Next PES Insider Deal???

janson_kaniaz said:
still no review?
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Here are some initial reviews/feedback from a couple users:

Hot Coffee

I have tried Caramel Macchiato hot.The flavor reminds me of a GEVALIA or International Delight coffee beverage that you make with hot water but Select Cafe Protein is way more healthier!!
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Yesterday I tried Caramel Macchiato and today I tried Vanilla Frappe for the 1st time.I prepared both as a iced coffee using 1 scoop with 8oz of milk.

Iced Coffee

Caramel Macchiato- I noticed that the caramel flavor is more pronounced then the coffee flavor. IMO not much coffee flavor.

Vanilla Frappe- The taste is well balanced with the coffee and the vanilla flavoring. The coffee flavor is this more pronounced with this flavor. I am surprised to say I like this flavor best so far.

The consistency of Select Cafe Protein is not as thick as OG Select.
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So I gave the Vanilla Frappe my first go, and I prepare it frappe style (1 scoop of Select Cafe Vanilla Frappe, 1 cup of ice, 4 oz of skim milk and then blended - see pics below). The flavor is awesome! It is rich, sweet and has natural coffee and vanilla character that was appropriately intense. I found it really enjoyable and would love to drink all the time! There was a nice energy bump after use as well! PES really hit a home run on this one! Big fan of the Vanilla Frappe!
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So for my first go at the Caramel Macchiato flavor, I went with 8 oz of cold skim milk with one scoop of the product. It tasted really excellent. I really liked the saltiness to the product and would have been happy with a little more. It intensifies the caramel flavor and sweetness. The flavor was great all around. The texture was nice too. It didn't foam up too much and blended well. Really am enjoying Select Cafe! Can't wait to try this flavor warm!
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Today I tried the caramel macchiato again! I tried it iced style! It was excellent. I do like it iced better than with milk alone. I used two scoops and 12 oz of milk plus several ice cubes. I drank it as a pre-workout stacked with PlasmaJet for muscle pumps. I had an absolute excellent workout. It is the first time I tried a protein product as a pre-workout, and I really enjoyed it. The caramel macchiato flavor is really top notch, though it does leave me wanting a little more saltiness to intensify the caramel flavor.
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To start things off I made the Classic Iced coffee with the Iced Mocha flavor. I mixed 1 scoop of Iced Mocha with 6 oz of cold water and shook in a shaker cup, I'll try this with almond milk at some point. Then I poured the drink over a glass filled with ice. This was so good, and very smooth! From the coffee to the mocha chocolatey flavor it was balanced and smooth. I think even a non coffee drinker would enjoy this as it wasn't overpowering. I really enjoyed this and think I'm going to go make another now
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The next drink I made was the Frappe Style with the Iced Mocha flavor. Since I like a strong drink I added a little more then 1 scoop of Iced Mocha to a blender with 4 oz of cold water and 1 cup of ice cubes. I blended until it was about the consistency of a Starbucks Frappuccino. It was a really hot day so the ice at the top melted down into the drink by the time I grabbed my cam. It was very good and a nice way to cool down on a hot day while getting in some protein. The flavor tasted nice and natural and I get a little bit more of the chocolate then the coffee flavor.
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The Classic Hot was the real test made with Iced Mocha. I've never had any luck adding protein powder to a hot liquid, it has always clumped together badly and I couldn't get it to dissolve. I added 8 oz of hot water to 1 scoop of Iced Mocha and there was very minor clumping. I began to stir with a spoon and it started to dissolve extremely well and after a minute or two is was completely dissolved. I've never been able to do that with a protein powder and hot liquid before! It tasted great just like a mocha, nice and chocolatey with a good sweetness.
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This time I made the Classic Iced coffee with the Caramel Macchiato flavor. I mixed 1 scoop of Caramel Macchiato with 8 oz of cashew milk and shook in a shaker cup. Then I poured the drink over a glass filled with ice. The caramel flavor was really great and smooth, although not much of a coffee flavor to it. The cashew milk helped to bring out more of the excellent caramel flavor and add to a nice creaminess. Very refreshing drink for a hot summer day
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Hot would be the biggest test. I can relate to the 2nd to last review. Adding regular Protein to my coffee just doesn't usually work for me. Got some mocha on the way and I'm pumped to test it.
 
So what's the consensus on the best recipe for blended? I believe I read 4oz milk and 1c ice to 1 scoop.

Just tried that with the machiatto and it was very weak. Not a bad taste at all, but a hint of caramel and virtually no coffee (in contrast to opening the tub and smelling a wonderful aroma).

