I'm a big fan of taking casein before bed. The point of it being that casein protein takes awhile for your metabolism to break it down. Casein proteins are commonly found in milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk. An benefitual property of the casein protein is its ability to form a gel or clot in the stomach, which makes it very efficient in nutrient supply. The clot is able to provide a sustained slow release of amino acids into the blood stream, sometimes lasting for several hours. This provides better nitrogen retention and use by the body. But enough about the science behind casein.

I mainly only consume Optimum brands for protein, and that is because I'm a true believer that they actually care more about the customer then making a sleezy buck. The profile is very nice, containing 24 grams of protein, 10 grams of amino acids and no grams of sugar.

Taste - 7/10 : I had the blueberry cream flavor, and I didn't like it too much. It wasn't nasty of anything, but I just think I made a mistake in chosing the flavor. I prefer using less water to make it more of a thicker shake, seems to taste better that way for me. All in all, it was 'decent'.

Mixibility - 8/10 : Casein isn't known for being the best for mixibility, but regardless, this product was fine in that regards, just required more shaking of the bottle.

Effects - 9/10 : I am a true believer of trying to prevent the body from going into a catabolic state during sleep, and this is a great way to prevent that from occuring. Not only does it have BCAA's that help with that, the whole point of it taking awhile for it to be broken down is so that your body constantly has a nutrient source to feed off from instead of going for the muscles.

Price - 8/10 : It's not the cheapest of casien proteins out there, but like I stated earlier, I would rather pay the extra few bucks to get a ON product which ensures me that I'm receiving something that is a quality product.

Only problem I honestly had was that when you pour in the water to your shaker, you can see the color additives (red and blue) instantly, which really puts me off. I could really care less if my protein shake 'looks' like a blueberry cream, it could be whatever color, but I don't believe in synthetically dying a product to make it look more appeasing aesthetically.

Just finished up my second 4 lb tub of this so I figured I'm due for a review on it. My Original reasoning for wanting try it simply stems from wanting to cut back on my Sucralose intake. I found that between my Whey Proteins, my Casein proteins, carb supplements, and my amino supplements such as Xtend and Purple Wraath, my fear was that I was taking in a little bit more Sucralose on a daily basis than what I was comfortable with.

Value: 5/10
Let's start with the bad part, unfortunately Casein protein in general is not cheap. This cost $48 for a 4lb tub that provides 49 servings which comes in at .98 per serving. Pricewise, its not that much different from Optimum's normal Casein which in my mind makes it any easy pick of the two. Unfortunately, this is a lot more expensive than Dymatize's Casein protein and I could also throw in a lot more expensive than MyoFusion which is a blend protein. The cost makes this hard to justify and if I'm ever tight on money, this might be the first thing I eliminate.

Mixability: 8/10
Casein normally mixes a little thicker than other proteins, but this is easily cured by adding a little bit more water into the mix. Overall though, I'm always pretty satisfied with ON's mixability on proteins and this is no exception.

Taste: 3/10
Let me elaborate on this one. I think many would like to buy more of the "Natural" Products, but the simple fact is they taste terrible compared to the normal versions made with Sucralose. Since I don't ever trust Vanilla flavors, but my tubs of this have been the Chocolate Creme.

Very shortly after purchasing this product, I tried something with it to cure the taste. I purchased some Organic Stevia Extract and started adding a few packets (2-3) to my shake and BOOM-all of a sudden it tasted good. I do the same with my 100% Natural Whey from ON and same effect. My conclusion is that the companies that make these products need to add more Stevia to the mix and not be so stingy with it and I believe more people would use these products.

Uses and Effectiveness: 9/10
I've found that I appreciate Casein more when I think of it as a food supplement to my diet instead of a miracle muscle building product.
It really is a great product to take as my final before bed meal. I can't really say it changes my hunger much when I wake up the next morning like some have reported, but it certainly doesn't hurt either.
I've found it does make a great middle of the day snack and it does do a really great job of keeping me full until my next meal.

As a recovery supplement, it does a fine job of reducing soreness. I don't really feel a difference after upper body since I really don't get sore after upper body, but I do notice a much better recovery from my leg workouts when I do take it the night of and night after I do legs. That alone might justify the price!

It comes with a good amino acid profile with almost 5g of both BCAA's and Glutamine. Besides the Stevia, it contains no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors. Finally, it makes a good source of Calcium as one serving contains 60% RDA.

