… it probably is. That’s how I felt about the “Keto Powered by Plant Protein” promised by Koia. I’ve been living a keto/low-carb lifestyle since February 2018. I am a firm believer that keto eating is most sustainable when there are conveniences to keep you on track. I saw this drink pop up as an ad a few months ago and knew I needed to try it.

Last night while looking for chia seeds at Whole Foods, Jared and I found the holy grail of Koia drinks and TWO flavors of the keto drink. We picked up both the cake batter and brownie batter flavors for $3.99 each. While not cheap, if it works as a meal replacement, we think it’s worth it. 

This morning I started with coffee, keto creamer and collagen powder. (Confession: We may have been bad keto-tarians this weekend and eaten some delicious carbs — because you can’t take life too seriously — so it left us hungry this morning and the coffee wasn’t holding us over.)

So I cracked open a cold one. Cake batter. It smelled SO GOOD. I was hopeful.

With the first swig, it had a slightly chalky texture, but not enough to bother me. That tends to be the mouth-feel of all protein powders. And it was surprisingly sweet with a nice consistency.

Then it happened… the after taste. 

You know when you were a kid (or like three weeks ago at Halloween) when you ate a ton of candy and then your spit tasted sour and thick? That’s what this drink did. And I’m still hungry.

It comes in at 5 net carbs. If I were not left hungry, it might have been acceptable to me. I know. Keto has lowered my expectations a bit. And the aftertaste is nothing a good swig of mouthwash can’t cure.

It’s not horrific. Don’t get me wrong. I have the brownie flavor Koia in the fridge and I will drink it. But I’ll probably only use part of it as creamer in my morning coffee. Perhaps that will hedge the aftertaste as well.

I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you want to give Koia a try. Will I purchase again? IMBHO…maybe.

IMBHO Contributor: Alyssa C.

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IMBHO Editor side note: We like to learn about the company behind the products reviewed. With Koia, we had to do a little digging to find out who founded this company. So far we came up with three names (maybe there are more founders…we don’t really know.)

Meet Dustin Baker
Meet Maya French
Meet Chris Hunter

We think it’s important to know the stories behind the products, and we firmly believe stories help consumers relate to companies and their products, which could enhance loyalty and sales. Koia could certainly do a better job of streamlining their story so consumers don’t have to dig to find out who they are and what they represent.