Optimum NutritionGold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Delicious Strawberry, 10 Pound (Packaging May Vary)

First off, I've purchased a bunch of different flavors of ON Gold Standard Whey. All of them have close to the same nutritional value, but they vary greatly in taste. Both my wife and I drink these protein shakes as part of our daily diet, and as a product, Optimum Nutrition is great. I've mixed with both milk and water, and all of the shakes mix well and don't seem to clump. I've tried other manufactures whey, and I keep finding myself going back to ON for the price, nutritional value, and above all the taste.So the flavor question. As I mentioned, each flavor has a different characteristic from the others. Some are bland, some taste sweet, some taste overly fake. We loved some, and we hated some. Below is a list based on what we like so far and why. Bear in mind that I hate diet drinks for their bad aftertaste. The drinks don't have to be sweet for me to like them, but I can't stand the garbage aftertaste of fake sweeteners.The best flavors:Rocky Road - By far the single best tasting flavor. The downside is that it does taste a little sweet. The nutritional value is right on with the other flavors, but it is a bit sweet. I could drink this all day. If you only buy one flavor, this is it. There is no real aftertaste, and the flavor is great.Extreme Milk Chocolate - Another good flavor with almost no aftertaste. This one tastes like chocolate, and doesn't have a fake taste to it. If you are looking at the chocolate flavors, this one is perfect.Natural Vanilla - This is a slightly different product, and it comes in a tub with yellow labeling instead of the red. It's on Amazon for the same price, and it has the same nutritional values. They claim it has less artificial sweeteners in it, hence the natural label. In any case, this is the best vanilla out there. There is no aftertaste, and it tastes like vanilla milk. It is not as sweet as the others, but it the single best vanilla flavor I've found.The middle of the road flavors:Cookies and Cream - This one is both good and bad. If you like the creamy vanilla taste, you will like the flavor. It doesn't have a bad aftertaste, but it is sort bland. It is sweet, but bland. Also, the cookie chunks in it don't dissolve. This is the only flavor so far that has bits of stuff that you are swallowing when you drink it. It's odd. That said, I have reordered it in the past.Chocolate Malt - It's just OK. The flavor is a little odd because of the malt. Given the choice, just order the Extreme Milk Chocolate.Caramel Toffee Fudge - Again, just OK. They tried too hit to many flavors with this one, and it just turned out odd. Not a bad flavor, but don't start out here. I got bored so I tried it. I doubt I'll order it again.And the bad:Double Rich Chocolate - This flavor sucks. It tastes like fake chocolate. Not good fake chocolate, but generic fake chocolate. It has that bad aftertaste of fake sweetener, and is all around not good.Vanilla Ice Cream - Another swing and a miss. This flavor tastes like bad fake powdered milk. It has that bad aftertaste, and is probably the single worst flavor they have. If you are looking for vanilla, avoid this at all costs and get the Natural Vanilla.Tropical Punch - Another fake tasting flavor. When I got this, I could barely get through the first few shakes. Eventually it grew on me a little bit, and I was able to drink it without hating it. It tastes like strawberry milk with a bunch of fake sweetener. It's just wrong, and is not something you want to drink after a workout.I know that taste varies from person to person, so take this with a grain of salt. I hate the taste of fake sweetener, so this list draws from that. I've taken to buying the 2lb tubs to try out a flavor, and then going with the 5lb tubs if I like it. It costs a bit more that way, but it means there is only 2lbs to choke down if you get a flavor that you hate.Enjoy!

My mom loves it. My mom is 82. She stopped eating meat so she is lacking protein in her diet. I bought this to help with that. I bought the vanilla ice cream and I'm glad I did. I wanted something she could put in anything. We normally get smoothies from a local place so she can add this to that instead of spending a couple dollars each time. (We get them every Friday). It did change the taste of the smoothie for me. It was like icecream had been put in the spinach/kale smoothie. She loved it. She has put this in milk with frozen fruit and she says it taste really good. It doesn't have a chalky taste. I'm happy with this purchase. It also smells just like ice cream. She has made this everyday so I will order again. The scoop does come with it but we had to get a bigger spoon to dig it out due to the settling of the product.

I’ve been through probably 50 different protein powders in the last two decades — boutique blends, hyped-up new formulas, the “clean” stuff, the bulk tubs. And yet I always end up back here. There’s a reason this one has stayed relevant for so long.The double rich chocolate mixes clean with no grit, tastes like real cocoa without being syrupy, and goes down smooth whether it’s post-workout or meal replacement. It never bloats me, never clumps, and doesn’t leave that synthetic aftertaste some newer powders sneak in.I keep it shelved in the top of my pantry next to my PX and staples. It’s part of my system now — structure, reset, repeat. No noise, no gimmicks. Just a formula that works and earns its place every time.— Curated by Jaded John | #OrderlyCleanDesign

I really enjoy this protein powder: it mixes well, has a decent taste, and definitely a great bang for the buck, protein wise. HOWEVER... When I went to reorder the product I notices that the sweetener had changed from acesulfame potassium to a blend of that and sucralose. If you're a person who can't tolerate sucralose, you'll need to check the label each time you order as the 're-order' may be for a slightly different product. On the positive side, ON does have other protein powders that don't have sucralose but are an equivalent for protein and other nutrients. Make sure you check on those reorders! Edit: Despite being very careful with reading the labels, I was shipped the product with sucralose, and Amazon doesn't permit these items to be returned. If you're sensitive to artificial sweeteners, be aware that you CAN NOT go by the label in the images.

I started buying this product, after trying a few others, for my bedridden dad. His healthcare team said he could use some extra protein in his diet, and he won’t eat a lot of food, so I thought a whey protein would be perfect for him, and it is! I put a scoop in his coffee every morning and he LOVES it. It’s basically creamer and there are quite a few flavors. After trying multiple flavors, we have found Vanilla Ice Cream to be the best for our needs. It also breaks down easier in coffee. I tried to make a drink with cold water and it was really clumpy and not palatable. The price is good for the amount. A 24 servings lasts us a month. He has started healing faster, has more energy, and even though he is bedridden, his overall health has improved considerably after using this for a few months. If you were going to use this to build muscle, I think it would work, but you’d need to use a blender, and mix it with some warm water and maybe some ice after it’s broken down so it would be smooth by the time you got to the gym. That’s the only reason I give I 4 stars instead of 5.