kbayne
Legend
Here are some reviews on PEScience Select Gourmet Vanilla, the newest flavor addition to the best protein powder on the market today:
Now I have to think...I can't put these in a particular order, but I've liked the original iForce Protean vanilla (not so much the current one), XF UP 2.0, the original run of CL Pronom (before they changed oils), and I swear there were one or two others that I can't remember. PES is quite a bit better than all of those. The only thing that contends with it is an RTD from the local dairy company (Shamrock Farms) called Rockin' Refuel. It tastes like liquid ice cream (the 20g pro, carb-laden one, not the lean 30g one).
this stuff is soooooooo good! just tried my samples, damn.
The new Gourmet Vanilla is legit! Had a few samples sent to me and its another 10 for sure!
Mixed my last packet with granola cereal and cashew milk. Very good and creamy so it should absolutely shine in overnight oats.
Wow. The vanilla is fantastic upon my first experience, and that's just straight in a shake. It tastes just like vanilla bean Breyer's ice cream - and that is a terrific thing.
These samples are going to go way too fast! lol
Okay, for breakfast this morning:
Plain oatmeal mixed with gourmet vanilla protein, ground cinnamon and a couple of dashes of natural peanut butter with some splenda brown sugar.
All of this equals to greatness! Now, I usually use vanilla flavored protein in my oatmeal but none tasted quite like the one I just had. Gourmet vanilla in plain oatmeal is divine guys and gals.
I only used 1/2 of the packet so naturally, I am going to use the other half tomorrow morning in my oatmeal.
The PES Gourmet Vanilla really sticks to the "gourmet" aspect of the name. It definitely tastes more like a French-creme vanilla as opposed to an ice cream vanilla that many companies go for. Very rich cream-based vanilla taste. My favorite vanilla is by Animal Whey, which again falls more under the "ice cream vanilla" flavor that many companies go for. Compared to Animal Whey's vanilla, the differences in taste are very noticable. Animal Whey is a bit thinner, while this Gourmet Vanilla is actually pretty thick (again, probably why it reminds me so much of a French-creme vanilla).
It's tough for me to say which one I like more as they are two completely different tasting vanilla flavors. As a shake, I'd actually lean more towards Animal Whey, but that vanilla flavor gets toned down in oatmeal. PES Gourmet Vanilla in oatmeal actually expands the flavor somehow, so in oats the clear winner for me is PES...which actually doesn't surprise me, since my track record with PES proteins is that they are seemingly designed to be the king in oatmeal.
If I had to compare the new PES Select Gourmet Vanilla to another protein powder, it would probably be the Syntha-6 Vanilla Ice Cream. Coincidentally, that flavor has been my favorite vanilla up until Select. They both mixed similarly (both blends) and taste like actual vanilla bean ice cream, which is undeniably delicious. That gourmet flavor comes through and distinguishes it from other vanilla proteins that I've had, where they are very bland and taste barely flavored.
I mixed 8oz of almond milk with a sample packet of the protein, mixed very well. Better than my past experiences with Select. Going to be trying one other sample in 6oz (recommended amount) and with some overnight oats, these should develop some more thoughts.
I used 8oz of vanilla unsweetened almond milk. Without a doubt really helped make it a thicker shake, but I noticed when mixing it in my oatmeal this morning it seems to have a naturally thick consistency. This (to me) makes it different when compared to Snickerdoodle and CPBC by PES, with the former being a bit on the thinner side and CPBC being middle of the road consistency in my opinion.
I was surprised to see an envelope from PEScience in my mailbox on Monday and that surprise turned to excitement when I saw it was three servings of their yet to be released Gourmet Vanilla flavor. I want to thank Kbayne and PEScience for making me a product tester.
Mixability - 10/10 - I split the three servings over 2 uses. First time was mixed using a single serving cup on my blender and the second time was using a shaker post workout. Both times I didn't have any issue. The stuff mixes up smooth even though it's a blend. I used almond milk in both instances.
Profile - ? - I'm assuming the profile is going to be the same as there other flavorings, which we all know is top notch.
