Cow, buffalo or A2: which milk is right for you?
Three milks, three different jobs in the kitchen. A plain guide to choosing.
The shed lights come on at 4:15. By 4:30 the first cows are walking into the parlour, mostly in the same order they chose for themselves years ago.
Milking
Each cow is cleaned, checked and milked in about seven minutes. The first few streams are drawn by hand and looked at before the machine goes on. Anything unusual and that cow's milk is kept aside.
Chilling
Warm milk is the enemy of fresh milk. Ours runs straight through a plate chiller and drops to 4 C in minutes, then goes to pasteurisation and packing in the next room.
The road to Pune
The first insulated van leaves at 5:30. Riders pick up their crates at neighbourhood hubs and start their routes by 6. Most doors have their milk by 6:45.
By the time you put the chai on, the cows are already out in the paddock.
