SPYLT first burst onto the scene when ultra-filtered milk started taking over the protein shake market a couple of years ago.
We’ve had Fairlife utilizing ultra-filtered milk forever, and then we suddenly had Slate, Quest, Nurri, and now Barebells, to name just a few.
SPYLT exists in that same category, but they are carving out their own niche by adding caffeine to their shakes. Personally, I don’t love that move, and it’s the thing that would deter me from staying stocked up on these, regardless of how good they taste.
I’m sure there’s a huge market of people out there who love the extra caffeine boost, but as a coffee-abuser and preworkout drinker, I do not need extra caffeine in my life.
Luckily, it’s only 60mg of caffeine, so it’s enough to give you a little boost without giving you insane jitters or a crash if you consume it after your morning coffee.
Caffeine aside, the macros on these shakes are very favorable.
It’s very rare to see a protein shake under 100 calories, and most of them are pushing 200 calories. Yes, they usually have a bit more protein, but if you’re looking for a low-calorie option, SPYLT is here for you.
90 calories with 20 grams of protein is about as good as you’re going to find, and if it weren’t for the added caffeine, I’d be more than happy to have 2 of these in the afternoon for a cool 180 calories and 40 grams of protein.
I had previously tried a couple of the SPYLT shakes in a blind taste test I did, and I liked them more than I thought I would. I’ll drop that quick video here for your viewing pleasure:
SPYLT underwent a pretty major rebranding, and while their formula didn’t change, their branding certainly did. And since I’m a bit of a branding nerd, they sent me the new cans to try, so let’s dive into all of the flavors.
Vanilla Milkshake SPYLT Protein Shake
I started out with the basic vanilla shake, and it was a great place to start because this shake is delicious.
It’s on the sweet side, so if you don’t prefer your protein shakes super sweet, I would advise against this one.
This one is true to it’s name, and I would absolutely say it’s identifiable as a “vanilla milkshake” with a flavor profile that very much resembles melted vanilla ice cream.
All of these shakes are made from skim milk, so don’t expect a silky smooth, thick milkshake consistency. In that sense, it doesn’t exactly resemble melted ice cream. But that flavor profile is absolutely there.
If you like sweet, this one is for you.
Chocolate Milk SPYLT Protein Shake
Credit to SPYLT for understanding their own product and not calling this one a chocolate milkshake, because this one is noticeably less sweet than the vanilla.
When I first tasted this one, I thought it was chocolate milkshake flavor, and I made a note that it tastes way more like chocolate milk and is very similar to the flavor of Fairlife’s Core Power chocolate, just a little bit thinner overall.
Well, considering this is a chocolate milk flavor, I guess they nailed it.
Cookies & Cream SPYLT Protein Shake
Cookies & cream flavoring in general is very hit or miss with me, and it’s one of the flavors that can get very artificial very fast.
I’ll be damned… SPYLT crushed this one. I like to set very realistic expectations so you know I’m not just blowing smoke, but I don’t really have any constructive notes on this one. I love it.
The flavor profile is much more cream than cookie, but that is exactly what you want in a drink. If you had an Oreo milkshake, this is exactly the flavor profile you would expect.
You get enough of the cookie flavor to know exactly what this is supposed to be, and it’s very different from the basic vanilla milkshake flavor.
It’s on the sweeter side overall, which is unsurprising for a cookies & cream flavor, but I still find it very balanced.
This was my favorite flavor, and it’s not particularly close.
Peanut Butter Chocolate SPYLT Protein Shake
I was riding high after trying the cookies & cream shake, but peanut butter chocolate brought me right back down to Earth.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: I hated this one.
I love peanut butter (who doesn’t), but I could tell right from the smell that it was going to taste really artificial. That artificial sweetness really comes through, and while you certainly taste peanut butter, it’s far from authentic peanut butter tasting.
Seeing no peanut butter in the ingredients makes sense here, and it very clearly is just peanut butter flavoring. Even a small amount of peanut flour would have gone such a long way in developing the flavor, but this one is not good.
I ended up coming back to this one a day later in hopes that maybe it would taste a bit better, but it never improved. Pass.
Strawberry Milk SPYLT Protein Shake
Strawberry protein shakes are never my favorite, but this one is pretty good.
For whatever reason, I find most strawberry protein shakes taste exactly the same, and this isn’t an exception. It’s similar to strawberry milk, but the thin texture changes the experience a little bit.
Like most of the other flavors, this one is very sweet, and I’d actually prefer it if it were toned down slightly. There are other strawberry shakes out there I like more, like Quest, but this one is pretty good if strawberry is your thing.
It just isn’t mine.
SPYLT: The final verdict
Overall, I’m really impressed with SPYLT. I thought it was just going to be a commodity product, but they hold their own in the flavor department.
I would punt the peanut butter chocolate shake into the sun, and I wouldn’t be rushing out to try the strawberry again, but the vanilla, chocolate, and cookies & cream are all excellent.
Cookies & cream totally blew me away, vanilla was downright delicious, and chocolate reminds me of Fairlife, which is inarguably the most popular protein shake out there.
The caffeine aspect bums me out because without any caffeine, these would easily become a go-to option for me. In terms of flavor (at least for the 3 flavors I mentioned), these are some of the best I have had.
But, as someone who consumes lots of caffeine in my day, I simply do not need the extra caffeine in my life.
Here’s hoping they release a non-caffeinated version at some point in the future, because I would be all over them.
If you like the idea of some extra caffeine alongside your protein shake, then I absolutely recommend trying SPYLT.
