It’s been awhile! Did you miss me? Good to be back on LatestFuels, and this time with the KOS review!

Named after a small Greek island off the coast of Turkey, KOS produces a family of certified organic, plant-based nutritional supplements which include protein powders, supplements and functional ingredient powders such as coconut, beetroot and lion’s mane.

KOS was also the birthplace of Hippocrates—the ancient Greek health enthusiast, and today’s anointed “Father of Medicine”.

As it relates to protein powders, they contain between 140 to 170 calories per serving, 20g of protein, 5 to 10 g of carbs and 6g of fat. Also of note, KOS contains 13 individual micronutrients ranging between 2% and 90%, with no added sugar. Micronutrients can provide you with a significant boost to your health and physical performance.

According to SPINS, a data technology firm focused on the wellness market, KOS was the fastest growing plant protein brand in 2021 by total distribution in the natural channel. 

Sounds like KOS is really taking a foothold in the industry, but are their protein powders any good? 

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Flavours: Unflavored, Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Mint, Salted Caramel Coffee, Blueberry Muffin

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Looks like we have another organic product to take a look at. This will surely peak the interest of some, but for me, only if it tastes good. The origin and quality is certainly important, but often they fail to deliver a good tasting shake.

Before I jump in, there are a few things that jump out to me. For once, I think they’ve done an excellent job presenting their brand. This is, how much care is placed not only in a product’s ingredients, but also how much attention to detail is placed in its branding, packaging, presentation, customer focus and retail channel positioning. All of those matter, and KOS looks like its fully invested in all of those things, even before I prepare my first shake.

What We Like

1. Seven flavors! Three chocolates, a coffee and fruit flavor. All bases covered!

2. Bulk discounts. Nice option to save for those who don’t want to subscribe.

3. Scaled sizes. They offer samples, 14 & 28 serving sizes

4. Caffeine content clearly listed. Finally! Someone is listening!

5. Design/Branding. I think they’ve done a really good job here on the product and webpage.

What We Dislike

1. Texture is iffy. Being organic, it won’t be perfect, but lots of particulate in the shakes.

From a nutritional standpoint, the graphic below provides a brief summary of what you can expect with KOS. The highlights include KOS being fully plant-based shakes, including omega-3 essential fatty acids even organic greens.

All of these extra ingredients are there to tackle various areas of nutrition. KOS does not only want to provide you with the protein you might need to replenish from your exercise, but also boost your overall health.

KOS Nutrition Overview

Kcal/meal	140 – 170
Macros (C/P/F)	14/52/34
Vegan	Yes
Keto	No
Features	Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free, Low Carb
Non-GMO	Yes
Organic	Yes
Includes Probiotics	Yes
Artificial Sweeteners	No
Synthetic Additives	No
Contains All Micronutrients	No
Allergens	Peanuts

Carbohydrates

Based on 150kcal serving:

• Total Carbs: 9g, 3% of DV.
• Net Carbs: 7g, (Total Carbs – Dietary Fiber – Non-digestible Carbs)
• Sugars: 2g.
• Fiber: 2g, 8% of DV.

While not a keto product, KOS is very low carb. Most protein powders will contain minimal carbohydrate content, since they aim to provide you with the most protein possible.

Also, KOS has no artificial sweeteners, and gets its sugars from coconut sugar, stevia and monk fruit for certain flavors.

Protein

Per 150kcal serving:

• Total Protein: 20g, 46% of DV.
• Source: Pea, Rice, Quinoa, Pumpkin, Flax & Chia

KOS offers a complete protein derived from several sources, seemingly every vegan source they could find.

Pea and rice are a very common pair, as they are affordable plant-based protein sources that give you a complete amino acid profile. Quinoa and pumpkin are also popular. While on their own are not the best sources, they can be a nice complementary source.

Fats

Per 150kcal serving:

• Total Fats: 6g, 8% of DV.
• Saturated Fats: 4g, 20% of DV.
• MCT: ?

Organic coconut milk provides the 6g of fat per serving. This is also the source of the saturated fats, which is without a doubt rather high for a protein shake.

Though the amounts are unlisted, omega-3s should be in generous supply from the organic flax seeds present in KOS. That said, I would not rely in KOS as sole source of omega-3, and I would look to supplement it.

Micronutrients

KOS contains 13 micronutrients, not bad for a protein shake. Many of these are significant amounts such as 15% of zinc, 30% of iron, and 45% of vitamin B12.

Allergens

The peanut butter flavor contains peanut flour.

Best flavour	Chocolate Peanut Butter
Taste	Majority of them were really good!
Texture	Not great. Gritty with water, only slightly better with milk. Best blended with additions
Satiety	Around 90min.
Easy to Clean	Nope! It will really stick to the bottle. Wash immediately!
After Thoughts	While only ok on its own, it can be made quite good with some creative additions.

We have every flavor in the house! As you can see above, some are in tubs, and others are in bags. KOS is transitioning from tubs to bags, so its a coinflip as to which you will get for the moment. The bags use up to 78% less plastics than the bags. The new bags are also made from up to 20% of materials retrieved from ocean waste. A noble cause indeed!

Starting this test drive with the base model. It smells very earthy, making me curious how it will actually taste. Well lets find out…

Unflavored/Unsweetened

Vanilla

Chocolate

Chocolate Chip Mint

Salted Caramel Coffee

Blueberry Muffin

Summary

Honestly, pleasantly surprised by these, they were all pretty good. I really enjoyed the variety they provide, and the flavors were bold, and different. They were as expected in regard to hunger, which was about 90min or so.