Too much ice? The consistency turned out fine, but I'm just looking for tips to improve with future testing.
 
MidwestBeast said:
So what's the consensus on the best recipe for blended? I believe I read 4oz milk and 1c ice to 1 scoop.

Just tried that with the machiatto and it was very weak. Not a bad taste at all, but a hint of caramel and virtually no coffee (in contrast to opening the tub and smelling a wonderful aroma).

Too much ice? The consistency turned out fine, but I'm just looking for tips to improve with future testing.
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From some reviews, that seems to be what everyone is using.

Maybe try less ice and 6oz milk?
 
I'm afraid more milk will mask the flavor even more. But yet less total liquid worries me it would be sludge.

Looking forward to hearing more members getting theirs in to test it out.

Gonna grab more milk and some Reddi Whip after dinner tonight
 
MidwestBeast said:
I'm afraid more milk will mask the flavor even more. But yet less total liquid worries me it would be sludge.

Looking forward to hearing more members getting theirs in to test it out.

Gonna grab more milk and some Reddi Whip after dinner tonight
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let us know what ratio you find best for your taste buds
 
MidwestBeast said:
I'm afraid more milk will mask the flavor even more. But yet less total liquid worries me it would be sludge.

Looking forward to hearing more members getting theirs in to test it out.

Gonna grab more milk and some Reddi Whip after dinner tonight
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I would try it anyway. I like my flavors to be strong, and I've recently noticed that I typically add too little water to Select because I don't want it to be too thin or weak. ..but even doubling the water I use almost makes the intended flavoring more noticeable. For instance, CNC will be really sweet in 5-6 oz. Water ....10 oz. Water it is less sweeter but really good and tastes more like cookies and cream than just sweetness.
 
Okay, have tried the other 2 flavors. All done as blended (as that's the only way I would want this as a switch from Starbucks).

Vanilla Frappe -- mixed with 4oz. CarbMaster vanilla milk, 1c ice cubes, topped with Reddi Whip and pictured below:

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This tasted better than the caramel machiato, yesterday. However, I want to remake that with this vanilla milk and see what I think of that.

Flavor of this tasted good, but even weaker coffee flavoring than the machiato.


Mixed up the Iced Mocha the same as the others, but used regular milk (I have chocolate CarbMaster, but felt it would be too overpowering) and instead of full cubes, I used crushed ice. The crushed ice method seemed to help as there was virtually no sign of cubes left unlike the others (but that is probably user error as I hardly ever use my wife's blender).

Flavor was good on this, too. But unfortunately for me, weak on the coffee flavoring again.

My wife agreed and our rankings were vanilla, mocha, and caramel last (though trying it with the vanilla milk may push it to the front).

So here is my assessment so far -- these flavors are all very good. However, I could not see these replacing coffee unless someone has tricks to bring more of a coffee flavor out. I've tried some espresso flavored proteins in the past and they had a much stronger coffee taste than these.

Unless I'm missing something, I would try to find a way to get more of a coffee flavor present alongside these delicious flavors or would honestly rather see them without the caffeine as just a sub-line of select because I would slam them left and right in that scenario.

In the meantime, these will basically be a good blended protein shake for me with caffeine present (luckily for me, I'm not that stim sensitive, but I still won't be drinking later at night).

Please take this review as you will. This is not intended to be negative at all. I enjoy PES (hence why I purchased 11 tubs), but in my opinion, this will not replace a coffee treat for me. It would lend itself to more of a dessert replacement if anything and will probably be great for baking. May even see if there's a way I can add some coffee flavoring to these on my own (and I'm sure some of you avid coffee drinkers have good ideas). My wife drinks coffee all the time. I seldom do. But I love some SB specialty drinks but know how terrible they are when it comes to macros.
 
I wish my cafe select wasn't taking a whole 9 days to be shipped and delivered my semester starts tomorrow and I wish I was gonna be sipping on it on my way to my first class of the semester! Not getting them until next Saturday
 
MidwestBeast what if you added some instant Esspresso into it? I do a fair amount of backpacking / hiking and use a product called Medaglia D'oro (available at Walmart). I like strong coffee drinks, and actually assumed I would be adding this anyway.
 
AHHH of course my alphamine runs out on my first day of classes too!!
 
