupboard. Since being a child I loved milkshakes, and when my parents used to bring some Nesquik Milkshake powder home, it wouldn't last long at all! We would all swoop down on it and fill our glasses up and have that lovely Nesquik feeling!! So when these Nesquik Magic Straws were released, I was really chuffed, as it was a new product to buy from a brand I have loved since childhood.

Nesquik, the Brand

Nesquik was originally Nestle Quik when it first hit the European markets in the 1950s. It didn't become Nesquik until it changed it's name in 1999, though it is still part of the Nestle company. Nesquik originally started by marketing Milkshake powders, first of all chocolate flavour, followed by strawberry flavour. There were other flavours introduced, but they never took too well and were removed from the market. I found that such a shame, as I used to love the banana flavour as a kid. But that's the way it goes unfortunately.

In 2007 Nesquik joined many companies by becoming more health conscious with regards to the products they had on the market. Their products now have reduced sugar, and they say they have 25% less sugar in their products when compared to other products in the market. This included the other products they had introduced since the 1980s - these included:

- Nestle Quik syrup - chocolate and strawberry flavour

- Ready-to-Drink Quik Milk - chocolate, strawberry, bana, vanilla and double chocolate.

- Fat Free Quik Chocolate Milk

- Nesquik milkshakes -strawberry, chocolate and Chocolate Caramel Swirl.

- Nesquik under the Nestle brand also do a range of cereals that are very popular with children.

Nesquik magic Straws were introduced to the market in the summer of 2006, and were introduced as a fun way of getting children to drink milk, therefore increasing their calcium intake. By placing the flavoured straws into a glass of milk the children would then experience the taste of a Nesquik milkshake as they sucked the milk through the straws. It was advertised by Nesquik as a delicious after school drink for children, and also a product that was mess free for parents, and easy to give wherever they were. The Nesquik Magic Straws retail in packs of 4 (89pence) and packs of ten (£1.55).

Nesquik Magic Straws in Chocolate flavour are my favourite, so I was really happy that this product was chosen for the product of the week.

Finding the Magic

Nesquik products are easily obtainable in many stores now, ranging from small local stores to larger Supermarkets. They tend to be placed with long-life dairy products when looking for them in the shops. The best places to find the Magic Straws are:

- Sainsburys - online and instore

- Tesco - online and instore

- Morrisons - instore

- Asda - online and instore.

There is no real difference in prices really when you shop around, but I have found that Nesquik products are occasionally on special offers, such as buy one get one free. Tesco is slightly cheaper at £1.22 for 10 straws at the moment. Whenever I see a BOGOF promotion I always tend to buy the Magic Straws quickly, as they tend to have a fairly long shelf life, so I don't need to worry about them going out of date if I buy a few weeks worth supply of them.

The Magic Nutritional Values

Typical values

Per 1 straw Per 100g
(+ 250ml semi skimmed milk )

Energy 556kJ 131kcal 1428kJ 341kcal

Protein 8.7g 5.5g

Carbohydrate 15.7g 74.5g

of which sugars 14.6g 44.7g

Fat
of which 4.2g 2.2g
saturates 2.6g 1g

Fibre 0.2g 4.8g

Sodium 0.2g 0.6g

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As you can see, the Chocolate Magic Straws are very high in carbohydrates that sugar. The daily recommended amount for a child between 5 and 10 years old is 85 grams, so 14.6g in one straw is approximately 17% of their daily maximum allowance. Plus at 131 calories per Chocolate Magic Straw, it means that one straw is 7% of the daily allowance for a child between the age of 5 and 10. It also contains 5% of the salt allowance for this age group. So this shows that though children are receiving a healthy glass of milk, the straw itself is not the healthiest product that they should be having.

Are you Straw it looks good?

The packaging of this product is very eye catching when you see it on the shelf in a shop or a supermarket. Its a flexible plastic packaging that contains each individually wrapped Magic Straw. The packaging is a yellow background with a glass of milk on the bottom front of the packaging. A Magic straw is just above the glass and it looks like the milk is being sucked through the straw. At the other end of the straw lots of chocolate milk is pouring out at the front top of the packaging, Quiky, the Nesquik mascot bunny appears by the glass licking his lips! Nesquik logo is emblazoned across the top of the packaging in blue writing, and at the bottom front of the packaging are the words "magics the goodness of milk into chocolate flavour milk!" There is also a small label showing how many calories per portion a straw is when added to milk. On the back of the packaging you have details like the ingredients, nutritional information, and details of how to contact Nestle/Nesquik if you have any queries or complaints.

All in all the packaging is attractive, pleasant to the eye and has a child like quality that will appeal to kids (and big kids like me!) everywhere. It is also easy to open, and as each straw is individually wrapped, it means you don't need to use all the straws at once. The only thing I find annoying is that once the package is opened all the other straws tend to spill out in the cupboard.

Making The Magic Work

Now it's quite a simple procedure using and having these Magic straws, but I shall tell you the way it's supposed to be done, and also a few things that I like to try. Nesquik themselves recommend that you place one Magic straw into a 250ml glass of milk. As you suck through the straw you will taste the flavour of the chocolate Magic straw, and it tastes exactly like a Nesquik Milkshake tastes. The plastic straw contains small balls of the chocolate and you can see the chocolate balls and the milk combining together to give that great taste!

