2025 Taiwan's Top 10 Whey Protein Recommendations | A Must-Read for Fitness Enthusiasts

Summary suggestions:

• No special needs and limited budget: whey protein concentrate
• For those who are lactose intolerant but want to quickly absorb protein: whey protein isolate.
• For those who need fast recovery after high-intensity training or even two training sessions a day: hydrolyzed whey protein.
• Vegetarians and those allergic to dairy products: Plant-based protein.

What should I pay attention to when choosing whey?

Now that we know the types and sources of whey, let’s discuss some tips for beginners before choosing a whey brand.

Newbies buy a small package to try the taste first

This is my own painful experience. At that time, I just started to work out in college. In order to save money, I bought 5 kilograms of chocolate-flavored whey. Fortunately, it was not bad to drink, but I never dared to buy chocolate-flavored whey again after drinking it... But I also bought a kilogram of other products, but they were very bad to drink and I could only give them to friends. So to be on the safe side, it is best to buy a bag to try it out.

Pay attention to the protein content of each packet

The protein content of each whey protein manufacturer is different. You can choose the one with higher protein content, but in fact, the difference will not be too big. It is also important to choose the one you like, but if you have never tried it, you can try the one with higher protein content first.

What type of body is suitable for you?

(1) If you are lactose-sensitive and frequently experience diarrhea or bloating when drinking milk, whey protein concentrate (which contains lactose) is not suitable for you. Instead, we recommend choosing whey protein isolate, which has almost completely removed the lactose, or plant-based proteins that contain no dairy ingredients. If you are allergic to dairy products, you should avoid whey products altogether. Plant-based sources like pea protein and soy protein are safer.

(2) If you're doing weight training, fitness, or high-intensity aerobic exercise, you can choose whey protein isolate or hydrolyzed whey protein, which are absorbed faster and have a higher amino acid content. This can more effectively assist with muscle repair and growth. If you're just supplementing your nutrition and don't have a specific exercise routine, whey protein concentrate, which is affordable and has a sufficient protein content, is a good choice.

(3) If you are a vegetarian, vegan, or simply want to avoid animal-based ingredients, you can choose plant-based protein. Pea protein, soy protein, or brown rice protein all provide good sources of amino acids. Some brands also blend multiple plant proteins to supplement the amino acids that may be lacking in a single plant protein.

Taste is really important

I've tried "original" whey protein before, and both animal and plant-based versions are incredibly unpalatable (this is just my subjective opinion). Although the original flavor is less processed, don't bother yourself. The most generally accepted flavor for the public is high-flavor whey protein with a chocolate flavor, which is a great start for beginners.

1. MARS

Editor's drinking experience

The first whey protein brand in Taiwan, the Ares brand has been well-known since I first started working out. Their most outstanding feature is that their milk tea tastes quite good, but the downside is that it is a bit more expensive than other whey protein brands. But I can guarantee that it tastes good and is not too sweet.

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 35g per pack
• Protein content: 26g per pack
• Whey protein purchase type: hydrolyzed whey, other types are available in stores
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: milk tea, jasmine milk green, oolong milk tea, yuanyang milk tea, pure milk tea, jasmine milk tea, South African national treasure milk tea, taro milk, cantaloupe milk, strawberry milk, honey milk, dark cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, banana, caramel macchiato.

2. Myprotein

My drinking experience:

About 5 years ago, when there were not many whey brands to choose from, myprotein was the entry-level brand for almost every fitness novice. Although the price on the official website was not cheap, there were always discount codes on the website. I often waited until the discount was less than 50% to make a big purchase. myprotein has a wide variety of flavors to choose from. I have tried more than 10 flavors. The three best flavors are strawberry cream, chocolate, and the brown sugar bubble tea flavor which is said to be their best-selling flavor. If you don’t like the above three flavors, I will also provide three flavors that I don’t like to help you avoid disappointment. The first is the original flavor, which is super unpalatable and absolutely not recommended. The second is the peanut chocolate flavor, which tastes like stinky upstart pie beaten into juice. The last one is tiramisu, which is very weird (the above are all subjective opinions of the editor).

