NOW Foods Sports Nutrition, Whey Protein Isolate, 25 g With BCAAs, Creamy Chocolate Powder, 1.8-Pound

Optimum Nutrition Whey Gold Standard vs. Now Sports Whey Isolate
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.

Great value
Tastes good. Mixes well. Good find

Tastes like medicine
I purchased this item largely on the strength of a review of 10 chocolate flavored protein drinks in a national magazine. This product was rated #1 for taste. Perhaps none of the reviewers have ever tasted real chocolate before. The drink doesn’t taste anything like chocolate. If it tasted good that wouldn’t be a problem. It doesn’t. The drink tastes like medicine, very metallic. Of the 6 or so chocolate protein drinks I’ve tried; hands down, this is the worst tasting.On the plus side, the nutritional value looks good: fairly low in sodium, low in calories and high in protein.

Good taste, no harmful artificial sweeteners
Good taste, mixes well and has better sweetener profile compared to other protein powders

Mixes very well and tastes ok. That’s all I need from a protein powder!

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