The Grocery Store European-Style Yogurt That's A Total Miss

Like many other products sitting on grocery store shelves in the United States, shoppers have no shortage of brands and varieties of European-style yogurts to choose from. Yet, just like all the best and worst frozen pizzas populating the frozen aisle, it can be hard to tell which ones are going to hit all the right notes by simply looking at the label. I'll leave it up to you to decide which is best, but as far as one to avoid, you might want to skip Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt.

When we taste-tested several Greek and European-style yogurts from the grocery store, the ultra-sour character of Trimona was a disappointment. While Bulgarian variations are supposed to offer the palate a bit more tanginess than their Greek yogurt and skyr counterparts, this brand takes that to an unwelcome extreme. The phrase "pucker up, buttercup" could appropriately be slapped on the label as a warning to deter folks who aren't looking for something so alarmingly sour.

As if that wasn't enough, it also leaves you wanting a glass of water after experiencing the texture. Most folks think of terms such as "creamy" and "velvety" when describing yogurt, but our taste-testing guinea pig found the dry, calcareous nature of Trimona anything but. It's a shame, really, because Bulgaria is considered by many to be the pioneer of yogurt perfection.

Typically, Bulgarian-style yogurt is known for boasting a signature tang that separates it from other European varieties — but in a good way. It undergoes a lengthy fermentation process that eliminates more sugar and lactose from the final product, making it an optimal choice for someone with lactose intolerance. Perhaps the biggest difference between a brand like Trimona and a more well-known yogurt like Chobani is that the former still has the protein-rich whey in the mix as opposed to straining it out — this gives the yogurt a thinner consistency some folks enjoy.

The label on a tub of Trimona displays all the things you want to see from a quality yogurt brand. It is organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO verified, and all the cows that produce milk for the product are grass-fed with no artificial hormones or antibiotics. Still, plenty of other yogurt labels carry those claims as well, and they don't make your mouth pucker after having a spoonful. There are undoubtedly folks out there who may like Trimona, but for our money, all the certifications in the world don't make this grocery store brand a good buy.