Garden of Life Meal Replacement Vanilla Chai Powder, 14 Servings, Organic Raw Plant Based Protein Powder, Vegan, Gluten-Free 16 Ounce

Is very very tasty! Not what I expected. It has this nice cinnamony vanilla taste that’s light. I blended with Oatmilk. Next time I’ll do a banana and maybe some peanut butter to really make a nice shake.

1/12/2016 UPDATE: They have changed the packaging and blend of this meal replacement powder and it is for the better. The mix no longer gets goopy or solidifies, which should be a plus for anyone who was worried about that in the first place. The scoops are also smaller, but you still get the same amount of servings per container. I will say the taste has changed but not by much. Before they changed this product, I was using the unflavored version. I am still using this one, as I prefer to down this in one quick gulp and do need the artificial sweetness. Unflavored reminds me of powered oats. I recently went vegan, and love that I can substitute one meal a day that is very nutritious. The only drawback to the change so far is the lid. It will not tighten properly and if this container is held by said lid, it will pop right off - which I can imagine would be disastrous should you drop all of the powder on the floor. Be careful carrying this around. Other than that, enjoy all the health and convenience benefits that this offers you. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I was very hesitant at first, but decided to try this. First let me say that I've tasted many protein/meal replacement shakes over the years. I eat very clean and wanted something somewhat clean that I could drink in a hurry if I don't have time to prepare a meal. I ordered the vanilla spiced chai. Upon opening it, I didn't smell anything rancid or gross as other reviewers claim. It smells like oats to me, which is fine. My first shake was one scoop. I used a blender ball shaker. I put a lot of water only because a lot of the reviewers on here had me worried that it would turn into sludge. It didn't. The color is green but I don't see why that should bother anyone. The texture is grainy and that's about the only thing I can agree with others on. It doesn't matter how much water you add, you are going to get that grainy texture, but it's not a big deal. I mean, what were these people expecting? There's no preservatives or additives. It's an organic meal replacement. I have no problem with the graininess, especially since I'm just downing it anyway. On a side note, I tried this in my personal blender and got the same result. I also brought the shaker to work with the powder already in it, and then added water and still go the same result. No green lava. The flavor is fine as well. By the way people talked about this, I was expecting some putrid, bitter, sludgy goop of a drink. Instead I get that same oat taste with vanilla. I could easily see milk or almond milk plus peanut butter adding to the flavor, but those are unnecessary calories for me. The only conclusion I could come to is that a.) these bad reviews came from crybabies who are used to sugary, processed food that don't understand this is a health drink, b.) they attempted to stir this in a cup with a spoon and maybe that led to the sludge, although it wouldn't affect the flavor or smell, or c.) they didn't order directly from Amazon and maybe the product they got was expired? Maybe I'm reaching on that last one but that's all I can think of. If you are expecting a delicious vanilla smoothie than you will be let down. But if you expect a vanilla/oat flavored, grainy, green drink full of nutrients, then you will be fine. For me, the price per shake is a great deal for something so healthy, convenient, and filling. I definitely plan on ordering the bigger size and will try the chocolate and vanilla also. I will update my review later. Update: I have now tried the vanilla and chocolate flavors as well. Vanilla spiced chai wins for me. The flavor is better and the texture is not as thick. To be clear, I have no problem drinking the other flavors, but I like the chai the best. If you're on the fence, go with the chai. Also, I did try mixing the powder with a spoon in a cup and got a thick clumpy mess. Just use a shaker cup and you'll be okay.

