PES Strawberry Cheesecake Select
Taste
As a Shake:
Strawberry Cheesecake – With most fruit flavors on the market they can either be good, or they can be incredibly artificial. PES has a good track record of making very well flavored protein flavors and this is very true to its name. The first hit on your taste buds is bold and rich cheesecake, and soon you find a strawberry compliment. The aftertaste is where you find the strawberry come through especially with the frozen dried strawberry pieces included in the batter. The little pieces do not add much flavor. The thing I would like to see improved is the cream cheese aspect of a cheesecake, which was hard to pick up on. While it is hard to replicate a true dessert in a protein powder this was a good attempt. If you have ever had the old Oxy Elite Strawberry from USP Labs this is a close contestant to it. The Oxy elite had a stronger strawberry flavor in comparison to PES . Overall I got a 50/50 Compliment of cheesecake to strawberries and cream flavor when mixed in a shake.
Protein Pudding:
When mixed into protein pudding I found this is where I lost the cheesecake flavor. The strawberries and cream flavor is noted as the dominating factor, but the cheesecake is so subtle it is hard to pick up on. I mixed 1 scoop with 6oz of plain greek yogurt.
Baking:
I made a cheesecake and I found a similar trend with flavoring just like the protein pudding. The strawberries and cream flavor is what shines and the cheesecake takes a backseat. PES sure hit the nail on the head with a pure and rich strawberries and cream flavor. If you are a big strawberry fan this protein powder will be a hit.
Overall:
Equal Cheesecake / Strawberry Ratio = Shake
Stronger Strawberry to Cheesecake Ratio = Baking / Greek Yogurt
My Ranking of Select Flavors:
- Vanilla
- White Chocolate Mint
- Peanut Butter Cookie
- SnickerDoodle
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Frosted Chocolate Cupcake
- Peanut Butter Cup
- Cookies & Cream
Mixability
For those who have had PES Select they know it mixes with ease. Even as a blend the protein powder has no problems or leaves no clumps. I prefer the thicker protein shakes or protein pudding. I found Strawberry Cheesecake is thicker then PB Cookie, FCC, CnC, and PBC. White Chocolate Mint, Vanilla, and SD are hands down the three thickest flavors select has to offer with Strawberry Cheesecake right behind them. It is somewhat middle of the road for thickness as its not too thin, but not extremely thick.
Formula
1.5g Fat
3g Carb
24g Protein
A very macro friendly protein powder. With the price point it makes it easy to fit in on a daily basis compared to others who may exceed 150-180 kcals per serving. The blend of protein included in Select combine to form a thicker protein powder… I personally enjoy it because I make a lot of protein pudding and enjoy baking. Both which come out perfectly with 0 issues. I wish more companies would create blends that match their label 100% even when tested by stack3d came back above what the label claims.
Cost
$20.99 on the Insider deal. After the insider you may see prices rise to $25-30 for a 2lb tub. If you missed out on the insider this is a limited edition flavor, so I do not know when it will sell out but it may be gone for good. PES is one of the most cost effective options on the market. Makes it very good for an everyday use protein