I had to check my calendar to make sure we hadn’t missed National Smoothie Day, and — phew — there’s still time. The holiday, which this year falls on the same day as Father’s Day, is on June 21. So in addition to whatever gift certificate for a home improvement store you’ve purchased for your dad, you can throw in a few bottles of the newly released Naked Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie and Naked Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie.
“Consumer interest in healthy ingredients is exploding today, but Naked has been letting the delicious power of fruits and vegetables speak for themselves since 1983,” Tropicana said in the announcement of the new Naked Smoothies. “With our newest protein smoothies, we’re setting a new standard for what Naked smoothie lovers can expect from functional beverages by pairing craveable flavors with plant-based protein, fiber and essential vitamins.”
While I’m still dubious over the idea that we need to keep adding protein to everything, I’m fully on board with the introduction of more dessert-centric flavors of smoothies. I won’t pass up a chocolate banana smoothie. (Unless you’re offering me a chocolate banana milkshake instead. Then I’ll definitely go with the milkshake.)
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These two new smoothies aren’t the first time that Naked has dabbled in the world of protein. The company has previously released Tropical, Double Berry and Coco Gauff’s Pineapple Orange flavors under the Protein Smoothie banner.
Naked calls its Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie “a rich, chocolate-forward blend balanced by the natural sweetness of banana,” which is a description that really fits the flavor. It’s a chocolate smoothie first, with notes of banana coming in as a secondary flavor.
Whenever I’ve found myself tossing a Naked Smoothie into my grocery cart, there’s a good chance it’ll be a bottle of Rainbow Machine or Blue Machine. Both flavors are big on blueberry, and as someone who’s also a huge cheesecake fan, I was excited to see how those two flavors would come together with the Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie.
This one is definitely a blueberry smoothie, but the “cheesecake” part is a bit difficult to pinpoint. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tasty addition to the Naked lineup, but if you’re looking for the tanginess often found in cheesecake, you might be disappointed. Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie actually has a warmth to it that reminds me more of a blueberry crumble than a cheesecake.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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