Kaged Muscle Micropure Whey Protein Isolate, Coffee Latte Review by danielmoo
Due to the kindness of MentalistMan and Kaged Muscle over in the Company Promotion section, I was able to get my hands on a tub of the new Coffee Latte flavor of Micropure Whey Protein Isolate. I've always been a fan of mocha/coffee flavored products and really enjoyed proteins such as XF Ultra Peptide 2.0 Mochaccino and Dymatize Elite Whey Cafe Mocha in the past. Let's see if this experience will be any different!
PROFILE
Pretty standard profile for a whey protein isolate product here, which is actually a good thing - we see that the first and most abundant ingredient is WPI and the high yield of protein per serving. Naturally sweetening agents such as honey powder and stevia will appease consumers who tend to stick to these non-artificial options. It could be said that coconut creamer is a negative addition to the ingredients as some consumers refer to creamer in whey protein products as a filler and unnecessary ingredient.
Something interesting to point out in the ingredients section is the ProHydrolase® Protease blend. For those who are unaware, this blend of enzymes is said to enhance whey protein uptake by means of improved digestion and absorption of amino acids, countering ill effects that some users of whey protein experience. To further elaborate on this blend's inclusion to the protein powder ingredients, a clincal study using this blend was reported to increase amino acid concentrations in the participants use of whey protein.
The scooper (handle facing down, however) was on top of the protein powder! Not a huge deal, but always satisfying to know that you don't need to go deep sea diving just to be able to scoop up some protein on your first go with the product.
MIXABILITY
Here's where things get a little dicey. Typically, isolates will mix well and will mix very thinly given the properties of the "stripped" protein powder. After shaking for a good minute with different angles, directions, and speeds, there were still little chunks of powder throughout the liquid. Also, as depicted in the picture above, there was a film of foam at top even after letting it settle for a minute or so.
If you're expecting a perfectly mixed iced coffee latte that you might see at Starbucks, tone down the expectations a little bit. The mixing here wasn't a huge problem and could be much worse, so I'm not dinging many points off because of this. I used 10oz of almond milk for reference. Maybe with different amounts of liquid or different methods of blending would yield different results.
TASTE
The taste of this protein powder is both great as well as medicore, and I'll explain why; if one is looking for a very heavy coffee flavor, you might not be overly interested in this as an option. If you're looking for a light, well-flavored, vanilla flavor with notes of coffee, this product is perfect for you.
With that being said, there are applications that I can see this being superior to an all-out coffee flavor... I.E. mixing it with iced coffee, mixing it with a chocolate flavored protein powder for a true mocha flavor, mixing it with hot coffee as a creamer, etc.
DIGESTION
Not a large point to make here, but I thought it was a good aspect to touch on since there are individuals that simply cannot tolerate the lactose from ANY protein powder. KM Micropure WPI digested very well for me and I'm not able to report any issues shortly or long after consumption. Of course if this is a concern to you, you're probably going to be using water or almond milk to mix with which is what I did. I can confidently say that you shouldn't have any issues with this protein powder in terms of digestion if you're a lactose-sensitive individual. Of course, this is only my opinion and should be taken as such.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
A big thank you once again to MentalistMan and the KM rep team on BB.com. This protein powder was positively received by myself for a couple reasons ranging from good digestion, simple ingredient list, and mild but good flavoring.
Was the mixability great? Was the flavor out of this world and the best coffee product that I've tried? No and no. This leads to a score of 8/10 from me. Kris Gethin is offering a good product here with a good taste which I'm sure many consumers will be happy to purchase. Excited to see some more flavor options in the future!
