Evolve Plant Based Protein Shake, Double

Pretty darned tasty!!
I was looking for a protein shake that tastes good to replace a couple of meals. I tend to not eat until I’m ravenous and then make really poor food choices. That led to a ten pound weight gain in a short space of time. So I’m trying to right the ship while staying realistic about how I operate. I wanted something easy, with grab-and-go convenience, and it had to taste decent. I also did not want any dairy products because, and this is idiosyncratic to me, whey protein/milk protein isolates make me gain weight. So even though I love the taste of whey protein products, they were off table. Let the search begin!I read a few online reviews for the best meal replacement shakes and this one popped up on a couple of the lists and the Amazon reviews looked promising.Now down to the nitty gritty. Does it taste like a real chocolate shake?? Absolutely not. lol. Does it taste amazing? No on that too. But is the flavor decent for what it is? YES!!Look, it’s a low-cal vegan protein shake. It’s not gonna taste like melted ice cream or even melted non-dairy ice cream. Let’s just be realistic here. It does taste like chocolate- Yay! It has a bit of an aftertaste which I think is coming from the artificial sweetener. I do not drink diet sodas or use artificial sweeteners regularly, so I’m pretty sensitive to those kind of tastes. Honestly, my first sip was not great, but as I worked my way through my first shake I got a bit more accustomed to that aftertaste/artificial sweetener taste, and I was able to ignore it. That might not seem great to you, but that’s pretty amazing to me. I have jars of other low cal vegan protein powders lying around because I just couldn’t get past the taste (I also paid like $50 for each of them and have somehow convinced myself that if I keep them long enough, I’ll somehow have gotten my money’s worth. lol)I’m on day two of the shake and honestly, I’ve gotten used to the flavor and I’m finding it pretty tasty. The texture is beautifully smooth and not at all gritty. So overall, I think this is a total win. They’re convenient, pretty tasty, they keep me full and I think the price is quite reasonable. I will definitely be repurchasing.

Why All the Hate? This Is At Least Decent!
Note: This review was for the pre-2021 reformulation. I have bought the 2021 vanilla and it is barely drinkable, even cold. Get the old stuff while you can; the 2021 formula is far too sweet and no longer has the enjoyable mouthfeel. AVOID.When I see a lot of one-sentence reviews dogging a product, I start to wonder if there’s some campaign paying people to flood a product with one-star reviews, or even buy it and similarly trash it. The only other alternative is that people actually think it’s helpful to write ultra-short reviews or they think it makes them look good. (Hint: it does neither). Anyhow, I’ve bought this a few times from Amazon and I’ll relate my experiences.First, out of three shipments, I’ve had two bottles break. Two.Second, since they have become routinely available, they’ve tasted good enough. I think I got a pre-reformulation of the toasted almond from Walgreens and it was great. These however, taste fine provided that you shake them up first. They also do taste better cold. However, they do NOT taste medicinal. They do NOT taste like cough syrup. They do NOT taste like chemicals. Again, either bad batches have been sent out or there’s something else going on.Third, I can taste stevia but I can’t taste it here. This isn’t too sweet. It is distantly chalky, but mostly it’s just smooth and pleasant. It keeps me full; it gives me energy. It has a nice mouth feel. Best yet, it’s 160 calories and NO SUCRALOSE. I think it’s a little deceptive to market a protein/health shake and then pump it full of artificial sugars (hello Muscle Milk and Premier), but hey, to each his own. I also enjoy the fact that this doesn’t have a raft of vitamins in it. I don’t want to monkey with my supplement routine, so it’s nice to know if I want protein, bam, here it is — protein and nothing else.Fourth, yes, it has 250 ml of sodium in it. That’s 10% of your RDA, folks. Drinking this is NOT eating fries from Mickey D’s.Anyways, if you’re looking for something that is actually healthy for you, does what it says, tastes good enough, and beats the local stores on price, this is it. And if you’re curious, yes, I’m planning to buy this or the toasted almond 11 oz again, soon.

Great chocolate taste. No sugar alcohol after-taste and no chalky texture.