Pseudonym Posted November 27, 2007 Report Share Posted November 27, 2007 Normally I stick with chocolate flavour in my protein powders on the basis that it's hard to screw up chocolate. I've tried some utterly foul flavours before (one had me gagging so much I had to take it back!), but generally even a bad chocolate flavour is edible.Eventually though, I get sick of chocolate and try something else. Usually the first serve is enough to make me regret it, and I swear never to stray from chocolate again.Enter Balance's 100% Whey Protein, Caramel Dream flavour. Not only did I not regret it, but I went back and ordered a second one. Up till now, two non-chocolates back-to-back was unheard of!So why do I rate it so highly? First of all, it mixes well.Mixability is probably the most critical thing for me. I've got better things to do than cleaning shakers and blenders. If I can't mix the powder with a teaspoon, I don't want to know about it. This powder is one of the best mixers I've found.Secondly, the taste. Very nice. It reminds me of the little pottles of flavoured custard I used to get for my lunch in primary school (they were a rarity - once every few months if I was lucky!) I think there's a lot of caramel essence in the formula - the scent is pretty strong, but it's not unpleasant. Same with the taste - quite sweet, but not overpoweringly sickly.I was also impressed at how creamy it is, even when mixed in water. I use a double serve post-workout, so that obviously helps, but even single-serve strength was pretty good.Now to the vital statistics... This is a protein blend, with the majority coming from whey protein concentrate, with lesser amounts of isolate and hydrolysed concentrate thrown in. (I was surprised to see that the majority of the whey wasn't hydrolysed as I thought that was fairly standard now?)The nutritional info differs slightly between the label and the Balance website, so this is taken from the label.[table][row] [col]30g serve[col]100g[row]Protein[col]23.9g[col]79.5g[row]Carbs[col]2.1g[col]6.9g[row]Fat[col]1.4g[col]4.7g[/table]The label boasts "extra glutamine and arginine", but a closer look shows this is only 0.5g and 1g respectively per serve - not really anything to get excited about.Recommended retail price for a 3kg tub is $155, but I bought mine from PunchSupplements for $125.Finally, a small niggle. The directions say that a 30g serve is 2.5 scoops. Why?! This is a pet peeve of mine... Why can't they just give me a larger scoop?! It makes no sense.Piddly little scoop size aside, I was impressed enough with this protein to order a second tub, and I'm sure it won't be the last.Oh, and for an ultra-scrumptious dessert, mix with strawberries and oranges. It is unbelievably good. =P~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottHenry Posted November 27, 2007 Report Share Posted November 27, 2007 Good review sums it pretty good, ive just about finished the balance chocolate 100% whey its nice tasting as well. might have to try the caramel next time around oh and i agree with ya on the serving size 2 and a half scoops is pretty stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Zero Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 I got a 5lb tub of banana flavour - which is average but a nice change from chocolate/caramel. I wanted strawberry but they were out. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it, the mixibility seems to get less and less the longer it's opened for. When I have it with milk now, I get disgusting little clumps of powder floating round in the glass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_J Posted November 30, 2007 Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 I get disgusting little clumps of powder mmm like little protein lollies hahaha :pfft: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgentOrange Posted November 30, 2007 Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 god little scoops piss me off so ive kept a big scoop from an old tub.great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 yea im on the stuff and its tasty ay but the small ass scoop is stupid! :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laver Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Thumbs up for punch supplements; before I got my 20kg bag all my powder was from there, always seem to have a competitive price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngapuhi strong Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 What ever you do dont buy the un flavoured balance whey,, for something thats ment to be unflavoured it made me feel like reachin every mouthfull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laver Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 What ever you do dont buy the un flavoured balance whey,, for something thats ment to be unflavoured it made me feel like reachin every mouthfullU needa harden up I have it regularly and think its fine!Urm upon re-reading it your talking about Balance whey, obviously ive got the bulk stuff from Davis, so a lil different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngapuhi strong Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 yea other brands of un flavoured ok, but balance unflavoured worse then arse :pfft: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeepsouth_nz Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 yea other