Select Cafe from PES Review Thread!

[graysonthacker]

This log will follow my thoughts on PES's new Select Cafe, which is their new naturally caffeinated protein line of coffee flavors: Iced Mocha, Vanilla Frappe, and Caramel Macchiato!! These flavors sound awesome right off the bat. I am a fan of coffee so it is an understatement to say I am excited! Really grateful for the hook up from Kbayne and PES!



Just a little about me before we get into my thoughts on Select Cafe!

Introduction

I currently am a running back on a NCAA Division III football team. I do not start though as I am an incoming sophomore and have areas I can improve on (one of the many reasons I train so frequently). I am looking to add some lean mass and trim up any excess fat, especially in my core, so I can get faster in the offseason so that I can get more playing time next year. Adding some lean muscle with the help of Select Cafe would be great!

To provide some other personal details, I am 5'10" ~200 lbs and hover around 12-14% body fat (I would like to get that down to 10%). I have been power lifting and bodybuilding for about two years, going on three. Eventually (like mid 20s), I hope to possibly compete in natural competitions and stay healthy and fit throughout my entire life! I have run programs like the Arnold Blueprint, Get Swol Plan, and Shortcut to Size in the past. I am interested in Steve Cook's Modern Physique trainer so I may get into that for this log - really many meaning to do that.

I try and eat around 3,000 calories a day, but there is daily variation. I try to do 1 - 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, and the rest will be mostly complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.

Select Cafe

Select Cafe on Stack3D
http://www.stack3d.com/2016/08/select-cafe-protein.html

Initial Thoughts on Select Cafe
The formula looks pretty nice and clean with a solid 20 grams of protein and 100 mg of naturally sourced caffeine! Carbs and fats are low!



So I gave the Vanilla Frappe my first go, and I prepare it frappe style (1 scoop of Select Cafe Vanilla Frappe, 1 cup of ice, 4 oz of skim milk and then blended - see pics below). The flavor is awesome! It is rich, sweet and has natural coffee and vanilla character that was appropriately intense. I found it really enjoyable and would love to drink all the time! There was a nice energy bump after use as well! PES really hit a home run on this one! Big fan of the Vanilla Frappe!

[bencarpenter]

In.

[VO2Maxima]

In on this. Pictures already looking great.

[graysonthacker]

In.

In on this. Pictures already looking great.

Thanks guys! Glad to have you in!

Another post coming tonight!

Here is a teaser!

[graysonthacker]

So for my first go at the Caramel Macchiato flavor, I went with 8 oz of cold skim milk with one scoop of the product. It tasted really excellent. I really liked the saltiness to the product and would have been happy with a little more. It intensifies the caramel flavor and sweetness. The flavor was great all around. The texture was nice too. It didn't foam up too much and blended well. Really am enjoying Select Cafe! Can't wait to try this flavor warm!

[bencarpenter]

So for my first go at the Caramel Macchiato flavor, I went with 8 oz of cold skim milk with one scoop of the product. It tasted really excellent. I really liked the saltiness to the product and would have been happy with a little more. It intensifies the caramel flavor and sweetness. The flavor was great all around. The texture was nice too. It didn't foam up too much and blended well. Really am enjoying Select Cafe! Can't wait to try this flavor warm!

Was that just straight cold milk and not mixed with ice or anything?

[graysonthacker]

Was that just straight cold milk and not mixed with ice or anything?

Yes, this time it was just straight in cold milk! Going to try out a lot of variation and not just the suggestions on the tub. Will be giving iced caramel macchiato a go today!

[kbayne]

Any comments on the thickness compared to Select?

[VO2Maxima]

Glad to know it works well just mixed up in milk. While obviously it was designed for the more "fancy" applications, still nice that you can lazy out and it still tastes good!

[graysonthacker]

Any comments on the thickness compared to Select?

I unfortunately have never tried Select. Only have tried High Volume, Ergonine, and Amino IV from PES from you guys and now Select Cafe!

In terms of thickness, I would say Select Cafe is very smooth. It doesn't become a sludge or foam up - just nice thin and smooth texture. There are of course some bubbles after shaking but very minor.

Glad to know it works well just mixed up in milk. While obviously it was designed for the more "fancy" applications, still nice that you can lazy out and it still tastes good!

Yes, its versatility as a product is really awesome! I think it is a winner!

[graysonthacker]

Today I tried the caramel macchiato again! I tried it iced style! It was excellent. I do like it iced better than with milk alone. I used two scoops and 12 oz of milk plus several ice cubes. I drank it as a pre-workout stacked with PlasmaJet for muscle pumps. I had an absolute excellent workout. It is the first time I tried a protein product as a pre-workout, and I really enjoyed it. The caramel macchiato flavor is really top notch, though it does leave me wanting a little more saltiness to intensify the caramel flavor.

[Driven2liftv2]

In!

Glad to see those thoughts on Macchiato!

I wasn't expecting a "salted" caramel for a macchiato, but it would sure be an easy fix if that's what you were after

[graysonthacker]

In!

Glad to see those thoughts on Macchiato!

I wasn't expecting a "salted" caramel for a macchiato, but it would sure be an easy fix if that's what you were after

Good point! Didn't even think of that! Will add a little salt next time to the caramel macchiato! Today will be using the Vanilla Frappe warm! So excited!

[graysonthacker]

I hit a hot version of Vanilla Frappe today in the morning, and it was definitely my favorite way to prepare the vanilla flavor thus far! I will repeat tomorrow because I didn't get a picture. It was excellent. The perfect replacement for a morning coffee! It was more tasty and delivers lots of great protein! I look forward to repeating tomorrow morning!

[opul3nt]

IN!

Can't wait to try these with Fairlife whole milk. Donezo

[graysonthacker]

IN!

Can't wait to try these with Fairlife whole milk. Donezo

Yes, I do need to get a bottle of Fairlife and try that out!!

[VO2Maxima]

Yes, I do need to get a bottle of Fairlife and try that out!!

It tastes pretty much exactly the same as regular milk, but the macros are skewed higher protein, which is nice.

[graysonthacker]

It tastes pretty much exactly the same as regular milk, but the macros are skewed higher protein, which is nice.

Yes, I bought some this weekend to try out!

I tried the Iced Mocha for the first time in 6 oz of Fairlife 2% milk heated up!


I this thus far, the mocha flavor heated was my favorite by far! It is a killer flavor! I am really happy with it! 100/10! Yes meant the 100 haha

[graysonthacker]

I had the Iced Mocha flavor iced today in the morning! The flavor was great! The chocolate flavor is very smooth and the richness and sweetness are balanced well with the coffee aroma and flavor. I do prefer it warm, but having it iced was still very enjoyable.

This Select Cafe series is excellent! I saw the opening price on the product too, which looked great. Folks should definitely get in on this!

[graysonthacker]

This morning I had the Vanilla Frappe served hot! It was very very good. I think I may prefer the Vanilla frappe flavor in the frappe style though. This is the converse experience to the iced mocha, where I love that flavor warm!

[VO2Maxima]

This morning I had the Vanilla Frappe served hot! It was very very good. I think I may prefer the Vanilla frappe flavor in the frappe style though. This is the converse experience to the iced mocha, where I love that flavor warm!

So Vanilla Frappe for the summer and Iced (but not actually iced) Mocha for the winter?

[graysonthacker]

So Vanilla Frappe for the summer and Iced (but not actually iced) Mocha for the winter?

Haha yes that's definitely a line-up I would like!

[graysonthacker]

Gave the caramel macchiato a try warmed as well! It was excellent! It was really satisfying, and the energy that the 100 mg of caffeine delivered was actually pretty potent! It is something that I meant to point out earlier! I have given Select Cafe a try before workouts before, and it has really helped support some solid workouts. It is really easy on the stomach too!



Tomorrow's plan is to give the Iced Mocha a try in frappe style!

[graysonthacker]

For the last three days, including today, I have been giving Iced Mocha (frappe style) a go. I have really been enjoying it. It is delicious for one, but it also provides a nice hit of energy and is cool and refreshing in the frappe style. I do say I still prefer the Iced Mocha in the heated fashion. I will provide a ranking of flavors and styles soon enough, since I have given everything a thorough try at this point after a little over two weeks of use!

[VO2Maxima]

I don't normally get specialty coffee drinks and have to continuously look up what these variations are. So frappe is iced. Got it.

Definitely looking forward to the ranking, particularly where each rates for you hot versus cold!

[graysonthacker]

I don't normally get specialty coffee drinks and have to continuously look up what these variations are. So frappe is iced. Got it.

Definitely looking forward to the ranking, particularly where each rates for you hot versus cold!

Yes, I will have those ranking up soon, sometime this weekend for sure. I am partial to the heated preparation of Select Cafe because of the psychological association I make between coffee and heat and the coffee flavoring used in Select Cafe. However, the flavors a really excellent anyway you have them! It is nice that the are such great quality and have so much versatility while sold at a decent price too!

[graysonthacker]

Have made some progress on the tubs I have been using! I really love all three flavors and plan to rank them all 10/10! However, I do have a preference for how I should rank them based on flavor and style.

Rankings on preparation (holds true across most flavors for me, excepting vanilla frappe, which trumps vanilla heated)
1 - Heated or warm
2 - Frappe style (ie blended with crushed ice, cream added sometimes)
3 - Iced or cold milk/water

Rankings on Flavor
1 - Iced Mocha
2 - Caramel Macchiato
3 - Vanilla Frappe

Honestly, I am very impressed by Select Cafe! I really want to try out the regular Select flavors now and see if they are just as good. Also, the price point I have heard is great on these (though looks like the bb.com price will be more expensive than the opening deal, placing it at about $1.50 a serving, which still gives it great value when used as a substitute for Starbucks). Will put together a formal review for when these go live in bb.com store!

[graysonthacker]

Will post up a final review for Select Cafe soon! Really loved this product! Definitely some of the best tasting protein I have ever had! The caffeine was an excellent bonus too! Really can't go wrong with Select Cafe!

[graysonthacker]

My review of Select Cafe!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1462472013

http://reviews.bodybuilding.com/pesc...27c6728d14f3e/