Garden of Life Meal Replacement Shakes, Raw Organic, Vanilla Chai Protein Powder with Plant Based Pea Protein, Sprouts, Greens, Probiotics, Dairy Free 28 ServingsUSDA Organic

I'm writing this review as someone who has tried the unflavored, chocolate, and vanilla spiced chai.First things first, this is ridiculously healthy. It will absolutely make you have more energy and keep you full for a surprising amount of time, blah blah blah. There are enough reviews saying this, so let me get into the nitty gritty.Something that can be revulsive to people trying this to the first time are the texture; say farewell to the dairy based meal replacement shakes that reminded you of your childhood Yoohoo days! This stuff is thick. Unless you are prepared to chug it right away, I recommend extra liquid for one scoop of powder. Upon my first use, I made my shake (two scoops of powder to their recommended liquid) and got in my car. When I arrived at my destination, I popped the lid of my shaker bottle to find it had all but solidified. My preferred consumption is now 50% more liquid to one scoop.That also brings me to another issue I have become accustomed to: the way it absorbs water will likely lead to a lumpy shake if only using a shaker bottle unless you can VIGOROUSLY shake constantly like a blender until your arm falls off or the entire shake is consumed. Like I said, this is just what I adjusted to in the morning when I am running out the door. Chewing your morning shake is like flexing your jaw muscles! It's not a great textural experience, but that is what I get for hitting snooze too much.Onto the flavor reviews!!UNFLAVORED: Be prepared for a bitter taste followed by an almost sour aftertaste. No matter how much fruit, almond butter, and even chocolate I tried blending it with, it NEVER got rid of that absolutely awful taste. Perhaps I got a bad batch, but I ended up throwing the ENTIRE tub of powder away after 10 failed attempts at making it palatable. Holding your nose while drinking a shake is no way to be.CHOCOLATE: Though my first experience was so awful, I decided to go back because I like the fact that this product is raw and vegan. Chocolate was a HUGE improvement, but there was still a twinge of an unwanted aftertaste. Unlike the Un-Flavored, I finished the whole tub! It isn't chocolatey like most other meal replacement shakes, but it can still be satisfying while still helping you be super healthy.VANILLA SPICED CHAI: There was a about a year between finishing the chocolate tub and buying the chai mini tub. I kept eyeing the chai, but was worried that without the heavy masking flavor of the chocolate, I would be left with that abhorrent aftertaste. I purchased a small tub, and mixed it in my shaker bottle with almond milk. With my first reintroduction to the meal replacement from Garden of Life, there was a faint unpleasant aftertaste, but it didn't linger! After three days, there was no note of any remote unpleasantness. Not only that, but this flavor is INSANELY delicious. It's not too sweet, not as overpowering as the chocolate, and I look forward to my breakfast shake EVERYDAY.I've since signed up for Amazon Subscribe and Save to regularly receive the large tubs. In the mornings when I have a bit more time, I blend one scoop Vanilla Spiced Chai flavor with extra unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or flavor free) and a whole banana. I cannot begin to express how incredibly delicious this combination is. I even crave it over my lunch salads. It's basically the healthiest dessert-y breakfast you could treat yourself to in the morning.Yes, this stuff is worth it. Find a flavor you love! I recommend buying the mini tubs to sample the different offerings before investing in something that might just get thrown away. And if you are new to this product, keep an open mind. The texture hard to adjust to, but it will give you the energy to feel like a super hero!

I have no idea how anyone can say this isn't drinkable or taste bad. I was so surprised by how fine a powder this is. Also, yes it does thicken if left for a few minutes before drinking...but I love that about it. I just add a little more water, or almond milk, or whatever I started with (I don't prefer the water to the coconut or almond milk) and get it to the right thickness. It doesn't need banana or any other thickener then which is good because I don't particularly like bananas.I add whatever I usually use in a liquid drink such as this, blend for a few seconds and am good to go. My additives are MSM/Glucosamine. So I'm not doctoring it up and it still taste great to me. It does last as a meal, and I know I'm getting good nutrition. Love the Chai and will try vanilla next since I can add chocolate or whatever flavor I'd like when it's vanilla.I was using Soylent, and will not bash that product as I do love that company and what they are trying to do. Soylent also taste great. But my concern, rightly so, is the Sucralose they add. And of course, the vitamin/minerals are lab made. Garden of Life has a great history of using healthy products and no artificial sweeteners. If they add Stevia, at least that is natural. And I hate Stevia! But...I actually can't taste the stevia after taste in this product! Kudos to Garden of Life. I have been off grains for about 5 months now, and gladly this product is non-gluten. But time will tell if I show any sensitivity to the other sprouted grains in this product. I've only used this for a few days now but so far no problems. I think I will do fine on this. I will though need two of these canisters to last a month. But it's still cheaper than some of the replacement meals out there and much healthier. I'm also glad it's soy, gluten and lactose free. So rare to find a meal replacement that doesn't rely on milk or soy products and add artificial sweeteners. Thanks Garden of Life.UPDATE: Ordered Vanilla. Three stars, only given because of their quality ingredients. Disappointed. It has a..."industrial" taste, which I can't figure since it's all natural. But my body says not to drink it simply because it does have an unnatural taste as if it's not a food product. Since a lot of reviews state Vanilla isn't good, I guess I'm not surprised. I will have to trust the company on this and figure it's safe, but I will need to get chocolate to add to help mask that flavor and once through the container I won't order vanilla again for sure.

Pros:- The flavor. You can really taste the chai and spices, and it was a nice break from the usual vanilla/chocolate options on the market. It's sweet enough that you feel like you're indulging, but not enough that it's throwing your blood sugars off balance.- The ingredient quality and the fact that it is plant based. Do your research and you'll see that this company's reputation has been tarnished in the past, and it has upped its quality standards big-time, making this one of the most pure and healthy meal replacement powders you'll find on the market within this price range.- The price.- It actually controls your appetite. When mixed with high-protein nut milks versus dairy or water, I find this shake can actually curb my hunger for hours on end. I'm not starving as soon as my lunch break is over, and the flavor does an excellent job satisfying my sweet tooth to curb boredom snacking as well.Cons:- As with most protein powders, there is a pretty serious clumping issue. Even when I use bottle blenders, I find I am often still opening my bottle and manually breaking apart clumps with a utensil, otherwise I get small mouthfuls of undissolved powder.- Spirulina. I love what it does for me, but I hate it. I can definitely taste it in this particular mix. While the chai spices help to cover it significantly, it's still noticeable if you're sensitive to it like I am.- When mixed with dairy or water, it does not control the appetite as well or as long. I am unsure specifically why this is, but I experimented with all blending options to provide flavor variety and it's a noticeable difference, which might make it a less effective meal replacement for those who have to avoid milk alternatives.