We tend to think of cow’s milk as simply “milk,” but there’s actually quite a few intermediary steps between milk being produced by a cow and it reaching your cereal bowl. In the U.S., it’s typically pasteurized, for food safety, and homogenized, to make sure the cream doesn’t separate in the carton. In recent years, the process of ultra-filtration has grown in popularity, too. Ultra-filtered milk is created by filtering the milk with a membrane so fine that it actually removes the lactose, as well as some of the sugars that naturally occur in milk. It also creates a milk that’s considerably higher in protein and calcium than normal, and even tastes a little creamier. Sounds amazing, right? We thought so too, which is why we decided to bring Trader Joe’s Ultra-Filtered Milk to our refrigerators. Aside from being ultra-smooth and ultra-creamy, this 2% milkfat Ultra-filtered Milk is certified lactose free, and made using milk from cows not treated with rBST. While it makes for great anytime drinking, the fact that each glass already contains 14 grams of protein makes it a great choice for making protein smoothies.