Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage (or food) that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
I’m already on the protein/caffeine train. Mostly because I’ve been using dessert-like powders as coffee creamer because, despite being a grown man, I still mostly don’t like coffee. Thus, a scoop of birthday cake powder into some cheap grounds, then shaken, and I’ve got a frothy, sweet and slightly too complicated drink that wakes me up and keeps me from getting hungry until lunch.
This made G Fuel an easy fit for me. It’s protein and caffeine all in one, delivering 140 milligrams of caffeine — a little more than a typical cup of drip coffee — and 15 grams of protein per scoop. That’s a little less protein than I’d like — my usual scoop clocks in between 20 and 25 grams, depending on what was on sale that month — but it’s still solid enough to start my morning, particularly mixed with milk.
Of course, none of that means anything if it doesn’t taste good. G Fuel’s original lineup is rooted in coffee flavors, with mocha and latte and a good old fashioned chocolate shake in there. Will it be enough to replace my big pot of coffee and shaker filled with protein powder, Splenda and milk? Let’s give it a shot.
French Vanilla Latte: A-
Per the instructions, I went with half water and half milk to get to the 16 ounces necessary for one full 27 gram scoop of G Fuel’s protein/caffeine powder. It blends with relative ease into a medium-thick drink — not quite a shake but denser than milk.
The first sip leans heavier into the “latte” portion than the French vanilla, but that’s not a bad thing. Since this is replacing my morning coffee it’s actually helpful in that regard. The latte comes off with a real coffee ice cream vibe; sweet and just a little tangy.
That sugary flavor is impressive given the 90 calories per scoop, though at 15 grams of protein you’re getting less here than you would with most other straight up protein mixes (my current go-to, MuscleTech, clocks in at 120 calories and 24 grams of protein). There’s a little bit of that chalky whey flavor endemic to all powders, but it’s minimal and really the only thing telling you this isn’t just a dessert.
I used mine as a pre-workout, though there was an hour window between finishing it and heading to the weights. My workout itself wasn’t appreciably better or worse than usual. I mean, it was still awful because I am 40 and my body just sorta sucks at most things now, but it was fine. I didn’t expect protein or caffeine to fix the fact that sleeping at a slight angle can mess up my neck for three straight weeks. Though, if it could…
Chocolate: A-
The chocolate seems to blend a little less easily than the French vanilla; there’s a ring of tiny brown clumps dotting the top of my shake. That’s kinda a feature rather than a bug for me. I like getting little, chewable powdery bits in my protein. It reminds me of poorly made Jell-O pudding, but that might not be a universal thing.
The chocolate taste is rich and smooth. You get a little bit of the chalky whey involved, but only it you’re searching for it. So if, say, you wanted to give this to a fussy six-year-old to help boost their protein intake, you’re almost certainly gonna get away with it.
It also feels a bit thinner than the vanilla latte, which could be in part to the mixing issues. But that’s a minor concern for a shake that tastes great. My complaint here, which is a weird one, is that my coffee ritual lasts three cups and provides a welcome distraction over a couple hours while I’m working.
But G Fuel is so good that I pretty much pounded my 18 ounce shake. I could make a cup of coffee after that, but I don’t know if I’d be overloading on caffeine at this point.
To that point, G Fuel’s 140 milligrams of caffeine are enough to keep me from feeling a withdrawal headache despite the fact it’s roughly two-thirds the eye-opener I’d normally drink in the morning (24 ounces of coffee at 95 mg per).
Part of me wants to use it as creamer in my coffee like I would with regular protein powders, but that feels like overkill. Instead I threw my shake in the freezer for half and hour and chewed on the frozen bits that floated to the surface. 10/10 experience, would recommend.
My workout, again, was mostly fine. There’s a chance the slight drop-off in protein content is having a minor effect, but it’s also possible I’m stuck in the same place I was two weeks ago because, as previously mentioned, I’m now old and my body kinda sucks. The good news is it’s doing work as an appetite suppressant; the chocolate shake got me well into the afternoon before I got hungry enough for lunch.
Cafe Mocha: A-
Like the vanilla latte, there’s a coffee ice cream feel to this flavor. It’s sweet, creamy and very, very easy to drink. After a few sips I placed this in the freezer for about 50 minutes and it came out thicker and with more of the shake consistency I wanted. I guess I could just blend it with ice, but that’s more effort than I’m willing to put in right now.
Besides, this tastes great as is. It’s dessert for breakfast, a problem in that it’s gone too fast to really recreate my coffee ritual.