I also like to place a Magic straw into a bowl of plain yoghurt. It's a bit tougher sucking it through the straw, but it makes a great alternative. If you are looking for a healthier alternative then there are many fat free plain yoghurts on the market that you can buy. It is also a great taste to have with Vanilla ice cream, especially when the ice cream reaches that slightly melting stage. You can pretty much try this product with any liquid, depending on what your taste preference is. But of course, the thicker the liquid, the harder you will need to suck, so that's best to keep in mind whilst experimenting.

Please be aware that Nesquik advise that you do not use the Magic Straws more than once, and that they are never used with hot milk. So if you wish to buy this product bear in mind, use only once and only in a cold liquid.

Magic Name, but Magic Taste?

There are alot of products on the market now that look fantastic and have fantastic packaging and gimmicks to get you interested. But then they fail to excite you when it comes to the taste test. So although I trusted this brand, and have done for a long time, I was just a little bit apprehensive at try the Magic Straws. I bought a 4 pack of the chocolate Magic Straws from my local Morrisons and took them home, with the intention of trying them that night. Which is exactly what I did.

I poured a glass of milk, and then opened the packaging, pulling out one of the straws. The straws are a good length -about the same length as a normal straw. Through the plastic you can see the chocolate balls sitting in the straw, and it's quite fun watching the milk change a chocolatey colour as you suck it up the straw.

In my opinion this product tastes like MAGIC! Excuse the play on words, but it is a really scrummy product and is exactly the quality product I would expect from the Nesquik range. It's not overpowering with it's taste of chocolate, but it tastes just like a good chocolate milkshake would taste. As I said, it's not overpowering, but it is strong enough to taste with the milk, so you don't feel like you are drinking milk with a mild tint of chocolate. It was really nourishing and filling, as milk tends to be. I can also see how it would be a great tasting product that you could coax a child into having, in order to drink a glass of milk day. It tastes great and looks real fun, and is an interesting way to get milk into your diet.

Ingredients

You can find the ingredients of the straws on the back of the packaging. The ingredients are as follows: Sugar, edible starch, fat-reduced cocoa powder, flavourings, salt, sweetener: aspartame-acesulfame, emulsifier: soya lecithin, cinnamon. It contains a source of phenylalanine.

It says on the packaging too that the straws contain sugar, but also contain sweetener. The ingredient Aspartame has been in the centre of alot of public controversy over the past few years, as it has been linked with brain tumours, headaches, lymphoma and brain lesions. There have now been recommendations for further studies into whether this can be substantiated. The one thing I would like to point out is that there is no definite proof, and if consumer watchdogs felt there was a true risk, then this ingredient would not be allowed to be included in products.

Competition

With any niche market you always have competitors trying to go one better than yourself. There are a few competitors on the market trying to outdo Nesquik. Most notably are Kellogg's Coco Pop straws and Sipahh by Unistraw.

Kellogg's Coco Pops straws are designed for the purpose of getting children to have more milk, just like Magic Straws. They are thick straws of wafer with chocolate inside. You suck up the milk through these straws and then can eat the straw itself. I wasn't very impressed with these as taste wise as I found the wafer itself was really dry and the chocolate inside was barely worth tasting. Also you are advised to use three straws for each portion, so they cost more for less servings that Nesquik Magic Straws do.

Sipahh by Unistraw is a company I felt I should mention, as I recall them trying to take Mesquik to court in 2006, stating that the Magic Straws were infringing the patents of the Sipahh Straw. Their straws contain tapioca pieces and are used in the same way as the other two brands. You have a bowl of milk, and you suck the milk through the straw. They do have a chocolate flavoured version, but as this tastes nothing like Magic straws, I really couldn't see their problem. Also, the Magic Straws are far more superior in taste, so I know where my preference lies.

Magic Straws Advert

How many of you have seen this advert? I swear I have seen it enough times to imprint it on my memory forever! Within it a smart alec girl tells a boy (maybe her brother?) that she can make one glass of milk taste of strawberries, and one glass of milk taste of chocolate. She implies this is through magic. The boy of course does not believe her. So she hands him a strawberry straw to suck the milk in one glass, and a chocolate straw for the other. He declares its magic and drinks. The advert finishes with a voice over saying "Nesquik Magic Straws. Magically changing the taste of Milk." It's quite a good advert really and is certainly one I remember, even if I find it slightly grating on the nerves. Sometimes the best advertising is the ones you dislike, as they stick in your mind more.

Conclusion

Nesquik Magic Straws in the chocolate flavour is absolutely delicious and a great way to encourage a child to drink a glass of milk. It's a product that is suitable for adults too, and I think anyone who likes the Nesquik taste will like this product. I like that it is widely available for me to buy, and is not incredibly expensive. One thing I will say is that I DON'T give the Magic Straws to my 3 year old son. You ask why? Ok, it's simply this. Yes, they taste fantastic, and it's a catchy gimmick to get children to drink milk, but I don't want to start a bad habit so early for him. What is it they say? Bad habits die hard? Well, not in this house. This product is not something I want in my sons diet as it is high in calories, sugar and salt. My son quite happily drinks a glass of milk on his own without having a Magic Straw. This is the only reason I give Chocolate flavoured Magic Straws a 4/5 scoring. It's simply not healthy enough for my three year old, though I will say I enjoy them immensely myself. Maybe when he is a few years older I may allow him to have this as an occasional treat. Until then, they are all mine, alright?? 

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