New Fage Line: Crossovers Review

Fro-yo girl here. In the yogurt world, the competition is heating up for the snack market with a new wave of savory yogurts. Fage’s new line which was launched in May, Crossovers, promises “chef level snacking” with distinct, delicious flavors, lowfat Greek strained yogurt and crunchy toppings. The seven flavors are:

* Olive thyme with roasted almonds

* Carrot ginger with roasted pistachios: Interesting, with bits of carrot and bits of ginger, mixed with tangy not too sweet yogurt, the carrot adds texture, seemed thick and smooth, filling

* Caramel with honey roasted salted almonds: This was nice because the caramel wasn’t too sweet or overwhelming, the tangy yogurt flavor was still the star and the honey roasted salted almonds were crunchy and deliciously salty, sweet and nutty

* Coconut curry with cashews: Not a big fan of coconut but I really liked this flavor because the curry flavor is so distinctive yet not strong, it was still creamy and sweet with bits of coconut and the roasted cashews were so good

* Tomato basil with almonds: Very interesting and possibly my favorite, remember that tomatoes are a fruit, this yogurt plays on that. The tomato flavor isn’t strong but it’s lightly sweet with pops of basil flavor. I liked how the yogurt was tangy and not too sweet nor too salty

* Maple syrup with granola: The maple flavor wasn’t strong, the cinnamon and tangy yogurt flavors were stronger, the crunchy ancient grain granola was great too – with millet, amaranth, chia seeds, quinoa flakes

* Coconut with dark chocolate

The all natural yogurt is Greek strained and lowfat. The toppings are kept separate using the split cup container. You can fold the split cup over to easily add the toppings to the yogurt side.

I like yogurt and nuts as snacks and yogurt in savory applications (e.g., tzakiki, raita), so this seemed like a product that I would like. The combinations sounded good to me though the sweet ones were less interesting/less novel.

One serving is 5.3 ounces. The carrot ginger variety has 210 calories, 9g of total fat, 260mg of sodium, 13g of sugar and 15g of protein.

I really liked all of the flavors that I tried because the flavors were different and interesting, the tangy flavor of yogurt was still present and the yogurt wasn’t too sweet or too salty. The combinations were thoughtful and balanced. All of the toppings were delicious.

I found Fage Crossovers at Sprouts but they didn’t carry all 7 flavors. They were priced at $1.79 each. Ralph’s had Crossovers for $1.59 each regular price and 10 for $10 on sale.

Find crossovers with the store locator tool: http://usa.fage.eu/yogurts/fage-crossovers

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Favorite Yogurt Brand Poll Results

Fro-yo girl here. I asked readers to vote for their favorite brand of Greek yogurt and the results are in. Fage won easily, with 46% of the vote. Chobani was a distant second, with 20% of the vote. Fage is the brand I think of first when I think of Greek yogurt and it's actually a Greek company. In 2008, they started manufacturing their yogurt in New York.

Earlier this year they expanded their product lineup Fage Total 0% flavors. Flavors: blueberry-acai, cherry-pomegranate, mango-guanabana, strawberry-goji and honey. I've seen Fage Total 0% flavors at Target and Whole Foods.


* Cherry-pomegranate Fage yogurt ($1.99 at Whole Foods): The cherry pomegranate is in a separate compartment and looks like a thick syrup with pieces of cherry. The yogurt is unsweetened, creamy, and sour. The cherry pomegranate mixture is very sweet and when I mixed it with the yogurt, it was more sour than it was tangy. I didn't like having to keep stirring it in and having uneven flavor. Find a coupon for Total 0% on the Fage website.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Greek Strained Yogurt Taste Test

Fro-yo girl here. Though I’m well known for my fro-yo appetite, I also enjoy non-frozen yogurt. I’ve sampled various types including sheep’s milk yogurt, goat’s milk yogurt, soy yogurt, French style yogurt (Saint Benoit Yogurt), and Greek style strained yogurt. I prefer Greek style yogurt for superior smoothness and sour taste. I like to add fresh fruit and honey.

I recently sampled three brands of plain, non-fat Greek Style yogurt purchased from Whole Foods: Chobani, Fage and Oikos. The taste isn’t the big differentiating factor. Each is made with milk and live cultures (and nothing else). Chobani was the smoothest and creamiest of the three, followed by Fage. Fage was a little more whipped/airier than Chobani. Oikos by Stonyfield Farm was noticeably clumpier than the other two brands.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.