The first thing most people want to know about a protein powder is: Does it taste good? The second question is: What's the texture? Does it mix well?Here's my take on those things: I have tried multiple organic, plain, vegan, rice protein powders. None of them are particularly tasty but, on the plus side, they all taste better than unflavored pea protein powder. And all pea protein powder tastes better than hemp protein powder, which I simply can't stand the taste of. So essentially, when you buy a vegan protein powder, it's just a matter of how sensitive you are to, basically, bad-tasting protein powder. You either learn to ignore the taste, or you do a good job disguising it. My husband's approach is the former, and mine is the latter.As for the texture of this particular product, it is a bit grainy, but it mixes okay. It's grainy because it doesn't have any fillers in it. If you get a rice protein powder with a smooth, fine, powdery texture, you can bet it got that way because of additives (more on that below).Unlike my husband, I never drink my rice protein powder in plain water, so I can't comment directly on the texture and taste. It is his opinion that it mixes well with just a fork or a small, wire whisk in a glass of water. He also tells me that, to him, the taste is acceptable and no better or worse than any other brand he's tried. His one mild complaint is the slightly grainy texture.I mix this protein powder into my morning green smoothie which consists of, other than protein powder and plain, cold-infused herb tea, the following, all of which are organic: spinach, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, banana, protein powder, and various herbs and supplements, with stevia powder as a sweetener.As you might imagine, so many different fruits and vegetables do a great job disguising the taste of vegan protein powder. In fact, if a protein powder, in that situation, is so awful tasting (which pea protein and hemp are, in my opinion) that I can taste the bad flavor over all the other items in the smoothie, it's a loser for me and I do not buy it again. This protein powder easily passes that test because I can't taste it at all.For me personally, the biggest way that this product is a win for me is this: Not only is it organic, it has no additives of any kind. None. If you want flavor, you can add your own, thereby controlling exactly what goes into your stomach.If you are looking for the convenience of a highly flavored product that you can drink in water without having to choke it down, then no plain, vegan protein powder is for you, including this one.If a grainy texture is a problem for you, then, again, you aren't looking for a rice protein powder like this one that has nothing in it but rice protein. To get a smooth, non-grainy texture, the manufacturer must add fillers.In regard to the non-grainy-texture issue in particular, below is my cross comparison between this product and another rice protein powder I used a lot before finding this one:Zen Principle:Serving 30 gm.Protein 26 gm.87% protein Jarrow Formulas Brown Rice Protein Concentrate, Vanilla Flavor :Serving: 17 gmProtein: 12 gm71% proteinWhat makes the difference in that telling percentage? The Jarrow brand has several fillers and Zen, as mentioned above, has zero. These Jarrow fillers include: organic gum acacia, organic guar gum, and xanthan gum. These three fillers aren't especially bad for you, but they aren't protein, which is what you are paying for when you buy protein powder. They also don't improve the taste, though they are so bland, they don't make it any worse. What they do achieve is to give it a smooth texture.Since smooth texture doesn't matter to me, from now on, I'm going to stick with this product. Read more

Sorry ahead of time, this is a lengthy review to help out the people who do not know which brown rice protein to choose. I am sensitive to numerous foods (including whey & pea protein amongst many others), have ulcerative colitis, and love food that tastes great. All this leaves me semi dependent on having a protein shake in the first half of the day to get the amount of protein I need. In my search for plain/ naked plant based protein, brown rice & pumpkin seed protein both have agreed with my body & taste buds!I have tried three organic brown rice proteins, this one, Zen Principle, Naked Nutrition, & Swanson’s. Zen Principle is my top pick hands down. It has the most neutral taste of the three which is super important to me. While I was having the worst UC flare, as well as at another point on an elimination diet, I had to have my shakes without added cocoa or fruit. You do not want to make tough times worse then they already are with a bad taste in your mouth! Naked Nutrition has a similar base taste, but is a bit more bitter (?) making it come in second place. And I have to say, Swanson’s was disgusting & I dropped it out of the race!Zen Principle’s B.R. protein also blends the best in my shakes (with a shaker bottle) with barely any grit. Naked Nutrition does have a slight grit, but not enough that would deter me from drinking it.From a nutritional & amino acid profile standpoint, they are almost identical. N.N. uses organic sprouted brown rice which will give you a tiny amount of calcium, iron, phosphorus, & magnesium. But to me a multivitamin covers this lack in Z.P’s protein. And to who it matters, Z.P. has 26g protein & 2.37g total carbs in 30g of protein, while N.N’s has 25g & 4g respectively in 30g of protein.And lastly, they are both dairy, gluten, & soy free (N.N. clarifies certified gluten free). N.N. also has a independent third party test for heavy metals where Z.P. has it done in-house. Zen Principle is also the least expensive by the ounce ($0.79/oz), and is only sold in a 3 lb bottle. Naked Nutrition is a bit more pricey probably due to using sprouted rice & having third party labs test their products; $1.37/oz for a 1 lb bottle & $0.94/oz for a huge 5lb bottle.At the end of the day, taste, texture, & price help make Zen Principle’s Organic Brown Rice Protein the winner for me!*** Update 4/7/21 - For the first time since 2018-ish, ZP’s Brown Rice Protein (Lot # 20200515, Exp 10/32/22) tastes & smells like it has slightly gone bad. I will attempt to see what ZP has to say about it. Read more

Rice protein from any brand is not a very good product. It is bitter, stale-tasting, and some--don't know about this, but would like to believe the seller's claim re: heavy-metals--are high in toxic metal. This includes protein sourced from organic rice. The remedy would be two major improvements, one quite doable, the other difficult for the Chinese manufacturers--pretty much the only makers of rice protein. What is doable would be to add sunflower lecithin to the mix, which prevents dusting, and clumping; the product would disperse more easily in liquid. The second improvement would be to make the protein form WHITE rice, not brown. There is no nutritional benefit to using brown rice for this product, and there is as much or more protein in white rice than in brown. The taste would vastly improve, and, more importantly, the heavy-metal content would drastically be lowered. I am not, as the saying goes, holding my breath. Read more