Optimum Nutrition Naturally Flavored Gold Standard 100% Micellar Casein Protein Powder, French Vanilla, 2 Pound (Packaging May Vary)

I'm a 34-year old semi-serious distance runner and run about 50 miles a week and I also lift 4 times a week. That type of training really requires an extra boost of protein consumption in order to avoid muscle tissue degradation. I've tried SO many different protein blends over the years and there is really three essentially criteria that are important to me: 1) Low calories (e.g. no added calories and no or very limited extra added sugar) 2) no fake/chemical sugars at all (no aspartame, sucralose, xylitol, maltilol, etc. - they make my stomach churn) 3) As natural as possible (whey protein is a derived product from milk after all!).I always laugh when I see someone reviewing the "taste" of a whey protein supplement. Generally speaking, if a whey protein supplement tastes super good, then it's probably loaded with extra sugar, which will basically counteract any benefit you might get with extra protein supplementation, or else it has chemical sugars which will cause long-term problems and possible GI issues.I don't care about taste at all, it's not at all what I'm looking for. Whey protein isn't supposed to be a treat, it's a supplement. That said, I really do feel like the taste is pretty darn good with this one. Sure, It's not like drinking a milk shake, but it has a smooth flavor that goes down well. I don't ever mix anything it, but I always put tons of ice in my blender bottle and shake it up so it's nice and cold. I feel like with this Casein I have found a winner. I highly recommend this product over all of ON's regular line because its the natural line.Note: If you're purchasing casein as opposed to whey, it's probably because you want the slow-releasing digestive action of amino acids into the bloodstream that is provided by casein over whey. Whey is fast acting and casein is slow and steady. They both have their place, but if you were just to pick one, go with the whey. I actually use both the casein and whey (both vanilla, for now). I have a whey protein shake immediately after my runs/lifts and I take casein protein shake right before bed. I can say that I have noticed serious results when combined with clean eating and consistent training! I follow American College of Sports Medicines protein recommendation of the upper-level of protein supplement which by most researchers is 1g/lbs. for athletes.

I’ve been using ON casein protein for years. I count macros so I use this product at night since casein is a slower to digest protein. I mix a serving and a half with a half serving of organic peanut butter and I actually mix it into more of a paste so I can eat it as opposed to drinking it. I look forward to eating that last meal of the day because it tastes really good.

ON's Casein is fantastic, a quality product w/ a good price. I really like how well I recover from weight lifting when combining this w/ Whey protein. I used to have really bad delayed muscle soreness but adding casein to my whey regiment, along w/ ON's Creatine has really helped.Taste: The taste itself is mediocre, not as sweet and palatable as Whey but based on other Casein reviews, this is common. This tastes really good combined w/ coffee!Mixed in Water: This casein doesn't mix as well as Whey and can solidify in the form of chunks of powder but for the most part, it dissolves into water well by stirring with a spoon. (I don't bother with mixing jugs or mixing my protein with milk).For a super lean breakfast, I use one scoop of casein w/ about 12 oz of water, 1- 2 apples or bananas, and a cup of coffee.Post Workout: I use half a scoop of this casein w/ half a scoop of ON Vanilla Whey in 12 oz of water & fruit.Occasionally I'll drink one scoop of casein w/ water before bed, but usually I'll eat a cup of greek yogurt instead. Overall, I use this Casein powder about once per day, sometimes twice per day. Very glad I got it.

Great 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.