Where they have work to do, is the texture. I cut it some slack, being organic and all only gives them so much wiggle room, but if anything, that was a sore spot if drinking solo. With fruit and milk though, no issues.

KOS was founded in 2017 by Allen Steven, and Tony Stahl. After the loss of a close friend, they embarked on creating a product that helps everyone take a healthy path forward and to retake control of their lives. Based out of California, KOS prides itself on its non-GMO, certified organic products that omit additives, fillers and artificial sweeteners.

The cornerstone of human nutrition is protein, and the KOS mission begins there. We produce a vegan, plant-based protein additive. This is a proprietary formulation we mix in small, artisanal batches in our own lab. You won’t find KOS in your local grocery hangar, huge plastic tubs of weird powder stacked into impulse-buy pyramids. We want to get personal, have a conversation. We offer a small-batch, boutique, totally plant-based protein product made out of the good stuff that springs from the soil. Transparent ingredients transparently sourced. Our mad scientists are farmers.

Pricing & Shipping

KOS can be purchased from their webpage, as well as Amazon. Its is also available at many local retailers such as Walmart, CVS & Whole Foods. They offer a 15% discount with subscription orders and will deliver at intervals of 30, 45, 60 or 90 days.

If subscribing is not for you, they offer discounts on multiple bag purchases. If you order 2 packs, you’ll get $10 off…if you order 3 packs, you’ll get $30 off! Even the samples qualify for this discount, where you can save $2.39 off a purchase of three.

Shipping is $8 flat rate for orders below $50. Above $50, and shipping is free.

Other Offerings

As mentioned, KOS offers many other products in the wellness category. This includes functional ingredients, specialty blends and supplements which come in capsule or gummy form.

Check out their webpage for more information the many additional products they offer.

So I wanted to look at KOS and contrast it against other protein shakes that I’ve tried, and reviewed.

LyfeFuel’s Recovery Shake is a protein shake designed for post workout recovery. They emphasize quality nutrition over calorie counts and prirotize the usage of high quality ingredients.

Check out our review of LyfeFuel!

Also in the race is another Californian brand, Four Sigmatic. They also specialize in organic protein powders with a twist: adaptogens!

Head to Head

Category	KOS	Four Sigmatic	LyfeFuel
serving price	$1.78 (USD)	$2.67 (USD)	$2.08 (USD)
kcal/serving	150	150	140
servings per bag	28	15	24
Packaging	Bag	Tub	Bag
Flavors	7	4	2
Protein (g)	20	18	25
Sugar (g)	1	4	3
Fiber (g)	3	2	1
Fats (g)	3.5	8	3
Carbs (g)	5	10	6
Vegan	Y	Y	Y
Certified Organic	Y	Y	N
Micronutrient	13	4	9
Artificial Sweeteners	N	N	N
Synthetic Additives	N	N	N
GMO?	N	N	N
Protein Source	Pea & Flax	Pea, Hemp, Chia	Pea & Rice
Availability	US	US, EU	US
Other Products	Many	Coffee Creamers	Meal Replacement

KOS vs. LyfeFuel

KOS and LyfeFuel Recovery Shakes compare favorably, and are literally trading blows in many key areas.

KOS comes in a bit cheaper, you get more servings, is certified organic, and has seven flavors to choose from. KOS has a better vanilla, while LyfeFuel has a better chocolate when it comes to taste.

LyfeFuel, while not certified organic is confirmed to source excellent ingredients, and does edge KOS in the protein department. Lyfefuel also has the Daily Essential Shake which includes all the essential nutrients you need per meal and it’s loaded with nutrients (27+ as opposed to 13). This includes more omega-3s, significant quantities of all vitamins and minerals (including B12, A, K2, D…) and more fiber.

The latter is one of my favourite meal replacement shakes, and I highly recommend it.

KOS vs. Four Sigmatic

While they have a lot in common, Four Sigmatic’s plant based protein powders have also very distinct characteristics that makes them really appealing.

Regarding the similarities, both are plant-based, free of artificial sweeteners, without soy or gluten, and natural. However, Four Sigmatic adds Lion’s Mane, ashwagandha, chaga and other mushrooms that provide you with a significant boost to your mental health.

While KOS might have more nutrients, Four Sigmatic’s protein powders will help you with your mood, energy levels and stress (as well as providing you with a protein boost).

Thus, it will depend on what you are looking for!

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Verdict – KOS Review

After some time away which was needed/enjoyed, and after my last couple of reviews, I can say this one was definitely a net positive. I am greatly surprised by this KOS review. Where I expected another generic brand, I found one that genuinely seems to care about their product.

As I keep mentioning, products need polish. A product needs a purpose, one beyond turning a profit. You can tell which ones are a means to an end, and which ones are a representation of someone’s vision.

KOS is one of those products that feels like it means something, and I appreciate that. I love the bulk buy discounts! The last thing we need in modern society is another subscription to manage, so being able to get similar discounts, while ordering as needed without recurring charges is a HUGE PLUS in my book.

I had a good experience with KOS, though not perfect. They surely need to look at ways to make the texture better, as it always felt like I had something extra in my mouth. And maybe the answer is not to smooth it out, but to add more texture to give it more body. I’m unsure of the best path forward, so I’ll leave that to them, but surely it needs to be explored.

Bottom Line: KOS is my new favorite protein shake. Its variety and flexibility has earned it a spot in my cabinet.