BamBam0319 said:
I wish my cafe select wasn't taking a whole 9 days to be shipped and delivered my semester starts tomorrow and I wish I was gonna be sipping on it on my way to my first class of the semester! Not getting them until next Saturday
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That blows brother. If you have further trouble I will do the best I can to assist you in this. For now watch your tracking id.
SFreed said:
MidwestBeast what if you added some instant Esspresso into it? I do a fair amount of backpacking / hiking and use a product called Medaglia D'oro (available at Walmart). I like strong coffee drinks, and actually assumed I would be adding this anyway.
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May be a good idea here. I personally do not like the taste of coffee unless severely diluted. I'll have to wait until mine arrives to see if it is the right coffee/tasty mixture as is.
BamBam0319 said:
AHHH of course my alphamine runs out on my first day of classes too!!
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Salt in the wound. Should have stocked up! Must be prepared for these times! :)
 
MidwestBeast said:
Okay, have tried the other 2 flavors. All done as blended (as that's the only way I would want this as a switch from Starbucks).

Vanilla Frappe -- mixed with 4oz. CarbMaster vanilla milk, 1c ice cubes, topped with Reddi Whip and pictured below:

Invalid Link Removed

This tasted better than the caramel machiato, yesterday. However, I want to remake that with this vanilla milk and see what I think of that.

Flavor of this tasted good, but even weaker coffee flavoring than the machiato.


Mixed up the Iced Mocha the same as the others, but used regular milk (I have chocolate CarbMaster, but felt it would be too overpowering) and instead of full cubes, I used crushed ice. The crushed ice method seemed to help as there was virtually no sign of cubes left unlike the others (but that is probably user error as I hardly ever use my wife's blender).

Flavor was good on this, too. But unfortunately for me, weak on the coffee flavoring again.

My wife agreed and our rankings were vanilla, mocha, and caramel last (though trying it with the vanilla milk may push it to the front).

So here is my assessment so far -- these flavors are all very good. However, I could not see these replacing coffee unless someone has tricks to bring more of a coffee flavor out. I've tried some espresso flavored proteins in the past and they had a much stronger coffee taste than these.

Unless I'm missing something, I would try to find a way to get more of a coffee flavor present alongside these delicious flavors or would honestly rather see them without the caffeine as just a sub-line of select because I would slam them left and right in that scenario.

In the meantime, these will basically be a good blended protein shake for me with caffeine present (luckily for me, I'm not that stim sensitive, but I still won't be drinking later at night).

Please take this review as you will. This is not intended to be negative at all. I enjoy PES (hence why I purchased 11 tubs), but in my opinion, this will not replace a coffee treat for me. It would lend itself to more of a dessert replacement if anything and will probably be great for baking. May even see if there's a way I can add some coffee flavoring to these on my own (and I'm sure some of you avid coffee drinkers have good ideas). My wife drinks coffee all the time. I seldom do. But I love some SB specialty drinks but know how terrible they are when it comes to macros.
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Thanks kindly for your solid honest review brother. I'm already sure the flavors will be amazing but will have to try when it comes in to see if I can relate.
 
To all you guys complaining about coffee and classes, you don't know how good you have it. College is the best time you will ever have. Try to enjoy it.
 
Pretty sure this has been asked before but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Gonna start bulking soon and I have two bottles of ABE. What is the best time to take it?
 
SFreed said:
MidwestBeast what if you added some instant Esspresso into it? I do a fair amount of backpacking / hiking and use a product called Medaglia D'oro (available at Walmart). I like strong coffee drinks, and actually assumed I would be adding this anyway.
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Never heard of it (as I'm not a coffee guru lol). So I was assuming someone like you would chime in for support -- and it's much appreciated. I'll search for that and give it a whirl.

To be clear -- the flavors of these are not weak at all. It's just the coffee flavor isn't present that I can pick up on. And that's only baffling to me because the aroma is very much noticeable as soon as you open a tub.

FWIW, the vanilla frappe tastes wonderful with that vanilla CarbMaster milk and beats the pants off of regular Select Vanilla, IMO (but I'm also someone who didn't care for the vanilla that much compared to some of the other flavors lol -- shows you how different we all are).
 
LiveToLift said:
That blows brother. If you have further trouble I will do the best I can to assist you in this. For now watch your tracking id.
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Thanks! I'm sure it's due to a combination of your typically bustling insiders along with perhaps the situation in Louisiana. Although I'm in Missouri so I'm not sure why it would take so long! I'm not an expert on delivery services though

Salt in the wound. Should have stocked up! Must be prepared for these times! :)
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When you're broke you gotta get what you can! Which was one tub at the time
HIT4ME said:
To all you guys complaining about coffee and classes, you don't know how good you have it. College is the best time you will ever have. Try to enjoy it.
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Senior year brother! ;) I'm trying! I'd be enjoying it a lot more with some cafe Select in my shaker lol
 
BamBam0319 said:
Thanks! I'm sure it's due to a combination of your typically bustling insiders along with perhaps the situation in Louisiana. Although I'm in Missouri so I'm not sure why it would take so long! I'm not an expert on delivery services though


When you're broke you gotta get what you can! Which was one tub at the time
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Well hopefully it comes quick sir but do make sure to contact me if needed.

Completely understand. We have all been through slow times in the bank roll. Just sucks to run out of alphamine especially for all those who have to put up with me. Hahaha
 
BamBam0319 said:
Thanks! I'm sure it's due to a combination of your typically bustling insiders along with perhaps the situation in Louisiana. Although I'm in Missouri so I'm not sure why it would take so long! I'm not an expert on delivery services though


When you're broke you gotta get what you can! Which was one tub at the time


Senior year brother! ;) I'm trying! I'd be enjoying it a lot more with some cafe Select in my shaker lol
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Man, my senior year was the best. I actually took a semester off, so senior year, when I was planning my classes, I figured out if I took a super-heavy work load that the school wouldn't even allow, I could graduate on time. I got special permission for all but 4 class credits, and then did an internship under the assumption I wouldn't get class credit for it but it would fulfill my internship credit. At the end of the semester I went back to the dean and said, "If I got credit for this, I can graduate in the spring with my class. I already did the work." He looked at me and said, "If you did that the entire way, you would have been out of here in 2 years."

I worked my butt off that semester. I also worked 30+ hours a weak at Circuit City for income. It was a lot of work, but I look back on it and it was so much fun. All the people working toward something and trying to grow - you will never be in an environment like that again.

And when I started college, a friend of my mom told me, "You won't realize this while you're in college, but it was the best time of my life and I wish I could go back there. I didn't see it at the time, but I miss it now."

I spent all 4 years of my college life trying to see what he meant, and paying attention. I couldn't see it at the time, maybe a little, but not fully. 14 years later and it is just one of those things where the memories just make me happy. Enjoy it. You will realize how great it was in 10 years.
 
HIT4ME said:
Man, my senior year was the best. I actually took a semester off, so senior year, when I was planning my classes, I figured out if I took a super-heavy work load that the school wouldn't even allow, I could graduate on time. I got special permission for all but 4 class credits, and then did an internship under the assumption I wouldn't get class credit for it but it would fulfill my internship credit. At the end of the semester I went back to the dean and said, "If I got credit for this, I can graduate in the spring with my class. I already did the work." He looked at me and said, "If you did that the entire way, you would have been out of here in 2 years."

I worked my butt off that semester. I also worked 30+ hours a weak at Circuit City for income. It was a lot of work, but I look back on it and it was so much fun. All the people working toward something and trying to grow - you will never be in an environment like that again.

And when I started college, a friend of my mom told me, "You won't realize this while you're in college, but it was the best time of my life and I wish I could go back there. I didn't see it at the time, but I miss it now."

I spent all 4 years of my college life trying to see what he meant, and paying attention. I couldn't see it at the time, maybe a little, but not fully. 14 years later and it is just one of those things where the memories just make me happy. Enjoy it. You will realize how great it was in 10 years.
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Well stated, brother.

I'll never miss res hall showers or shared community bathrooms, but I will miss the cafeteria and being able to get what I wanted virtually whenever (with no prep or cleanup!), living around so many people and things to do, and figuring out life. I worked 3 p/t jobs throughout to pay the way without debt (my parents helped pay for the first 2, and I paid the last 2 and for grad school with no loans or even aid), but even with all that, it was still a blast.
 
HIT4ME said:
To all you guys complaining about coffee and classes, you don't know how good you have it. College is the best time you will ever have. Try to enjoy it.
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Isn't that somewhat of a defeatist attitude; you're 22 and it's all downhill from here? It's definitely a great time, but to say that it is going to be the BEST time is a bit pessimistic and almost sets you up for being unhappy by going into life thinking it'll never be that good again.
 
muscleupcrohn said:
Isn't that somewhat of a defeatist attitude; you're 22 and it's all downhill from here? It's definitely a great time, but to say that it is going to be the BEST time is a bit pessimistic and almost sets you up for being unhappy by going into life thinking it'll never be that good again.
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College was a good time, but I liked the aftermath a bit more. Depends on how you're living after college I guess.
 
muscleupcrohn said:
Isn't that somewhat of a defeatist attitude; you're 22 and it's all downhill from here? It's definitely a great time, but to say that it is going to be the BEST time is a bit pessimistic and almost sets you up for being unhappy by going into life thinking it'll never be that good again.
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I don't mean it like that. Things just change and are different. Life is full of opportunities and the best can always be ahead of us. But college is a special time and it is hard to realize how great it is until you are well into your next phase.
 
