I grew up on Bournvita. At the time,
we referred to everything that was taken with hot water as tea. So my father
drank tea (Bournvita) every morning. My mother also made sure that tea
(Bournvita) was part of our staple. However, l longed for other cocoa
brands especially Ovaltine. I felt Ovaltine was smoother, and tasted better than
Bournvita, a case I suppose of what you don’t have becoming exotic. So as soon
as I had my way, I opted for anything but Bournvita.
In England, the cocoa drinks have a
different taste to the Nigerian brands, and are mostly salty and useless. On
the other hand, Nigerian Milo was pretty accessible, so Milo it was for me
until...
About three years ago, I was now
living in Nigeria and planning a trip to England. An English lady requested for
me to get her some Bournvita from Nigeria. Of everything in Nigeria, she only
wanted Bournvita! As we say, "Can you imagine that?" She also told me
it was her husband’s favourite too. So still confused about the request, I
bought two packs of Bournvita for her, and picked up a pack for myself too. Then I
re-discovered the richness, the texture and beauty of Bournvita. I was lost but now
found. I definitely could taste again.
Porting back to Bournvita made me
realise what I was missing. Taken hot or cold, Bournvita sits in a
class of its own. When taken cold, which was what I did in Nigeria, Milo,
due to its smoother texture is definitely easier and faster to make than
Bournvita. However there is something fulfilling about using a spoon to
marsh or 'smash' Bournvita grains into submission in cold water. It takes a
reasonable degree of both dexterity and resilience without which the grains would
float on the surface, distorting the composition and taste of the drink.
Growing up, Milo had the better
advert. Everyone remembers the Mi—lo clap clap clap song although I have been
informed the proper pronunciation rhymes with ‘mailo’. However, I definitely love the coarseness of Bournvita, the subtle
aftertaste of real cocoa that it leaves in your mouth whether you drink it hot
or cold. Even the horrible design of its current packaging does not diminish
the taste and beauty of its content.
Final word: Far too many people
mistakenly believe the word 'beverage' is synonymous with Bournvita, Milo or other hot
chocolate/cocoa drink. The reality is that practically almost everything we
drink apart from water is a beverage. This includes alcoholic beverages too.
So Milo or Bournvita, to which camp
do you belong? PostcardfromLagos
