Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydrowhey Protein Powder, 100% Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate Powder, Flavor: Turbo Chocolate, 40 Servings, 3.61 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)

Optimum Nutrition is not new to the scene and they certainly produce great-value products, like their Gold Standard protein Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 Pound and multivitamins Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamins, 180-Count However, Hydro Whey is expensive and a lesser value, but why is it worth it? First off, for all the hard gainers like myself out there, the increased content of BCAA's is important for protein anabolism. You can only create as much as the weakest link and without a single amino acid or fuel to create the essential ones, you are falling short. Secondly, this stuff mixes like a champ! We've all been there with the proteins that fail to mix well, leaving clumps to swallow and dry powder to lick out of our cups and shaker bottles. I highly recommend a shaker bottle Blender Bottle W/Wire Ball-Large 28 Oz. Colors Vary for all mixing purposes, for its convenience as well as efficiency. However, this is the ONLY protein I've ever been able to mix in a cup when a mixer/blender was not available and there are no clumps at all. It does produce a more frothy, lighter shake than does Gold Standard or even Platinum Hydrobuilder, making it easier to consume and break down. The taste is much smoother than its thicker Gold Standard counterpart. It will curb your appetite slightly (characteristic of all proteins), but not as bad as other protein shakes do which can be important when you need to consume that post-workout meal. Now, as to whether "hydrolyzed" whey is better than the regular stuff, that's for you to decide. It has worked for me, and I'm not going back to Gold Standard anytime soon for all the reasons above, but remember scientific 'philosophies' or lab work does not all translate to the same benefits in real-life applications like the human body (where everyone reacts differently). Hydro-Whey has been a winner for me, and I've tried many, many proteins before: Muscletech, BSN, Optimum, etc. Please do your research as different proteins have different applications and this stuff is reserved for primarily upon waking and immediately post-workout. If you're looking for meal replacement or anabolic longevity, look elsewhere. Hydro-whey provides instant fuel when your body needs it most, and to maximize muscle gains, I'm willing to pay a premium after working hard in the gym day in, day out.

General: Extremely high quality protein. The price is absolutely justified. Know that most other protein powders out there are not made equal. They're mostly below this one in quality. A full scoop mixes very well with 6-8 ounces of water in my shaker bottle. Also mixes well with milk, not as good as water, but definitely still good. Try it in a blender for smoothest results! Flavors (that I have tried): Turbo Chocolate (TC) - great all around. Tastes just fine. To me, it's not something that tastes so good that I couldn't wait to drink it, but it does not taste bad to any extent. It's kind of like water to me, I need it, I drink it, and done. Awesome. I give it an 8.5/10 on taste. Next, it mixes so well, sometimes the consistency of the shake was barely distinguishable from water. It's also very versatile! If you plan on adding multiple ingredients to your shake, chances are that TC will pair well. If you're trying the product out for the first time, get this one. Cookies and Cream Overdrive (CCO) - Ugh. No, just no. Don't get it. Protein quality is obviously the same, but just....no. It's especially bad as the first thing in the morning. I give it a 4.5/10. After having TC flavor, I decided to be a bit more adventurous. Got this one in the hopes that it would taste similar to Muscle Milk's cookies and cream flavor and boy did it tank. Optimum Nutrition dropped the ball on CCO. Not only does it not taste good, but it doesn't mix as well as TC does. Multiple times I've had some of the unmixed but wet powder lining the bottom edges of my shaker bottle. Had to dig it out with a spoon. Blasted waste. After my first serving, I dreaded that I had to wait at least a month to finish the stuff and go back to something better. I eventually got used to the taste, but please don't subject yourself to that kind of torture. Think I may just stick to Turbo Chocolate!

Short review: This products works well, tastes great, and is easy on the stomach. I would recommend it. Longer review: I'll start off by briefly informing you that I use this product specifically to supplement my protein intake after a workout. Previously, I used Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard Whey for the past ~2 years. Before that, I've used a few others and concluded that ON seems to deliver the best overall protein. That being said, I tried ON's Hydrowhey because hydrolyzed whey is absorbed very quickly after consumption. Taste (Turbo Chocolate): 9/10 Vanilla soymilk is my preferred base liquid, and this flavor tastes great with it. ...Probably even better than their Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate flavor. Mixability: 8/10 I've used the same blender bottle for about two years as well, and this Hydrowhey seemed to clump up slightly more than their Gold Standard and stick to the lid of the bottle. Not a huge deal, but worth noting. Ingredients: 9.5/10 Lots of protein and not a whole lot of other garbage that a lot of commercial proteins contain. People will complain about artificial ingredients in their protein, but I'm not from that camp. Personally, I'd be upset if they started dumping sugar into it. It's also noteworthy that this protein powder (like other ON protein powders) has BCAAs, which is convenient, so that I don't have to order another product or even risk forgetting to take it. Digestability: 8/10 I include this because there's a common talking point about hydro whey being tough on your stomach. For this reason, I procrastinated in trying this, but I'm glad that I did. Personally, this maybe had an effect on my stomach about 5% of the time (maybe 2 or 3 days out of the first month that I used it). All in all, I'd recommend ON's hydrowhey. I only tried their Turbo Chocolate flavor, and it's definitely a winner. It's a little pricey, but the quality of ingredients and taste make it worth it. I paid full price for my whey and my opinions are my own. If you found this review to be helpful in any way, feel free to tap the "Yes" button to indicate this was helpful to you. Thanks!

Great tasting protein.

The chocolate hydro whey protein tastes really good and dissolves easily in water or milk. It helps me recover after workouts and doesn’t upset my stomach. It’s a good option if you’re looking for a quality protein with great flavor.

This is my ultimate protein powder for when I really need a protein boost. It blends well with both milk and water, which is a relief! It's very smooth, very creamy and almost like a super rich chocolate milkshake without the ice cream finish. I mostly really love the nutrition I get from this though - regardless of the taste (which is great!) this is simply the best protein-per-gram I've found.

The best ever tasted

I am extremely lactose intolerant and have been looking for a protein shake that does not make me sick for a long time. After purchasing this shake, I can gladly say I've found it! Being extremely lactose intolerant, I often tend to get sick from things that taste like milk, even though the lactose content is minimal. This shake has a strong milk taste, which is the only negative thing about it. But, I decided not to mark it down as all protein shakes have a strong milk taste, and because you can easily go around the milk taste by mixing it with Gatorade powder or crystal light on the go packs (sugar-free). Without mixing it with something else, however, I can't drink it. If you do not like a milk taste, then I'd recommend you get the Strawberry flavor as you can easily mix it with out flavors... not so much with the Chocolate or Vanilla flavor. The best thing about this shake is that it really doesn't contain any lactose (other's say they contain zero grams, but still contain milligrams), and it does not upset my stomach. I sometimes feel a bit bloated, but it doesn't last very long as the hydro whey is quickly digested. As far as the results go, I am already starting to see result after just a few days. As far as the preparing goes, you really don't need to blend it, you can simply stir your shake and it'll be fine as well. My ratings: Taste: 2/5 (This is obviously subjective, others who love milkshakes will love it) Mixing: 5/5 (Stirring or blending works fine) Digestion: 5/5 (Quickly digested, perfect for people with lactose intolerance) Results: 5/5 (You'll notice results after a few days) Price: 4/5 (It's a bit more expensive than other shakes, but it's definitely worth the money)