Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Micellar Casein Protein Powder - Slow Digesting Protein for Muscle Recovery, French Vanilla Flavor, 4lb (Packaging May Vary) | Ideal for Nighttime Use, Post-Workout Recovery & Weight Management

Taste and price can’t be beat.I've been using this protein powder for about 3-4 years now. I've only used two other protein powders. Body Fortresses chocolate and peanut butter. (Tastes like Resses Cup.) They sell them for cheap at my local Walmart. $18 for a 2lb. As opposed to this one which has a 2lb for $31 right now. The other one was an ON protein powder as well. I used to buy the double rich chocolate flavor for that one. And it would come in the red and black case. They also had some flavors that this one doesn't have. That I've never got to try. Like the coffee and mocha cappuccino.The reason why I stopped using those other protein was because I was starting to get tired of the taste. And I started to dread taking protein shakes because of it. I used the black and red ON for about 3 years. And the Body Fortress for maybe a year and a half around the same time. The taste was just way too over powering. Especially the B.F. Which doesn't surprise me since it's so cheap. B.F has other flavors too, and 30g of protein per serving instead of ON's 24g. But their scoop is considerably bigger. And I'm honestly fine with paying almost double the price for this products quality.This one was definitely my favorite of the 3. And I plan to continue drinking it for the years to come. I believe I've only ever gotten the vanilla flavor for this one. But am so satisfied with the taste. That I don't really feel the need to switch. I'll only ever mix it with water as a last result. Like when I'm out of whole milk, or almond milk. I like how it tastes with whole milk the most. Plus, whole milk adds more protein. In my opinion, I think it tastes the worst with water. Whenever I drink it, I'll just mix it in one of my coffee mugs. And it dissolves real easily. Which is another thing I like about this powder. The taste isn't strong, but you can still taste the vanilla quite well. But sometimes, I put just a little bit of my vanilla coffee creamer to give it a boost of taste. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this protein. And never got sick of the taste so far. When I was working 11-13 hour shifts at my last job. Which was at a warehouse. I would drink 2 a day, 5 times a week. Along with some coffee during break or on my lunch. Literally, whenever I didn't the coffee and protein. I'd feel so tired and sluggish at work. As if I only had an hours sleep. I highly recommend this product and brand. I use to, and still have my other supplements. All of which, are from this Brand, ON. My creatine, BCAA, HMB, and ZMAs. I use to take all that when I worked out like every day a few years ago.j But I don't anymore. Now I'll just stick to trying to get most of my protein from real food. Like eggs, tuna, peanut butter, chicken, tilapia, ham, almonds, and cottage cheese. I've always heard it's better to get most of your protein from actual food. Even so, I'm still taking 1-2 of these protein shakes before and after I workout. :) And I suppose this is a good alternative if you don't have immediate access to a protein based food. Or you're a vegan.GoodGreat product!This is my first time using casin and I have only been using protein shakes for roughly 4 months so this is pretty much first impression and can only compare to ON’s whey protist isolate which is the other product I have tried.Main critique for this casin protein is the flavor. At least relative to the whey protein product from ON. The flavor is not anywhere near as sweet and a little more “powdered milk like”. That said, I don’t mind it at all and find the whey protein version to be almost too sweet. Especially if I want to mix in something like a banana or other piece of fruit to add carbs.Also, this casin protein is much denser and will clump up once added to liquid if not blended quickly. Whereas the whey protein can simply be shaken into liquid and dissolves fine, I recommend this protein be blended if possible. I have one of those blenders that does the single cup which makes it much easier to use this product. Once blended it stays pretty well suspended and the occasional shake is all you need to get rid of any settling.Otherwise, I like the product. I have not experienced any digestive issues or discomfort of any kind. I have used it with water, skim milk and soy milk and all work fine. That said, I have a pretty solid digestive system and few things tend to upset it.I’ve been strength training since May and together with my nutrition plan, I believe this product has helped me with noticeable gains. However, take that with a grain of salt as I am relatively new to strength training and have no other frame of reference nor am I able to identify the effects of this product from the other aspects of my nutrition program.The product arrived in perfect condition, safety seals intact. I drove to a local supplement shop to see what the product and packaging look like before I purchased from Amazon and I have no doubt about the authenticity of the product so I would feel safe to continue to order this item from Amazon.Tastes great and does the jobI compared to the optimum nutrition standard chocolate casein:Cons:-Doesn't taste good with water. The standard one tastes better.-Doesn't mix well in the shaker with milk or water. You get lumps. The standard one mixes better.-thicker consistency compared with the standard which feels kind of gross.- overpriced.Pros:-smells nice.-tastes ok with milk.Conclusion:I gave this a one star because on top of all the cons, it's overpriced. I prefer the standard casein one.This casein is naturally sweetened but to be honest gold standard makes a better tasting one with the artificial sweeteners.I find this is ok if you are looking for a more cocoa like powder. I think If you’re ordering this you may want to try the 2lb tub before getting the 4lb.It is easy to get sick of the protein shake tastes but I really like this flavor. I use it prior to bed and I have had no issues whatsoever. My only problem is that I have not been able to eliminate some of the lumps when I prepare it. I have done everything I could to eliminate this and with no success. I do not get huge amounts of lumps but one here and there. Overall, it is a fantastic choice and I will find a way to resolve the lump thing, I am sure. Probably a blender would resolve that.Smells better than it tastes but I prefer a little less in the taste department if it means my protein isn’t full of sugar and crap which this isn’t. Took me a bit to figure out the right ratio for me, it’s on the thicker side so be prepared to add water. Overall happy with everything and will buy again