The nutrition market is filled with tens of hundreds of different protein brands, all proclaiming their advantages over the others. I, like millions of other Americans who cannot stomach eating the necessary quantities of chicken and/or tuna, turn to protein to help maintain physical gains made while exercising.

Some brands promote the amount of Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) that aid in muscle growth while others promote their low-caloric content. Six Star promoted that it had 52 grams of protein per serving, two scoops, which is definitely on the higher end of most proteins.

What they don’t tell you is that that the scoops are: 1.) Gigantic and 2.) Have very little flavor. I mix my protein with water and usually pick one of two can’t-mess-it-up flavors: chocolate or strawberry. Optimum Nutrition’s All-Natural Chocolate, despite having no artificial flavors, tasted wonderful and mixed well with water, bananas, coffee, and/or peanut butter. Six Star did not – mixing it with water led to a very watery taste, whether with 12 or 16 ounces. The only difference was the 12 ounce attempts were thicker but lacked any taste.

Recommendation to avoid – the low price tag does not make up for the lack of taste and middling nutritional value.