Price: $39.99 for 15 servings ($2.67 per serving)
Nutrition: 90 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 8g Carbs (2g Fiber & 4g Sugar), 13g Protein
Contains 135mg of Caffeine & 50mg of Ashwagandha per serving
Anyone who’s been on the hunt for a delicious protein powder knows that it can be a really difficult journey.
Likewise, finding quality coffee is often quite difficult, let alone instant coffee.
Let’s compound things even further and say you want something plant-based… surely finding a high-protein, plant-based, instant coffee that actually tastes good sounds nearly impossible.
Enter Awesome Coffee.
Based on the name alone, we’re expecting something, well, awesome.
This is a plant-based coffee protein powder, but it’s not just coffee-flavored protein, it is actual coffee…
With two of the main ingredients being Arabica Instant Coffee and Fair Trade Organic Mexican Coffee, the hope is that this will actually taste like coffee (something I’ve found difficult to come by with protein powders).
Awesome Coffee is fully plant-based, which can be really hit or miss for my taste buds, so let’s just get right into it.
Mixing it Up – Texture & Consistency
The Awesome Coffee directions say to just mix the powder with water or milk, so that’s what I tried.
One of the first things I noticed with Awesome Coffee is how easily it mixed into both the water and milk. Armed with my handy milk frother, I found it frothed up quite a bit. Granted, it was mostly bubbles that eventually died down, but it was rather fun to watch the volume increase as I mised.
The question that often remains with any protein powder is the texture. Will it be grainy, smooth, or somewhere in between?
In this case, there was a very slight grittiness, but nothing significant enough to take away from the overall experience.
I also tried mixing Awesome Coffee in a simple shaker bottle, and it mixed up with no problem.
Taste – From Bitter to Better
The taste of Awesome Coffee reminded me of espresso, with a fair share of bitterness typical of a strong espresso shot.
It’s only very lightly sweetened, with 4 grams of sugar per serving, which is just enough to cut through the protein taste so you don’t get that earthy flavor.
But in terms of the drink itself, I’d consider this mostly unsweetened. Don’t expect this to taste like a latte or cappuccino, that’s for sure.
Even when mixed with milk, the resulting drink resembled a strong Americano more than a latte. For a black coffee drinker like myself, the lack of sweetness is actually a plus. But if your palate leans towards the sweeter side, you’ll need to doctor this up a bit or you’ll likely find it too bitter.
It’s worth noting that Awesome Coffee is not trying to mimic flavored coffee like most coffee protein powders on the market. It’s simply quality coffee, and that’s a refreshing change in my book.
If you’re looking for something that tastes like French vanilla coffee creamer, this is certainly not it. But as a high-protein substitute for your morning espresso? Absolutely.
Surprisingly Steady Energy & Mental Focus
I’m not much of an espresso drinker, and since this reminds me so much of espresso, I wasn’t sure how much I would actually enjoy drinking Awesome Coffee.
I decided to fancy up my drink a tiny bit by adding a spoonful of cocoa powder and some honey. And man oh man, it was delicious.
It was like a quality mocha beverage, and I absolutely loved it. Still a tad bitter, but that’s because I went light with the honey to keep the calories down.
Since the powder itself tastes like espresso, you can really make any espresso-based drink you want. For me, adding some chocolate and a tiny bit of sweetness was the perfect compliment. Since I don’t prefer anything overly sweet, I found this to be awesome.
Now, the real test. I wake up at 5AM every morning and take a pre-workout supplement before my workout, so I decided to swap my usual supplement for my newly-discovered Awesome Coffee mocha.
The result? An absolutely amazing workout.
Thinking maybe it was just a coincidence, I continued this for three days, and every single day I had an awesome workout. My energy was steady and I wasn’t jittery, yet I felt a really strong mental focus.
Chalk this up to the addition of ashwagandha, which has been shown to increase mental clarity & focus (amongst other benefits). Regardless, there is no denying that Awesome Coffee provides quality, steady energy.
I’ve never felt mental focus like this from coffee, even my beloved cold brew, so I am extremely impressed.
Awesome Coffee: The Final Verdict
Awesome Coffee won’t be replacing my afternoon cold brew, mostly due to the stark difference in flavor profiles. But if you need a drink to give you steady energy and mental clarity, I can’t recommend this enough.
If you’re plant-based and need some extra protein, it’s a no-brainer. But if you like espresso as well, you will absolutely love this.
Awesome Coffee isn’t a cloyingly sweet coffee impersonator but rather a strong, lightly sweetened protein supplement that makes for a really solid pre workout. I’ll happily keep drinking it as an early morning preworkout drink, because I absolutely love the mental focus I get from it.
But we have to ackowledge the fact that Awesome Coffee costs $39.99 for 15 servings, so you’re looking at about $2.67 per serving.
If you’re someone who’s used to grabbing a cup of coffee from a coffeeshop every day, the cost adds up quickly, often far surpassing the per-serving cost of Awesome Coffee.
From that perspective, investing in this protein coffee powder can be a great way to save some cash in the long run. Plus, it has the added advantage of giving you a protein boost along with your caffeine hit, a benefit that your regular coffee can’t offer.
And if you’re replacing a preworkout supplement, this may even be cheaper.
The price point might be a bit steep for some, especially if you’re used to making your coffee at home.
But for the nutrition, convenience, and steady energy it offers, it just might be worth it.