Overall, I consider this product more of a luxury than a necessity. I will keep taking for now since it is one of the few 100% Natural proteins out there made by a reputable company.

This is my first time trying a straight casein powder. I find the product does its job and keeps me feeling full longer than whey but that comes at a cost. Compared to whey this product is much thicker and is difficult to mix without a blender. The taste is fair and tolerable but again compare to the 100% Whey the taste falls a little short.

best casein out there

best part is that it is natural

great product for a warrior diet and to use it before bed or periods that u cant eat too much

In my opinion, this is the best casein powder available... perfect for maintaining a steady protein source through the night. I've tried other brands, both Micellar Casein and calcium caseinate; while all they were decent, ON's 100% Natural works best for me. It has a decent taste for a casein powder and it's relatively easy to mix with water. Other caseins were lumpy even after somewhat strenuous stirring. With this product,I have tried both the vanilla and chocolate flavors and was surprised that the taste wasn't chalky nor gritty as some of the other casein shakes I've tried. Sure, the taste doesn't rival Gaspari's MyoFusion, but, again, for a casein shake (mixing it only with water), not bad. As I already mentioned, what's great about this product is its effectiveness-- delayed release so that the body's supplied with protein throughout the night; like another reviewer noted, the next morning, you're feeling full rather than famished. Being all natural is a definite plus. Perhaps best of all, 100% Natural consists of premium casein-- miscellar. People debate whether miscellar is substantially superior to calcium caseinate-- some will claim that the only real difference between the two is the price. Well, I've tried both and did OK with the calcium caseinate powder. But, between the taste and my personal experience, I prefer the miscellar casein. ON's 100% Natural Casein's price does run higher than calcium cassinate. But then again, it's not prohibitive or outrageous. And it's more effective and less costly than other miscellar casein proteins I've used. Overall, a solid--even excellent--product as a nighttime protein.

The taste is horrible when just mixed with water , so it's best used to add peanut butter, banana ,soy milk, ice cubes , . Before casein My wife and I were using extreme wheybolic GNC -Trash,!!! But since the change to casein we have seen great results only after 2or 3 weeks so fowlling a decent diet anyone will love this product , it is def worth the money!!

This is my Casein of choice. I like the fact that there are no artificial flavours and it doesnt have a strong taste. It has all the benefits of the 100% Casein. Quick recovery, builds muscle, can use as a snack, no hungry feeling in the morning, all that good stuff. I take this at night and in the morning. I take it in the morning because i work in the oil field and i dont get many breaks so i want my muscles to be fed as much as possible until i can get more protein into me. This is and always will be a part of my routine. I would have given it a 10 if it was a little cheaper.

Love the Chocolate flavor, and the fact that its all natural is awesome! I am a big fan of casein, keeps your Body Fueled all night long. recommend this product to anyone!

I picked up a 2lb tub of French Vanilla 100% Gold Standard Natural Casein and i have to begin by admitting that the 'natural' part was unintentional to start off with - i actually didn't initially notice the difference until i had a closer look at the tub, but was pleasantly surprised as it contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives etc! the differences with the regular ON Casein are slight, the scooper is slightly larger but other than that the effects were identical.
For me Casein has become a staple supplement in my stack, pre-bed by around half an hour i make a shake and stack it with glutamine and milled flaxseed (and perhaps a teaspoon of reduced fat peanut butter) what this does is kill those pre-bed stomach pangs, where in the past i would snack on some junk food such as chips, chocolate etc ... instead you're consuming something thats beneficial to your body, fills you up and tastes pretty darn good :-) i even wake up and don't immediately get that starving feeling where your body's craving food!
on the other hand if you already have ON Whey and maybe even a protein blend (i have MyoFusion) it can be a bit pricy adding another protein tub to the collection ... however it's definitely worth it and you get a great quality product for your buck!
would i recommend Casein? definitely would i recommend Natural Casein? Why not give it a try, in these times so many products are full of artificial colors and preservatives its refreshing to find a natural product.

This is the best casein protein I have ever tried. It mixes amazingly well, no blender needed. It does not clump up at all, unlike most casein powders i have tried. In addition it has a good amount of protein, BCAAs and enzymes to assist in digestion. The taste was excellent when mixed with milk or water and to top it all off it is all natural: no artificial colors, flavors, etc. It was a decent price and for the quality of the product it is deffenantly well worth trying! I deffinantly recommend this product!