Taste - 9 - Lately I have been in the hunt for a good Vanilla flavor because all I had been taking lately were more "exotic" flavors. For me, a good vanilla flavor should taste like your drinking a milkshake. This flavor does a good job. I'll admit, I have tried one other brand that is spot on in terms of tasting like a milk shake but comparing the profile of that brand with what I think will be the profile for this flavor, I wouldn't hesitate to choose PES first.
Overall -10 - I'm relatively new to PES, but in my short time dealing with them I've become a huge fan of their products. This will definitely be another feather in their cap and I would have no problems recommending this before any other products. Keep up the great work PES.
Oscar
Yep, a new flavor that is not even out yet. I would like to thank PES for making me a product tester.
https://pescience.com/insider
Mixability (10): I mean c'mon.....what did you expect? Mixed flawlessly without any clumps. I used 2% milk with the first packet.
Taste (10): To be honest, I have never tasted a gourmet vanilla flavor before from any company so I can't compare it to anything else. However, it doesn't taste like ordinary vanilla. It tastes very good. Very smooth and this flavor would be awesome for baking like muffins, protein ice cream and oatmeal just to name a few.
Profile (?): PES did not provide a nutritional profile but I am assuming it's like its other PESelect counterparts. Either way, I know that it represents quality.
I am going to use one of the other packets in my oatmeal and report back and then I will probably add water to the 3rd packet.
Again, I would like to sincerely thank the PES team for affording me the opportunity to try this remarkable flavor. Keep them coming and keep on innovating.
https://pescience.com/insider
Taste: Excellent. Think of melted vanilla ice cream with a milky note. Many of you complain about the sweetness of some flavors such as Snickerdoodle, well that is not the case here. While the flavoring is strong enough to hold up when mixed with yogurt, oats, and fruits within a smoothie (how I used these samples along with a shake), it doesn't dominate. It also appears as a full spectrum experience, not one where sweeteness is #1 and every other part plays second fiddle.
Feel free to stop reading here, but I'll include what is for me another very important reason why Select is and will continue to be my staple protein powder.
Quality: Meets label claims (just look up the test by Stack3d). On top of this, PES uses a true blend of Milk Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Concentrate. While many other brands are happy to put the blend label on their tubs; when you try their products, the thin consistency immediately gives away the fact that whey is the predominant item of said "blend". Why? Look up the cost of bulk Milk Protein Isolate vs Whey. As if that weren't enough, to round out this package Select includes PepForm Leucine Peptides. Who patented PepForm technology? Glanbia, the OG's behind Optimum Nutrition. Once again: quality. Btw, do yourself a favor and check how much these cost per pound vs. whey so you can lol when anyone tries to stir up controversy at the fact that these aminos are in Select.
To conclude, we can look at rest of the label; as in all the stuff that's not there. No fillers and no trace trans fats via mono- and diglycerides. A small amount of Guar Gum (no stomach discomfort) and some artificial sweeteners (the safety of which has large amounts of scientific backing).
Great quality, flavor, macros, and price. Sign up for the insider folks because it is the lowest you're ever likely to see this product:
https://pescience.com/insider
Thank you PES for the opportunity to try this. And for the skeptical lizards who think I'm on that chump change time, look up my posts to see that I don't traffic in bulls**t. Buy with confidence.
First off, I want to give a big THANK YOU to the PES Reps (especially bencarpenter) who hooked me up with three samples of the new PES protein flavor, Gourmet Vanilla.
I'm not the biggest vanilla fan in general. Ice cream? Give me chocolate. Candy? Again, chocolate. Protein? 9/10 I'll go with anything but vanilla. To me, the flavor is just kind of...boring. In truth though, one of my favorite protein flavors just so happens to be vanilla by Animal Whey. While I won't go into the details of that flavor, it's really been the only vanilla protein powder that I continually come back to. Other companies (i.e. BPI) have some very good vanilla flavors (such as ISO-HD Vanilla Cookie), but nothing that really "hooks me in" and makes me want more; it's always been a "one and done" type deal with me.
So when PES revealed that their latest addition was going to be Gourmet Vanilla, I didn't exactly leap out of my seat. I was hoping that they would do something different, as they already have some unique flavors (especially Blondie), but I suppose a vanilla flavor was simply unavoidable. Standard flavors typically sell the best for companies, so this was a smart move by PES from a business perspective.
