REVIEW -- Cytosport Muscle Milk: Orange Creme

Imagine a tall glass of milk with a couple drops of Sunny Delight mixed in, and you've got the taste of Cytosport's Orange Creme Muscle Milk. Since I'm not a big fan of milk, nor a fan of Sunny D, I have to say I'm a little disappointed with this protein shake.

Cytosport is really heavy on the "creme" and too light on the orange. There really aren't any orange juice qualities to it, so if you're thinking this will be a fresh morning pick-me-up, don't get your hopes up. In fact, there isn't any "tangy-ness" to it at all.

It's a pretty flat tasting shake and ultimately boring. Even adding actual orange juice somehow doesn't seem to help. If anything, the shake has notes of bubble gum.

What do you think?

REVIEW -- Cytosport Muscle Milk: Root Beer Float

This is one of the more unique flavors to be made into a protein shake, and only Cytosport would be so brave. And I have to admit: they did a pretty good job.

It's a creamy shake that evokes the feeling of a root beer float that has completely melted. The ice cream notes are definitely present. But there's just enough of a root beer taste to remind you what you're drinking. Some might detect a slightly bitter aftertaste. While this is common to protein shakes generally, I feel it's somewhat acceptable in this shake because authentic root beer is slightly bitter.

All in all, I think the Root Beer Float is a refreshing change from the usual chocolate and fruit flavors of which we've all become pretty bored.

What do you think?

REVIEW -- Cytosport Muscle Milk: Strawberry Milkshake

I really think that there are two types of protein shakes: chocolaty and fruity. And to avoid getting bored of drinking shakes, you need to have one of each.

One of the best Cytosport Muscle Milk shakes in the fruity category has to be Strawberry Milkshake. Although I am not a big fan of artificial strawberry items (gum, candy, etc.), this flavor is surprisingly tasty and enjoyable. It doesn't have a chalky aftertaste, nor does it have the artificial strawberry flavor that always seems to give me a headache. It is not overly sweet, nor overly milky. Instead, this Cytosport creation takes very much like a strawberry milkshake that you might make at home from good strawberry ice cream and whole milk. It's become my favorite fruity protein shake.

Note that this is not the Natural Fresh Strawberry flavor also offered by Cytosport. I anticipate purchasing that after I exhaust my current tubs!

What do you think?

REVIEW -- Cytosport Muscle Milk: Rocky Road

I purchased this flavor thinking that it would taste like my favorite flavor of ice cream. But I've been somewhat disappointed with Cytosport on this one.

A rocky road flavor, to me, would have hints of marshmallow and almond. However, this protein shake is simply a sweeter version of Cytosport's Milk Chocolate. It almost tastes like a cherry-chocolate. If the bottle was labled, "Chocolate Covered Cherry" then I'd have no complaint. And I probably wouldn't have purchased it in the first place.

Personally, I find Rocky Road a bit too sweet and not as easy to drink as the delicious Mint Chocolate Chip.

What do you think?

REVIEW -- Cytosport Muscle Milk: Chocolate Mint Chip

This is one of the best-tasting chocolate flavored protein shakes ever made -- and I'm not even a big fan of mint chocolate candies or ice creams.

The mint serves the purpose of masking the occasional chalky flavor found in most protein shakes. While Muscle Milk generally has a very limited chalkiness, it is still noticeable in some of its other flavors. But here, the mint really adds a note that makes the shake almost dessert-like.

It is worth noting that the Chocolate Mint is entirely different from the Chocolate Milk or Rocky Road flavors. The latter two flavors are milky-sweet and are pretty much what one would expect from a chocolate protein shake. The Chocolate Mint, however, is a little darker in color and contains what look like flavor crystals. Perhaps it's just the mint, but what ever the difference is Chocolate Mint puts the other chocolate flavors to shame.

What do you think?