brands of un flavoured ok, but balance unflavoured worse then arse :pfft:Yeah...well....nearer comp time you might just be happy for a little 'taste of arse'.....right up until you delete all artificial proteins and sweetners from your diet whatsoever...... :roll: lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poos_n_wees Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Yeah...well....nearer comp time you might just be happy for a little 'taste of arse'.....lolOh gawd, I hope I'm never happy for that I'm loving this Caramel Dream flavour too, mixability (?) and taste are great. Im another one that just uses a bigger scoop from another PP. I think the little scoop lasted a couple of days before I got frustrated lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pseudonym Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 I'm currently using 100% Whey, Chocolate flavour. Like the Caramel, it's mixes well, and tastes good. HOWEVER...Recently I was in a position where I needed to premix it in the morning, and take it with me for later that day. By the time I'd got to it, the shake had thickened to the point where it was like drinking instant pudding. It wasn't too bad - taste and colour were still the same - but the custard consistency was a little off-putting.I don't know whether the Caramel behaves the same way or not. I guess it probably does.What is it that causes this extreme thickening? Some proteins do it, and some don't. I see 100% Whey lists guar gum as a thickener ingredient - is that the culprit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamfatboy Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 I'm currently using 100% Whey, Chocolate flavour. Like the Caramel, it's mixes well, and tastes good. HOWEVER...What is it that causes this extreme thickening? Some proteins do it, and some don't. I see 100% Whey lists guar gum as a thickener ingredient - is that the culprit?Might well be - I have found some whey does that, but my current favorite (Dymatize Elite) doesn't have the guar gum, and doesn't have any such problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gym rat Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I have come across Balance 100% Whey Carmel Dream as well. I have thought about buying that flavour a few times to me but I rather to sick with chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngapuhi strong Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I have come across Balance 100% Whey Carmel Dream as well. I have thought about buying that flavour a few times to me but I rather to sick with chocolate. :ditto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamWelly Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Oh God, somenone out there likes this flavour?? Buying a case of this stuff was the worst mistake I have made in a while. I literaly gagged on every mouthfull. Ended up giving it to a student mate for free.Would recommend choc or banana tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr natural Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I'm currently using 100% Whey, Chocolate flavour. Like the Caramel, it's mixes well, and tastes good. HOWEVER...What is it that causes this extreme thickening? Some proteins do it, and some don't. I see 100% Whey lists guar gum as a thickener ingredient - is that the culprit?Might well be - I have found some whey does that, but my current favorite (Dymatize Elite) doesn't have the guar gum, and doesn't have any such problems yeah dymatize elite taste amazing, their butter toffee is to die for but, the range was tested and found to have alot lower levels of protein content than what they had on the label.I guess all that flavouring fills out the content of the powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pseudonym Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 I've just come back to the Balance 100% Whey, Caramel Dream, after several months trying other brands and flavours.I was disappointed that it didn't mix nearly as well as I remembered. Here's what I said last time:So why do I rate it so highly? First of all, it mixes well.Mixability is probably the most critical thing for me. I've got better things to do than cleaning shakers and blenders. If I can't mix the powder with a teaspoon, I don't want to know about it. This powder is one of the best mixers I've found.Well, that certainly hasn't been my experience this time round. Mix it in water, and you get a few lumps. Nothing terrible, but far from perfect. Mix it in milk (even warm milk), and you end up with half an inch of solids that need to be scooped off the top before you can drink what's underneath. It's definitely not a great mixer any more - I'd describe it as "average", at best.The question is, why has it changed? In these days of high dairy prices, is Balance cutting costs by putting in lower quality ingredients? :? For the record, it wasn't all bad news. It seems that unlike it's chocolate cousin, the Caramel Dream flavour doesn't thicken much on standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INSPECTOR64 Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Ditto.I had the same problem with mixability and really started to piss me off towards the end of my tub...Time for a change of product for me i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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