The Good: Good taste, Very nutritious
The Bad: Expensive.
The Basics: Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake is good, but limited by the nature of the subject (mango).
Mango is one of those flavors I am suddenly discovering is its own thing and is surprisingly hard to describe. I’ve described the flavor of mango as best I can in reviews of things like the Mango Jelly Belly jelly beans (reviewed here!) and the Peeled Organic Much-Ado-About-Mango fruit snacks (reviewed here!). So, when my wife was making fruit shakes for us to help with our health and picked up a 32 fl. oz. container of Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake, I decided to swipe some for review. And this might be one of the Bolthouse beverages I enjoy more as a component than a drink on its own.
Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake is very good, but it is somewhat limited by the fact that mango is not the most vibrant fruit in the cornucopia!
Basics
Bolthouse Farms is a health drink brand, which is like an energy drink except that is designed for more of a full-health solution (though the Protein Plus line is pretty much like a liquid vitamin supplement) and they tend to taste better. This is a fruit beverage that is enhanced with nutrients. Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango comes in a 15.2 fl. oz. plastic bottle that is smooth and very portable. The #1 recyclable bottle is filled with the opaque light orange liquid, which looks much like a peach or mango color. We also found the Protein Plus Mango in a full quart bottle and, because we were drinking it and using it as an ingredient, we bulked up on it! Bolthouse Farms juice products is one of the leading manufacturer of healthy prepared beverages, both of fruit juices and dairy beverages.
The 15.2 fl. oz. bottle is intended to give consumers just under two servings, which is silly. For some strange reason, Bolthouse Farms does not sell a full 16 fl. oz. bottle, which would be two servings, but they do have a 32 oz. bottle which is a full four servings!
Ease Of Preparation
Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake is a liquid in the 15.2 fl. oz. bottle and is a ready-to-drink beverage. So, preparation is as easy as opening a plastic bottle. Mango has a plastic cap that easily twists off and can be put back on in order to reseal it. It is important to note that this is supposed to be refrigerated, so quality of the beverage may degrade if it is left out at room temperature before or after the bottle is open. This has a pretty standard security seal ring around the lower half of the cap and informs the consumer as to whether the product has been opened by cracking off when the top is twisted.
Taste
Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango smells light and fresh, with a slight sweet scent. The scent is distinctly that of mangoes and it is refreshing to smell a fruit juice that smells so delightfully natural.
On the tongue, the milky shake glides over the tastebuds before the slightly tangy flavor of mango hits the tongue. Bolthouse Farms does not try to sweeten the flavor of the mango, so the Mango Protein Shake has a slightly sour quality, especially in the aftertaste. That said, each sip reinvigorates the tastebuds with the flavor of mango and anyone who likes mango will be pretty happy. Unfortunately, mango is not the most potent flavor in the world and this is, therefore, not the most exciting beverage on the market. It is, however, exceptionally accurate to the mango and milky flavors.
The Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake has a fairly dry aftertaste, reminding one more of milk than fruit.
Nutrition
As a healthy fruit beverage, Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake is designed to fill in some of the nutritional gaps one might have in their diet, while tasting pretty awesome to boot! Nutritionally, Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango is an exceptionally good option for those who are dieting or are trying to improve their health. Protein Plus Mango is primarily composed of apple juice from concentrate, carrot juice from concentrate, and Valencia orange juice from concentrate. It contains nothing bad, but does have additional vitamins pumped into it. It is gluten free, but contains whey so it is NOT Vegan compliant! As well, there are no preservatives, artificial flavors or colors or genetically modified ingredients!
This drink is also exceptionally healthy for you. One serving of Protein Plus Mango has 1 g fat and 190 calories, 10 of which come from the fat. While there are 26 grams of sugars, the beverage has no cholesterol and an impressive 16 grams of protein! Unfortunately, there is a whopping 270 mg (11% RDA) of sodium in each serving. A single serving is a sufficient source of Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Zinc and copper. It has more than your daily needs for Vitamins A, C, B6 and B12.
Storage/Clean-up
Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake comes in a plastic bottle and it keeps for only a few weeks. The bottle I bought at the beginning of February had an expiration date of February 29, 2012. This beverage must be refrigerated!
This drink is a fruit product and light orange. If this gets on clothes, it will certainly stain them, at least light clothes. Consult a care guide for your clothes, though I suspect light clothes would need bleach to get this out. Still, the drink wipes off surfaces easily with a cloth, assuming they are impermeable.
Overall
Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Mango All Natural Protein Shake tastes good, which is a refreshing contrast to the last Bolthouse beverage I tried. Still, this is a milky mango drink that is not superlative, save in how amazingly healthy it is!
For other Bolthouse beverages, please check out my reviews of:
100% Carrot Juice
Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost Fruit Smoothie
Perfectly Protein Chocolate
6/10
For other food reviews, please visit my index page for a complete listing by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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