For instance, a lot of what you can get away with as a college kid...just being a dumb college guy ....will just be horrific if you try it when you are 30. And I'm not saying bad bad things...

Just as a stupid example....mid night one night and I realized I hadn't eaten and was starving. I was poor and out of food. Cafeteria was closed. The only place open was Wendy's. And only their drive through was open.

Only problem is, I didn't have a car. So I tried walking through the drive through and had to convince them to sell me food (they aren't supposed to). It was acceptable because I was a poor, stupid college kid.

At 37 years old, that situation isn't the same.
 
I thought I entered the general chat subsection for a moment. ;)
 
bdcc said:
I thought I entered the general chat subsection for a moment. ;)
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lol, sorry - point made. Carry on. We were just having a chat over our new and soon to be had Select Café.
 
kdubson14 said:
PES should really update their website to reflect the correct nutritional information for each variety of Select.
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I just went through, and it is all correct.

In order for the nutritional value to change, you need to select the flavor, and then select a serving size.
 
kbayne said:
I just went through, and it is all correct.

In order for the nutritional value to change, you need to select the flavor, and then select a serving size.
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First one to come to mind and what led to me posting is the discrepancy between serving size for the Chocolate Bliss Vegan Series. Bottle label 34g; site 29g - the vanilla serving size
 
kdubson14 said:
First one to come to mind and what led to me posting is the discrepancy between serving size for the Chocolate Bliss Vegan Series on the bottle label on what's listed on the site: 34g per serving vs 29g
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I'll get this worked out.
 
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Got Mine !!
 
The popularity of these has gone far and beyond what we anticipated.

We have completely cleared out the warehouse of caramel macchiato and are low on stock on vanilla frappé and iced mocha.

Please excuse us for any short delays in getting your orders sent out. The total sales literally came in over five fold higher than we had predicted.
 
bdcc said:
The popularity of these has gone far and beyond what we anticipated.

We have completely cleared out the warehouse of caramel macchiato and are low on stock on vanilla frappé and iced mocha.

Please excuse us for any short delays in getting your orders sent out. The total sales literally came in over five fold higher than we had predicted.
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Wow great :) Too sad I didn't order the Macchiato :D Maybe next time !

I am glad at least we live in the same time zone. every morning I surf the forum feeling like a lone bat :D
 
bdcc said:
The popularity of these has gone far and beyond what we anticipated.

We have completely cleared out the warehouse of caramel macchiato and are low on stock on vanilla frappé and iced mocha.

Please excuse us for any short delays in getting your orders sent out. The total sales literally came in over five fold higher than we had predicted.
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Well you guys didn't put a limit to an order

Let's hope i don't have to wait too long
 
bdcc said:
The popularity of these has gone far and beyond what we anticipated.

We have completely cleared out the warehouse of caramel macchiato and are low on stock on vanilla frappé and iced mocha.

Please excuse us for any short delays in getting your orders sent out. The total sales literally came in over five fold higher than we had predicted.
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I expected good sales but this is just incredible to the.
 
Mixed per label instructions with 4 ounces of unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup of ice and 1 scoop tasted OK, but was lacking the coffee flavor I was hoping for. Added 1 tablespoon of instant esspresso and now we're talking! Tasted much more like a Starbucks Frappuccino! Well done guys.
 
And I'm having issues uploading pictures. Not sure what's going on, but will try to figure it out and post a picture of my haul.
 
SFreed said:
Mixed per label instructions with 4 ounces of unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup of ice and 1 scoop tasted OK, but was lacking the coffee flavor I was hoping for. Added 1 tablespoon of instant esspresso and now we're talking! Tasted much more like a Starbucks Frappuccino! Well done guys.
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I hate being a buzzkill, but how can you say "well done" when you had to supplement with additional coffee to get the "coffee" flavor ha?
 
booneman77 said:
I hate being a buzzkill, but how can you say "well done" when you had to supplement with additional coffee to get the "coffee" flavor ha?
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Good point, but I like strong coffee flavor. Easier for me to add than it would be for others to remove. Can't we all just get along?
 
SFreed said:
Good point, but I like strong coffee flavor. Easier for me to add than it would be for others to remove. Can't we all just get along?
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Why would anyone want to remove? Isn't the entire purpose of a coffee replacement/coffee flavored drink (as these have been described) to... taste like coffee...?

Would you buy a vanilla, add chocolate and say "this is a great chocolate flavor!"? Seems illogical to me...
 
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