While I do not know the exact profile, PES Select typically ranges from 110 - 120 calories per serving, is relatively low on fat (1.5g being the highest in their line) and carbs (4g is the highest, which is in their Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup), and contains 23-24g of protein. Select is a protein blend consisting of milk protein isolate (casein + whey) and whey protein concentrate. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that Gourmet Vanilla fits this profile as well.
I used my three samples in three different ways: as a shake with 8oz of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, in overnight steel-cut oats, and in overnight rolled oats with Greek yogurt.
https://pescience.com/insider
Many flavoring systems aim to make vanilla taste like a vanilla milk shake, or vanilla ice cream; I found this not to be the case for PES Select's "Gourmet Vanilla". Rather, they really tried to stick to the "gourmet" part of the name. My experience with Select has provided thinner-to-middle-of-the-road consistency when making shakes, but this vanilla flavor is completely different. In 8oz of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, it produced a very thick, rich shake that tastes more like French-creme vanilla than your standard vanilla milk shake or ice cream flavor. This flavoring helps make PES Select stand out from your run-of-the-mill vanilla flavors, as it will remind you more of a heavy cream than an old-fashioned milk shake you would get at a dinner. As mentioned previously, this powder creates a very thick and dense shake, which really helps bring out the vanilla cream flavor.
That being said, my old issue with Select still reared its ugly head: mixability. Just like with all their powders I have made shakes with (Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup), Select proved to be relatively stubborn in regards to mixing. Take a look at the picture below:
https://pescience.com/insider
That's the lid of my Blender Bottle, and you can see the residue of powder that clumps together and sticks. I had to take my finger and clean out the snap-lid, and the amount of clumped powder left behind was quite substantial. This has always been the case with me for PES Select, and is something that is still an issue with their new Gourmet Vanilla flavor.
In truth though, I'm not a shake guy. I love oatmeal, so if a powder doesn't taste good in oats, I dismiss it. Thankfully, PES Select has always delivered for me on the oatmeal front, and Gourmet Vanilla is no exception to this.
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Pictured above was my overnight steel-cut oatmeal, which I make with 45g of steel-cut oats and a little over 1/3 cup of vanilla unsweetened almond milk. I put the powder into the mixture in the morning, or else I've found it dillutes the flavor. As you can see, it really makes my oatmeal looked like I dumped some heavy whipping cream into it! The taste is exactly that: a very cream-based vanilla that again sticks to the "gourmet" portion of the name! The steel-cut oats actually expanded the cream flavor of this vanilla, and the added fruit (bananas/blueberries) really helped make this mixture "pop". This was definitely the best way that I experienced Select's "Gourmet Vanilla".
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I used my last packet this morning in my post-workout meal of overnight rolled oats 40g (told you I love oatmeal/breakfast foods) + Greek yogurt 5oz + 1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk. While this produced (again) a heavy cream-based vanilla flavor, I should've gone with my almond milk. As mentioned earlier, the consistency of this powder is relatively thick, so when I went to mix the powder in my overnight oats quickly became very chunky and hard to stir. This problem could be alleviated in the future with an extra splash of almond milk, so this is really a non-issue for me.
PES took a common flavor in vanilla and really made it stand out. Going with "gourmet" in the name is a very accurate path to take, as it definitely tastes more like a French-creme vanilla than what many companies go for. While I wish PES would fix their mixability issue, I only do shakes on the weekend so the majority of my protein powder consumption comes from some form of pro-oats; in this category, PES still reigns supreme in my world. If you're looking for a unique vanilla flavor, Select is going to deliver for you. If you haven't yet signed up for the PES Insider, I strongly urge you to get over to their website and enroll NOW. In the end, I would still go with Snickerdoodle or my favorite Select flavor, CPBC, over Gourmet Vanilla. However, this is a great addition to their already impressive line!
Mixability - 5/10 (in shakes), 8/10 in pro-oats or Greek yogurt
Consistency/Texture - 9/10 (very thick, creamy)
Taste - 9.5/10
Overall - 9/10. PES does it again.