So, I've been trying to eat healthier. As a bodyworker and someone who cares about nutrition, I decided I owe it to myself to try to wean myself off of the "Standard American Diet". This was recommended to me by my brother, who is studying for his Ph.D. in Biology, and met with the approval of my chiropractor and nutrition guru. This is CHOCK FULL of excellent nutrition. I decided to write my review as I was drinking my first meal today. I made a "meal" portion--2 scoops in 8 oz of water, then blended in some ice, hoping to get a "smoothie" consistency. (Words to the wise: A) my brother says to avoid the regular Vanilla flavor, and B) vanilla chai--as in the actual drink--tastes better hot, but since heat will make many of the nutrients in this supplement less accessible and/or potent, I decided to keep it cold.) "Problem" #1: It is an unappetizing shade of army green. I know that this is a natural color that is associated with healthy eating, but we eat with our eyes first, so I'll have to get over that. So...it actually tastes marginally like Vanilla Chai, as advertised. Problem #2 (the bigger one, so not in quotes): The texture is really grainy! It's like drinking wet sand. I imagine that this is something I will become accustomed to, but at this particular moment, it's a big hurdle. I suspect very strongly that using milk (cow's, almond, soy, rice, whatever) will improve this rather dramatically. The little chewy bits that I get do taste like I put a high-quality energy bar into a Ronco blender and added water, so I guess that's positive? Anyway, bottoms up!

This is my first protein powder drink after lots of research and I’m very pleased. I just mixed one scoop in my blender with almond milk and a frozen banana and it is quite delicious.

I've seen friends succeed at weight loss with the help of meal replacement shakes and so I decided to step on the wagon and give it a try. I researched and was most drawn to this one, and since I love Chai ... and Vanilla .... I thought this would be perfect. It's absolutely disgusting. But, you get used to it, and there are things you can do to make it palatable. I am totally new to shakes, so I had no idea what to expect. When I made my first one, I poured exactly 8oz of water and one level scoop of powder into my new blender shake bottle. I shook it up like a wild women with a rattle cleansing spirits from the land. When I took my first sip, it was all I could do to not spit it out. Consistency (thoroughly gritty) and taste (dirt with the tiniest hint of vanilla and chai) were both terrible. I kept trying to drink it, wondering how anyone could actually like this stuff and what their secret was, when I finally had the thought to add more water to it. That definitely helped with the consistency. I decided to look up the product again to find some tips and decided to try it next with 12oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (to one scoop powder). That was much, much better. Still tasted like dirt - consistency and all, but with more of a vanilla hint. I noticed that it did curb the hunger, but only for about an hour. This week I upped myself to 2 scoops and used it as a meal replacement for breakfast. Again, I added slightly more almond milk that was called for and put a bunch of ice cubes in it, then drank it on my way in to work. It filled me up and kept the hunger at bay for 3.5 hours, so just about lunch time. It was still hard to drink, but I just kept reminding myself of how nutritious it is for me. I finished the tub today, and did not re-purchase. I'm trying a couple other brands now to see if there's something that is more tolerable. If not, I am not opposed to coming back to this.

Until around 2013, I purchased this product frequently. It was a one-of-a-kind as far as ingredients and how they were processed such as sprouting the grains and using juices instead of grasses, etc. But the key protein was coconut. It was not intended to be sipped, you had to get it down otherwise it would get very thick. Despite the popularity, the few who complained about the thickness were catered to and the main ingredient changed to chia seed -- something you could get in dozens of other products at the time. Disappointed, I stopped supporting this product and this company. I started making my own formula, which was no problem since I used it in healing. But now I'm just looking for something for my own personal use and found, again, this product is a one-of-a-kind due to the method of sprouting and juicing ingredients. I bought my first container in over 9 years (that's around $18,000 I did not continue to spend at $40 per week previous to changing the formula). I can say it does feel satiating but not nearly as much so as with the coconut; it's also much less calories so calling it a Meal Replacement seems questionable at only 120 calories. The prior formula was very satisfying. You could tell it was hardy when you put it in your water or juice. This formula, however (which has changed since that first revision) is very dusty and grainy - poofs of dust come up when you scoop it and drop your mixer ball in the container. It remains grainy even after mixing. It has a strong cinnamon flavor. Overall, it's not horrible and for being a one of a kind (some others are similar but have mushroom which is a fungus) I will continue to use it. But you really couldn't beat the old formula. Wish they would bring that back and just call it something else. Keep them both, if this is truly a bigger seller. I personally use 2 scoops if I'm actually replacing a meal.