AMERLL Soft Teddy Bear Stuffed Animal Plush Bear Durable Stuffed Animal Teddy Bear Plush Toy (10 inches)

Now is a fantastic organization that started locally to me (Chicagoland area). I usually get Optimum Nutrition (ON) but started reading ingredients of ON vs Now and some other major brands and decided to give Now Whey Isolate a shot. I have used there pea protein and rice protein but never whey. They sell Now supplements at stores locally to me called Fruitful Yield which are just fantastic.The Whey Isolate is not as sweet as ON but I don’t need super sweet. If I want chocolate milk I’ll make chocolate milk. This protein mixes very well with a spoon in a glass or water. About the same as ON. Both companies are local to me so they have been around for years but ON does private labeling for local gyms so it’s all over the place. Now appears to be a higher quality product and their supplements are great quality too. I have taken Now Men’s Sport Multi Vitamins for years. This prices of this high level protein is more affordable than other top reviewed Whey Isolate protein on the market and less added fillers. Now Whey Isolate is my new go to. The taste is just fine. I chug it right down anyway. I don’t want ti call it bland, it’s simply just not as sweet as ON. I’m not looking to sip and savor my post workout protein. As stated it mixes in water easily and that’s a high priority aside from it being quality and not filled with a bunch of other crap. You get more for your money. Give it a try.

Nutritionals are easy since they are clearly stated on the label, but having never tasted a whey supplement before, I didn't know what to expect taste-wise from a artificially sweetened vs. a more natural product. So I bought two tubs to compare side by side. My selections were the ON Gold Standard Mocha Cappuccino, and the NOW Sports Dutch Chocolate. Here goes a very detailed comparison of the two.* Nutritionals and label:Both pack 120 calories. ON has 24gr of proteins, while NOW has the slightly higher 25gr. Both offer some of the highest protein / calories ratio among the plethora of whey supplements available in the market. I don't think that 1gr is significant enough to sway anybody's decision, and the nutrition labels are never 100% accurate anyway. (ON = NOW)ON is a protein blend, while NOW is a whey isolate. However, going back to the nutritionals, it is obvious that the majority of the ON blend is made of whey isolate as well. At the end of the day, and given that they are both whey based, what matters is the protein / calorie ratio. (ON = NOW)Both are made in the USA, which often indicates higher quality control in production. ON however also states that they use "domestic and international ingredients", and who knows what that means. (ON = NOW)ON is flavored with cocoa, coffee, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and other undisclosed "flavorings". NOW on the other hand only has cocoa, "natural flavors", xylitol and stevia. While the latter two are not ideal, NOW at least uses all natural products and definitely has ON beat. In addition, ON has a bunch of enzyme additives, purportedly to ease digestion, but I don't see why they are needed, and I'd rather do without them. (NOW > ON)Overall: NOW > ON* Mixability:I went with the worst case scenario, and mixed both with about 6 oz of cold water in a glass, and simply hand stirred with a spoon. ON was amazing, it dissolved almost completely as soon as it touched the water, and after a few seconds of stirring it was as smooth as it gets. Mixing NOW was not as easy but still okay; it first had a sticky consistency and required about 30 seconds of rigorous stirring, but the final mixture was as good as ON. If you have a shaker or blender, you will notice absolutely no difference between the two. (ON = NOW)* Aroma:ON powder smells just like any instant hot chocolate mix. When added water, coffee becomes more pronounced, and smells of more like an instant mocha cappuccino mix. Quite pleasant, no artificial or out-of-place aromas.NOW powder smells like very mild milk chocolate, but then a more chemical, sour milk/kefir-like aroma becomes noticeable. It is by no means unpleasant, but you know right away that you are drinking a supplement product. With water the nose of the powder stays pretty much the same.Overall: ON > NOW* Texture in mouth:Both were smooth, but thin, and not oily or thick. Neither one had any hint of graininess. They pretty much kept the mouthfeel of water. (ON = NOW)* Taste:From start to finish ON is sweet. I prefer my tea/coffee/milk/etc completely unsweetened, and I definitely find ON sweet, but not cloyingly so, it is still okay. Just like the nose, the taste is very similar to mocha cappuccino mixes you can buy at your supermarket, and stays fairly one-note from start to finish. The finish fades quickly, leaving no aftertaste. Overall, I find that the artificial flavors of this one are very well crafted. It doesn't taste any worse than instant cappuccino mixes, and surprisingly you don't get the familiar acesulfame potassium taste.NOW immediately hits your tongue with a bitter and tannic taste; think a dry over-aged/over-oaked whiskey or wine. My guess is that this is xylitol and stevia playing tricks on my taste buds. However, this bitterness quickly goes away and gives way to... nothing actually. No taste, completely neutral, just like plain water. After you put down your glass and wait a second, the drink finishes with very mild and pleasant flavors of unsweetened cocoa, vanilla, and milk chocolate. The finish lingers for a good 10 minutes, but it tastes like chocolate so no problems there.Overall, although some may find ON overly sweet, I think it still has the edge in taste. It doesn't have off-notes anywhere, and at its worst, tastes like a cheaply made instant cappuccino mix. NOW is nowhere near undrinkable, in fact it is pretty good as well, but the initial sour smell and the bitter bite on your tongue will remind you that you are taking a supplement. (ON > NOW)* Overall:The differences are minor, you can't go wrong with either, and they both get 5 stars from me. But I found myself mostly going for NOW simply because it doesn't have the artificial additives, and while the taste is worse in comparison, it is also sufficiently good. In fact, this experiment encouraged me to try the completely natural unflavored variety of NOW next. I'll probably stick to NOW in the future, and throw in a tub of some crazy flavor of ON once in a while just to keep myself entertained.

The protein itself has really good nutrients balance, and I have felt very well taking it. My only complaint is that it has a little artificial taste at the end. I don't have much problem with that since I always mix it with some fruit, but for those who drink it only with water, this might not be very pleasant.

Good value for the money, decent ingredients, taste good.

I'm not a fan of the taste of the vanilla. I think it tastes soapy. But every whey powder I've tried that uses natural sweetener like stevia usually doesn't taste as good, so it's a trade off for not having sucralose or aspartame. I can live with the taste. The ingredient profile is actually very good. 100% isolate, no soy, no artificial sweeteners. It doesn't get much better than that. This is a good price for 100% isolate so I would say don't hesitate to buy.

It taste like fresh computer parts, I know what bad whey taste like, this is something else.

I can’t believe I look forward to drinking a protein shake. Vanilla actually taste good in my opinion. Doesn’t have any negative affects on my stomach either like I hear some other shakes do for some people. I drink two scoops at a time, and the xylitol sweetener doesn’t affect my stomach at all. I’m buying this from now on, although I just found a huge disgustingly, dirty chunk of cardboard in one of my jars! 😑

I’ve been using protein for years so I thought I’d try this one. It’s only 75% protein per serving and the chocolate flavor wasn’t so flavorful. For a few dollars more there are much better proteins out there. I won’t buy this one again.