Great for emergencies. I keep 2-4 boxes of this milk for emergencies when I have not gone to the store. The dates are long like 9 months or longer. When I need to open a milk I place it in the refrig. for a few hours and it will be cold. It taste like regular milk, at first hubby was resistant but when he drank it with his cereal, I never heard another complaint. I will always keep at least 2 in my kitchen supplies. NO aftertaste, taste just like regular milk.