TB12 Plant Based mostly Protein Powder by Tom Brady, 24g of Vegan Pea Protein, Low Sugar, Low Carb, Non-GMO, Meal Alternative, Keto Pleasant, Paleo, Sugar Free, Chocolate Taste (1.12 Ounce / 12 Pack)

Great Protein Option
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this protein powder. Generally, I utilize Ample meal shake but due to current manufacturing transition for the company to in-house production, I have been without ample for nearly a year and have been trying multiple different options. TB12 is probably my favorite so far and I will likely continue using it.I’m especially fond of the very low amounts of ingredients with the main ingredient being only yellow field pea protein. The chocolate flavor is actually surprisingly good and it mixes well into water or what I prefer, almond milk. I sometimes add a tablespoon of peanut butter powder to heighten the flavor as well as for the added protein. I use this as both a meal replacement and a post-workout recovery drink.I would say the only drawback to this product is the fact that as a pea based protein, the powder once mixed is extremely sticky. Pea based products are often quite sticky or even slimy depending on how they are processed. There is a keto friendly cereal brand that is notorious for this. While it does not impact the quality, taste or feel of the shake, it does make cleaning out a blender relatively frustrating as the residue from making the drink sticks like super glue.This is a great, clean product with very limited ingredients that will fit the purpose of a post-workout recovery or a meal replacement if you are either on keto or some form of high protein and low carb balance diet. It is surprisingly filling and even just the simple one rounded scoop of powder and liquid of your choice is enough to fill you up for a couple of hours. Definitely worth it and a product I would gladly continue using.

Mostly Satisfied
Disclosures/Important Facts About Me:1) Big Tom Brady fan. I received one of my degrees from Michigan and care more about college sports than pro sports, and Tom Brady is the main reason why I care about any NFL team (because he’s a Michigan alum who also turned into the GOAT). Whatever team he goes to, that’s the team I support. I mention this for context about my level of objectiveness–I’m more so predisposed to “love” his products and am not a TB hater. Still, hopefully you read my review and can tell it’s not actually that biased either way.2) I am not a “healthy eater.” I love junk food and LOVE sugar. I mention THIS because I have noticed that people who eat healthier than I do are quick to think something tastes sweet or even has a lot of taste/flavor, whereas it’s harder to get to that point for people who eat tons of junk and sugar. So, there’s more context.–I have bought and tried both the chocolate powder and the vanilla powder. Honestly, to me, they don’t taste terribly different from each other in terms of flavor. To me, the chocolate doesn’t quite taste like real chocolate, and when you open the container it doesn’t look like it, either–I’ve seen hot chocolate cocoa powder that’s darker. Really, it has been 2 decades since I have had the Slim Fast powder for chocolate or vanilla, but when I drink these TB12 mixes that’s what they remind me of when it comes to the taste–I don’t know what Slim Fast powder mixes taste like nowadays, but this tastes like the early 90s powder, as best as I remember it, but maybe not as sweet. And I remember really liking the chocolate powder from Slim Fast, and I like both TB12 flavors.Right now, I only have dairy milk–I ordered pea-protein non-dairy milk because I want to start getting away from animal protein. So, after trying the chocolate with dairy milk I tried it with just water, hoping I could just use water until I get the non-dairy milk. Absolutely disgusting. World of difference in the taste between using water and using milk.I’ve seen some people say the vanilla is too sweet and some even say the vanilla doesn’t taste as good as the chocolate. To me, they taste roughly equally as good and the vanilla is not sweet. The main difference I find between the two is the vanilla powder seems to be chunkier/harder–at least the container I received–and so when I mix it with milk in my blender it still comes out tasting a little chalky and doesn’t always fully mix with the milk, even after two blend cycles with the BlendJet (20 seconds a piece). The chocolate powder is smoother in the container, mixes better and comes out tasting smooth 100%.Negatives (no particular order):1) They taste awful with water.2) The price.3) The containers are wide, making them hard to open if you’re not a man with big hands. It’s a design flaw, in my opinion, that could be corrected with taller but thinner containers.4) Way too much sodium. Might want to pass if you have high blood pressure, kidney issues, etc.5) Lingering aftertaste–I think it’s the Stevia I keep tasting. And I hate Stevia and was worried about that being in these powders, but the powders are still good while I’m drinking them. It’s just the aftertaste that’s an issue, and drinking water doesn’t fully help get rid of it.6) Fatigue–every time I drink a serving, I start feeling almost immediately like I could lie down and go to sleep. I did quick research to see if maybe that’s because of the tryptophan in it, but the research claims you need more tryptophan to feel sleepy. Or maybe it’s the potassium (when I take magnesium glycinate and potassium chloride pills together, I tend to feel very similarly to how TB12 protein powder makes me feel). I was hoping for energy (and muscles and fat-burning), not to feel like going to bed. On the flip side, though, I also feel more calm/relaxed after drinking a serving, and the sleepy feeling passes after 1-2 hours.–Verdict: Despite the negatives, I still like the taste, the amount and source of protein (as well as some of the other nutrients), and will keep buying them for now. I’m hoping to adjust in terms of the fatigue, and I have a prescription diuretic I can take to flush out excess sodium. Also, given all the other reviews I’ve read on other protein powders, I’m glad I thought to see if TB12 offers protein powder. It seems like it’s really hard to find a protein powder that tastes good and is not chalky, and it also led me to learning about the benefits of pea protein/kept me away from whey protein. Even though these protein powders are costly, at least I didn’t have to waste money first on trying other ones before finding ones I like.Grade: B / 3.5 stars