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 250g, 1kg, 2.5kg
• Protein content: 23g protein per 30g
• Whey protein purchase types: concentrated whey protein also provides hydrolyzed whey selection
• Origin: UK

Whey protein flavors: Danish cinnamon roll, upgraded Hokkaido fresh milk flavor, upgraded matcha latte, natural chocolate flavor, natural vanilla flavor, natural banana flavor, natural strawberry flavor, peach iced tea flavor, milk cereal cream biscuits, chocolate brownie flavor, chocolate peanut butter flavor, chocolate banana flavor, chocolate coconut flavor, chocolate orange flavor, chocolate mint flavor, iced latte, mango lactic acid flavor, smooth chocolate flavor, red bean milk flavor, English milk tea, vanilla, vanilla raspberry flavor, banana flavor, original flavor, sea salt caramel, strawberry cream flavor, tiramisu flavor, dark chocolate flavor, brown sugar bubble milk.

3. NOTORIOUS

My drinking experience:

This is a sports brand run by internet celebrity Chen Zhihan. I bought some of their products to try after watching his live broadcasts and training. I haven't tried all the flavors, only papaya milk and cocoa. Both are quite delicious without too much powdery taste. Looking at the comments from netizens online, they generally think the sesame flavor is very good as well, with the feeling of commercially available sesame paste. 1kg for NT$990 is quite affordable.

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 1Kg
• Protein content: 27g protein per 40g serving
• Whey protein options: Whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed whey, and plant-based protein options are also available.
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: cocoa, milk tea, sesame, papaya milk, Thai milk tea, latte, apple milk, juice milk, pudding, taro, caramel macchiato, matcha, nougat flavor, malt milk.

4. ON Whey Protein

My drinking experience:

I first knew about this brand because Costco only sold this brand's gold medal chocolate back then, so many fitness enthusiasts who went to Costco would buy this brand. At that time, I often borrowed a spoonful from my friends, so I drank it for a while. Overall, it's a pretty good chocolate whey, and it tastes good. I haven't tried other flavors, so readers can also try other flavors.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 2 lbs, 5 lbs
• Protein content: 24g protein per 30g serving
• Whey protein options: Whey protein concentrate (hydrolyzed whey and whey isolate are also available)
• Origin: United States
• Whey protein flavors: Double Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, French Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Strawberry Banana, Chocolate Nut, Chocolate Milk.
  

5. StepV

My drinking experience:

I first became aware of this brand because I've been watching PEETA's videos on his YouTube channel for a long time, often absorbing a lot of fitness knowledge from his YouTube channel. Since he opened the STEPX gym, he has also launched his STEPV and PEETA TAKE TAKE healthy meals. I can't travel from Taichung to northern Taiwan to eat healthy meals, so I thought I'd try some of his whey. I first tried the brown sugar latte flavor, which was really delicious. Later I bought the caramel macchiato, which was also good, but I still think the brown sugar latte flavor is my favorite. It's often on sale now, so readers who want to drink delicious whey can also give it a try! ! !

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 30 packets per box, 35g per packet
• Protein content: 25g protein per 35g serving
• Whey protein options: Whey protein concentrate (hydrolyzed whey and plant-based whey are also available)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Rich Cocoa, Dark Roast Milk Tea, Taro Milk, Papaya Milk, Yogurt, Thai Milk Tea, Caramel Macchiato, Brown Sugar Latte

6. Fruit Energy

My drinking experience:

It is an emerging whey brand in recent years. There are various products on the official website. In addition to high-protein whey, there are also high-protein potato chips. The high-protein potato chips are delicious. As for the whey protein, I have tried Hongyun Ou Latte, Purple Sweet Potato Puree, Sesame Latte, and Thai milk tea. I personally think sesame tastes good, but it's a bit sweet. I searched the internet and saw that most people like yogurt and sesame flavors. Thai milk is super sweet and suitable for ants.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 500g, 1Kg
• Protein content: 18g protein per 25g serving
• Whey protein options: Whey protein concentrate (hydrolyzed whey, isolated whey, and plant-based whey are also available)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Jasmine Green Ole, Red Rhythm Ole, Sesame Latte, Malt Cocoa, Classic Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Oolong Milk Tea, Purple Sweet Potato, Strawberry Milk, Pure Nati, Yuanyang Milk Tea, Japanese Matcha, Caramel Macchiato, Banana Chocolate, Amber Ole, Red Bean Ole, Winter Melon Milk, Good Things Peanut, Mango Sago

7. Body goal

My drinking experience:

I know about them because I haven't been to Costco for a long time. When I walked to the high-protein section, I found that Costco had a lot more high-protein products than before, so I chose the cheapest one, which is the one I am introducing now. Costco comes with 15 bags of chocolate and milk tea. I think the chocolate is better, but to be honest, it is better than the plant protein I have tasted before. I have tasted other brands of original plant protein drinks before and they are really not worth drinking. This brand is acceptable to me! Since I have only tasted two flavors, I searched the Internet and found that everyone thinks the sesame flavor is the best, so I think I can give it a try, but the crunchy taste really takes some time to get used to. XD

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 30 pieces, 31g per pack
• Protein Content: 20g protein per 31g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: Plant-based protein (concentrated whey is also available on the official website)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Dark Cocoa, Sesame Au Lait, Rich Milk Tea, Shizuoka Matcha, Rich Taro Au Lait, Colorful Wild Berry

8. The Vegan

My drinking experience:

I first saw the recommendation from a fitness influencer. At that time, since he could buy single packs, I bought 5 flavors to try. They were noodle tea, Tieguanyin, brown sugar milk tea, jasmine green tea and sesame. I thought the Tieguanyin was well-reproduced and I liked it too. Then, the noodle tea that I was most looking forward to was probably because the noodle tea I had when I was a child was very sweet, so it felt different, but it still had the aroma of noodle tea. I felt the others were just average.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 40g, 1kg
• Protein content: 21g protein per 40g serving
• Whey protein purchase type: plant protein
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: No additional sugar sesame, no additional sugar almond, no additional sugar coffee, no additional sugar soy milk + calcium, no additional sugar almond + calcium, no additional sugar peanut, peach + fiber, oat milk + calcium, matcha milk, classic milk tea, Taiwanese noodle tea, sugar-free milk tea, black tea soy milk, Taiwanese sesame, brown sugar milk tea, Yuanyang milk tea, caramel macchiato, jasmine green tea, no additional sugar soy milk

9. Red Bull RED COW

My drinking experience:

The reason I noticed this whey product is that I ran out of whey once. It takes time to buy it online, and Costco is a bit far from home. So I went to the RT-Mart near my home and found that there was only this Red Bull whey product. It was not expensive. I bought it for 899 yuan.
When I saw it at PX Mart, it had pearl milk tea and cocoa flavors, so I bought the pearl milk tea flavor to try it out and found it was really delicious. It can be considered one of the top milk tea flavors. Later, I went to Shopee and bought their carry-on bags. I also thought the Mandheling and honey milk tea were good. The Mandheling is very similar to Coffee Plaza, and the honey milk tea is very sweet but has a good aroma.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 35g, 500g, 907g for carry-on pack
• Protein content: 28g protein per 35g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: concentrated whey protein (the official website also has concentrated whey and plant-based protein options)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Cocoa, Taro Ole, Mandheling, Matcha, Pearl Milk Tea, Lactic Acid, Original, Peanut Chocolate, Honey Milk, Oolong Milk Tea, Rich Cocoa, Action Triple Effect, Unsweetened Coffee Latte, Unsweetened English Milk Tea, Unsweetened Dark Chocolate

10. ALL IN

My drinking experience:

I noticed this pack of whey because I saw an ad for whey on Instagram, and I thought the packaging design was pretty nice, so I thought I'd give it a try because I'd never had it before. Well, when I went to their official website, the concentrated whey was sold out, so I tried the whey protein isolate, which was a bit more expensive. I saw on their official website that the concentrated whey was $40, so it wasn't expensive. I bought Thai milk tea, milk tea, and honey milk flavors. I found the Thai milk tea and honey milk flavors a bit too sweet and wouldn't recommend them. But I quite like the milk tea because it has an Assam milk tea flavor. They have many other flavors, so I also looked up posts from other netizens online. The lactic acid flavor is quite refreshing when added to ice in the summer, and I recommend it too. You can give it a try.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 35g, 1kg
• Protein content: 28g protein per 35g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: isolated whey protein (concentrated whey and hydrolyzed whey are also available on the official website)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: taro milk, peanut sesame, milk tea, chocolate, matcha, lactic acid, strawberry milk, malt milk, white peach oolong, sesame milk, unflavored, caramel sea salt, winter melon lemon, honey milk, sugar-free milk tea, mocha cocoa, Thai milk tea, noodle tea, red bean milk, black tea milk, purple sweet potato taro milk, nut cocoa, ice cream black tea

Summary of the top ten whey protein recommendations

The above protein content is calculated based on the calorie table indicated on the official website of each brand, and the protein content of each brand is different. The price per gram is calculated by inputting the parameters one by one based on the protein content per gram indicated in the chart above. It is for reference only.

Whey Protein FAQs

Question: Will drinking whey protein cause baldness?

Answer: Drinking whey protein will not directly affect your baldness. The cause of your baldness is more related to your genes or some daily lifestyle habits.

Question: When is the best time to drink whey protein?

Answer: Whey protein actually doesn't have much of an effect depending on when you take it. If you're unsure when to take it, you can try it after training or before training when you don't have time to buy anything. If you're too busy to take it, you can simply take it when you have some free time.

Question: Can whey protein be soaked in hot water?

Answer: In fact, whey protein can be consumed hot, but it should not be above 80 degrees, because it will destroy the structure of the nutrients in the whey.

Question: How much whey protein should I drink a day?

Answer: There's no set formula for how much whey protein you should consume daily, but here's a simple guide:
(1) If you want to lose fat, you need to consume more than 2 times your body weight in protein on that day. (2) If you want to gain muscle, it is about 1.8 to 2.2 times. (3) If you are just worried that you will lose muscle due to insufficient protein and want to maintain your current body shape, it is about 1.5 to 1.8 times. Based on the above three points, you can know how much protein you need to consume every day. Then, according to your usual diet, you can take additional whey protein supplements according to the amount of protein you eat. The food we eat in daily life also contains protein, but most of the food eaten in Taiwan is carbohydrates, so whey protein is still needed as an additional supplement.

Question: How much water do I need to soak whey protein?

Answer: This is one of the most common questions I see online. It actually has a lot to do with personal preference, just like when you make Ovaltine or Milo. Some people like it lighter so they add more water, while others prefer it stronger so they might add less. For me, a 35g pack of whey to-go contains about 350cc of water, which is the normal sweetness. Depending on the sweetness of each brand, some require more water, while others require less. So, this is very flexible, and readers can adjust the amount of water according to their preferences.

Summary of 10 whey proteins

In fact, I think all 10 flavors have their own delicious tastes, and each one is worth trying to find the flavor that suits you best. This article is entirely about the editor's personal taste, and it does not necessarily represent your taste. In fact, you still have to try it yourself to know. This article is to pick out a few flavors that the editor likes and then recommend them to readers. Although the price of each brand is different, the price of each lesson of protein is also different, but the editor believes that as long as you find a brand that suits you best and your favorite, and persist in the habit of supplementing protein, it is a good choice!

(This article is owned by Darrick, and reproduction of pictures and text is prohibited)