# Vegan protein shake with mild cacao taste: Cleanit Cacao - By Jinwoo (https://superchart.com/en/@shared-table-traces/) - Written Sep 11, 2026 - Products › Food & snacks - Product provided: I received this product and wrote this post after trying it myself. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@shared-table-traces/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@shared-table-traces/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/index.md) ## In short Cleanit Cacao is a plant-based protein shake from Korea made with pea and rice protein. I mixed it with water or soy milk around workouts and found its lightly bitter, clean cacao flavor far less rich than typical chocolate protein shakes. Verdict: a good option if sweet, creamy chocolate protein feels like too much. ## Good to know - **Protein sources**: Pea protein and rice protein - **Milk ingredients**: None, according to product information - **Sugar and artificial sweeteners**: Zero, according to product information - **How to drink**: Mix with water or soy milk; the product also suggests mixing it with espresso *Prices as written by the tester on Sep 11, 2026 · not updated automatically* I work out consistently, but getting enough protein from food alone every day is harder than you might think. I bet quite a few of you have had this concern too, right? ![Concern about protein supplementation and Cleanit Cacao shake](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-01-1719v-1200.webp) So this time, I tried Cleanit Cacao to make up for the protein I was missing. ## Cleanit Plant-Based Protein Cacao: the basics ![Basic information for Cleanit Plant-Based Protein Cacao](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-02-bnz51-900.webp) ## I work out, so why is protein so hard to keep up with? ![Thinking about protein intake while working out](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-03-1e88y-900.webp) I usually work out quite a lot, so I pay close attention to my protein intake. But it was not easy to calculate and prepare protein foods such as chicken breast or eggs for every meal. While looking for a convenient plant-based protein shake to drink, I chose Cleanit Cacao. I had even failed to finish a whole tub of previous chocolate protein powders because of that rich after-smell that lingered at the end, so I was especially curious about how this one would taste. ## Pea and rice protein: why they caught my eye ![Product information introducing pea and rice protein](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-04-1bsfs-900.webp) According to the product information, this is a high-protein shake made with pea protein and rice protein. > It is also a plant-based protein shake with no milk ingredients at all, so its formulation is a little different from protein products containing dairy. ![Information on a plant-based protein shake without milk ingredients](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-05-1gmu0-900.webp) The fact that it is ZERO sugar and artificial sweeteners also stood out when I was choosing a product. Since you can simply mix it with water or soy milk, it seemed easy enough to keep on hand on workout days. ## Chocolate, but not rich? A different taste from the first sip Honestly, what I liked most was the taste even more than the ingredients, haha. It is a chocolate-flavored plant-based protein shake, but it was less sweet than I expected, and cacao's subtly bitter character lingered at the end. (I cannot keep drinking sweet shakes for long...) With typical chocolate protein powders, after a few sips they can feel rich or leave an artificial sweet scent in my mouth for ages, making them hard to finish. But Cleanit Cacao felt closer to a clean cacao drink than a deep, sweet chocolate milk, and I was surprised that I kept reaching for it. (That slightly bitter note is good too~!) ## The difference I noticed versus other chocolate protein powders ![Comparing the flavor with other chocolate protein powders](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-06-1h1pe-900.webp) Some products I had tried tasted nice at first because they were sweet, but became cloying as I went on. I thought a plant-based protein shake might be similar, but I liked that this product does not rely on sweetness. ![Experience with a clean cacao-flavored protein shake](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-07-onbug-900.webp) After a workout, I especially prefer something that goes down cleanly instead of leaving my mouth coated, and this suited my taste better. That said, if you are expecting a rich, sweet chocolate-milk flavor, it may feel a little mild at first. ## Mix it with water or soy milk? The product information says to mix it with water or soy milk, and it also introduces a way to mix it with espresso and drink it like a latte. If, like me, you find strongly sweet protein powders overwhelming, I think it would be good to start by mixing it simply with water and adjust it to your taste. Personally, even a delicious plant-based protein shake does not get much use if it is inconvenient. I also liked that, as a powder, it is easy to have whenever I am short on protein at a meal or before or after exercise. (Lately, I sometimes drink it as a meal replacement too~!) ## I recommend it for - People who want to consistently get protein while working out - People who found the rich after-smell of regular chocolate protein overwhelming - People who prefer a slightly bitter cacao flavor over excessive sweetness - People looking for something simple to mix with water or soy milk ## Things you may wonder before drinking it ![Frequently asked questions before drinking Cleanit Cacao](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-08-184y3-900.webp) ### Is it very sweet? When I drank it, it leaned more clean and slightly bitter than intensely sweet. ### Does the chocolate flavor feel very rich? This was actually why I kept drinking it. It felt cleaner than the chocolate protein products I had tried before. ### How should I drink it? According to the product information, you can mix it with water or soy milk, and there is also a way to drink it mixed with espresso. ## Final thoughts: is this a cacao flavor you can keep drinking? ![Final thoughts on the Cleanit Cacao protein shake](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-09-7deo4-900.webp) ![Final thoughts on protein supplementation after exercise](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-10-zr60e-900.webp) Because I work out a lot, it has not been easy for me either to carefully meet my protein needs through meals alone every day. That is why I feel that, while ingredients matter in protein powder, the real question is, “Is this a flavor I can keep drinking?” ![Final thoughts on the slightly bitter cacao flavor](https://img.superchart.com/images/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste-11-14xkm-891.webp) > Cleanit Cacao stuck with me because, despite being chocolate-flavored, it was not rich and its slightly bitter cacao taste did not become tiresome, haha. If you, like me, have not found a chocolate protein you can stick with because of that characteristically sweet, rich aftertaste, I think this could be worth comparing. ## Products - Cleanit Plant-Based Protein Cacao — Cleanit --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@shared-table-traces/cleanit-cacao-protein-shake-taste/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt