Funny, I just typed this same message on another forum. :)

I am not a fan of the milk substitutes. I just go without cereal now. DH on the other hand loves rice milk. He was a skeptic at first of all the other "milks" We tried Hemp milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk and rice milk. I think he would say that he likes rice milk first, then almond, then soy based on what I see him buying. I also buy the small rice milk boxes for DS and he occasionally will have one. We usually buy whatever brand is organic and unsweetened that the supermarket we are in has. I think rice dream is the usual brand though.

We buy non-dairy milk due to a lactose-intolerance in our family. I really like almond milk. It definitely has a nutty taste, which I think goes really well with cereal (unless you lean towards things like froot loops, then maybe not so much!) We like the Silk brand in general, they have Pure Almond, and we also like their soy milk the best. Right now we have Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, and it tastes fine too. We also buy rice milk and coconut milk, just to break up the monotony and not have soy all of the time. My personal preference would be in this order: almond, soy, rice and then coconut. But I also really like dairy milk as well! I think if you put it on cereal, any of them work. It is drinking it plain that will be the biggest difference, but if you like the taste of nuts I think you would like almond milk.

DH's absolute favorite is the Trader Joe's brand of almond milk in the refrigerator section. He also appreciates the Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. When we can get it cheap enough, he loves the Pacific Foods Chocolate hazelnut milk.

I mainly just use various milk substitutes in my smoothies so cannot be of much help.

I buy the unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Milk that is 40 calories per serving. I need to eat fiber cereal in the morning and I've never liked cow's milk. I tried rice milk and it was okay, but it has a higher glycemic index than almond milk. I don't notice a nutty flavor at all, maybe because it's on cereal. I've never tried to drink it as a beverage or cook with it.

We use Silk unsweetened almond milk and Silk organic unsweetened soy milk on our cereal (home made muesli). DH also likes the organic soy milk from Costco but it is slightly sweetened. We also use fat free organic cow's milk in our tea etc.

Have you tried fat free or 1%, at least, rather than 2% milk. You would cut down on the fat and calories without cutting down on calcium etc. It may take a little time to adjust but it would be worth it for the health benefits.

Unsweetened would be the healthiest choice, I am assuming, but if you are a dairy lover, and are unsure of the switch, I would recommend trying something with a little bit of sweetness to it first. Though I have not had unsweetened almond, we have bought the unsweetened soy, and it is definitely a different kind of taste compared to regular milk. Dairy milk to me has a bit of sweetness to it. Likewise, if you are used to 2%, I would say almond or soy is closer in consistency than rice milk. Rice milk to me is similar to skim milk because it is thinner. But like I said, we really do enjoy all of the kinds! Also everybody tastes things differently, so try a few different kinds before you decide what you like. Even from brand to brand it is different. I really dislike generic soy milks. As much as I would like to pay less, there is a big difference in taste and quality, IMHO.

I started buying the Silk milk when we kept having dairy milk go sour since Silk has a much longer shelf life. Now I only buy Silk milk unless we're having company and then I'll buy skim just to have on hand. We like the plain, vanilla light and chocolate, but don't care for the almond. We like it so much that we drink more than we ever did of dairy milk.

I tried the almond milk, but prefer the coconut milk products. Just a personal taste preference. I like the coconut milk on my cereal and a enjoy it in my protein shake after the gym.

Hope you find a product that you like:).

A follow-up:
The Silk Almond milk is on sale at my grocery, so I tried that tonight with cereal -- not too bad!
I'm glad one of you said it has a longer shelf life than regular milk, because for one person that carton is too large.

I think I'm going to be near Wegmans and Whole Foods tomorrow (make that "later today"!), so I might duck in to see if either stocks smaller containers of the other types of milk alternatives.

Hmmm, just to be clear, I think unopened, most of them have a long shelf life. Opened, the carton usually says 7-10 days in the fridge. I put the date on them in black marker or I usually forget how long they have been in there.

I am the only one in my household who uses almond milk. I use it only on my cereal, alternating with soy milk so I don't use much. I have never had any almond milk go bad so I think it must have a pretty long shelf life, even after opening.