Contours of the Earth

Chocolate is the third Bolthouse Farms flavor I’ve tried so far, and mango & strawberry were great so I had high expectations. The Protein Plus Chocolate is good, but it’s tough to stand up to such competition. I may be biased because chocolate is such a standard flavor that it’s hard to set it apart against the rest of the protein shake pack.

That being said, Bolthouse Farms does chocolate well. It’s got the consistency and taste of cold hot chocolate, which is great. As for the nutrient content, it has 30g of protein and a “21 nutrient blend” including B vitamins & minerals. This is another one that comes highly recommended.

See the rating and more pics after the jump

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Pure Protein is the same company that makes those protein bars that I had earlier in the month. Their Cookies ‘n Creme protein shake comes in a can, with 35 grams of protein and only 4 grams of carbs.

This is another one of the chemical tasting ones, and even though I can decipher the cookies & cream taste, I wouldn’t have known if it didn’t tell me the flavor on the front. It tastes milky, with a little bit of that artificial chocolate flavor.

Taste: 3 (ok)

Texture: 4 (good)

Protein: (35g / 325ml) = 5 (very good)

Bolthouse Farms’ Parfait Smoothie almost makes weird drink status – it’s basically a food that’s been blended up. And it actually tastes just like a strawberry parfait blended up smooth. Contrary to most protein shakes, it’s all natural, with no preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, or GMO’s.

It tastes good, but is naturally a little sour because of the yogurt. If you like yogurt though, this taste will be completely normal. They actually include real yogurt, granola, and strawberries. And you can’t taste any of the 25g of whey & soy protein per bottle.

Taste: 4 (good)

Texture: 4 (good)

Protein: (25g / 450ml) = 4 (good) Continue reading

I’ve tried enough of these protein shakes to not expect much from them in the taste department. Especially in the chocolate ones, there is usually some kind of weird aftertaste. To my surprise though, Odwalla Chocolate Protein Monster is great. It tastes just like chocolate milk made with whole milk. The chocolate tastes real, and it’s a little thick, but not too thick. This one blows vanilla out of the water.

I like Odwalla because they use natural ingredients and no GMO’s. Chocolate Protein Monster is 90% organic, with 25g of soy & dairy protein. They even use a 100% recyclable, plant-based bottle, which is great for the environment. This bottle has 150% DV vitamin B12, 19% DV potassium, 75% DV calcium, 150% DV vitamin B6, and “happiness.”

Taste: 5 (very nice)

Texture: 5 (very nice)

Protein: (25g/355ml) = 5 (very good)

I’m excited to finally get a pre-made protein shake that isn’t either vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. Bolthouse Mango Protein Plus looks like a nice all natural alternative to the chemical slurries that are most protien shakes.

When I first smelled it, there was a hint of ‘protein’ flavor which is common among these types of drinks. However, it doesn’t have that distinctive taste. Instead, it tastes like thick orange-carrot juice with a hint of mango thrown in. It’s a little tangy but actually refreshing.

Protein Plus: Mango has 3 servings of fruit per bottle, with mango, carrot, apple, orange, and banana. According to the ingredients list, the drink is mostly fruit (including pineapple juice), which is great to know that it’s basically fruit purees, soy & dairy protein, and some electrolytes & vitamins. Sounds healthy to me.

Taste: 4.5 (very nice)

Texture: 5 (very nice)

Protein: (30g / 450ml) = 5 (very nice)

(more pics after the jump!)

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