You’ve probably heard of 1st Phorm by now, and maybe even considering trying out their product.
If that’s you, you are in luck, sister.
Because I’m literally a protein expert, with hundreds of protein reviews under my belt.
And the focus of my expertise today, is none other than the 1st Phorm protein powder.
Today we’re going to talk flavors, formula (or ‘phormula’ as they would say!), and I’ll even review the packaging for you guys.
In this post you’ll find out what I love about this protein, and also what I wish they did better.
Let’s begin.
What to Expect in This 1st Phorm Protein Review
How ironic…I feel like I just reviewed Level-1 Protein from 1st Phorm but it turns out I did not…
That was actually the Level Thrive protein that I reviewed the other day…
But no…starting today, we’re going to go on a little bit of a ‘1st Phorm binge’…
Ill be reviewing their popular protein today, and then their new pre workout later this week.
This is a brand that I’ve been a fan on since I first tried their 1st Phorm Bliss fat burner about one year ago, and I’m pretty pumped to talk a little bit more about them.
In this 1st Phorm protein review, I’ll talk about the taste, the formulation, and even the packaging (which I’m quite partial to).
My aim is to give you all sort of info about the product, and I think that will help you decide if it’s right for you.
I’ll do my best to keep things light and fun…
After all, this isn’t a research paper or a stuffy subject – this is my blog people!
So you’re going to hear about a lot more than just 1st Phorm Protein in this post – you’ve been fore-warned.
Let’s start with a quick brand overview.
About 1st Phorm
1st Phorm is one of those companies that is just built the right way.
You can tell – from the way they handle their customer service…
To their social media interaction- literally everything is on point.
I love the little things that they do, which cumulatively create what is, in my opinion, the most ‘badass’ supplement brands out there…
Heck I might even try and join their whole Legion of Boom thing…
Which is saying alot – because usually I could care less about interacting with these brands, because frankly I don’t trust many of them…
Or at least don’t want to attach my name to them…
But there is just something about the 1st Phorm way that makes you want to get out there and embrace it.
And I must say my experience with 1st Phorm protein has contributed to that desire.
How I Heard About 1st Phorm
It’s hard to say for sure…
It’s like someone asking you where you first heard about Coca-Cola.
..It’s like someone asking you where you first heard about Coca-Cola.”
– lovelyreviews.com
1st Phorm is so big now that I don’t even remember where I first heard about them.
Probably from one of their ‘Legion of Boom’ ambassadors to be honest.
They were probably using the protein powder on Instagram and I took notice…
But yeah – as you guys are about to find out, this protein is on point.
I think it has a very real chance of poking it’s head into the proverbial door that is our 2024 Protein Lovely List.
Let’s start talking about the actual product now…
And we’ll begin by praising the amazing flavors of the 1st Phorm protein powder.
1st Phorm Protein Flavor Analysis
Very few companies can pull an ‘A’ out of me when it comes to taste.
It is an elite group that has ever recorded an ‘A’ on flavor on this blog…
I know Ghost Whey has done it, and some of the other top protein powders…
But they are very few, and far between.
Even fewer manage to get high marks on both taste AND packaging…
But as you’ll learn, 1st Phorm has actually done both with their Level 1 protein powder.
Speaking of taste…this protein is available in a whopping ELEVEN different flavors…
I think the only brand with a more extensive flavor menu than this is the Clean Simple Eats brand…
But here’s the full list of 1st Phorm flavors:
- Chocolate Banana
- Chocolate Marshmallow
- Cinnamon Cookie Batter
- German Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Caramel Latte
- Blueberry Muffin
- Strawberry Milkshake
- Mocha
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Sandwhich
Being the, er, ‘extra-thorough’ reviewer that I am, I decided to try the six most popular flavors.
I asked their customer service rep what the top flavors were, and placed my, well, ‘not cheap’ order.
As we’ll discuss later, this protein is on the more expensive side, so needless to say, my total bill was a little upsetting.
But hey.
The people need to know what the best 1st Phorm flavor is.
Once my order arrived, I immediately set about trying them.
Here’s what I thought of each of the flavors that I got:
Blueberry Muffin
Surprisingly, this was one of the most popular 1st Phorm protein flavors.
But since I love blueberries, I was really excited to try it, and it did not disappoint.
It was sweet, and actually had that sort of tasty ‘muffin’ flavor that put a smile on my face.
The texture was good, and overall I was impressed.
German Chocolate Cake
So this might be one of the best chocolate-themed protein flavors that I’ve ever had.
I’m not sure what those Germans do to their chocolate cake, but I’m a fan.
This was a little sweeter, and a little more bitter than your standard ‘milk chocolate’ flavors…
So if you’re looking for something more basic, this one is not for you.
But if you have a more sophisticated palette – this is a must-try.
Red Velvet Cake
I absolutely love that 1st Phorm went out on a limb and made such a specific flavor.
I feel like the more specific the flavor, the lower the sales must be…
But guys – they hit it out of the park with this one.
Also, the fact that they recommended it to me in the first place means that it must be a top-seller for them…
But it is insanely good.
It really tastes like red velvet cake, which is like chocolate with some vanilla and other nutty flavors…
If you’re a red velvet girl like me, you’ll love it.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Okay, okay, I know.
I expected this to be boring as well…
But sometimes all you want is something basic in a protein shake…
And in those cases, this is absolutely the flavor that I’m reaching for, every time.
1st Phorm did a phenomenal job with their vanilla ice cream flavor.
It is smooth, and literally the perfect sweetness level for me.
Double thumbs up, and maybe my favorite so far, since I like to mix other things into my protein shakes.
Cinnamon Cookie Batter
It doesn’t surprise me that a cinnamon-themed flavor was one of the top Level-1 protein flavors…
Most protein brands are crushing it with the ‘cereal-themed’ flavors right now…
So 1st Phorm obviously wanted to get in on that action, and they’ve done just that with this Cinnamon Cookie Batter flavor.
It’s a little sweeter than some of the other cinnamon flavors I’ve had recently, which I kind of liked…
I don’t think this is quite as good as Ghost’s ‘Cinnabon’ colab flavor..
(But then again, what is?)
This one was good, but not great for me.
Strawberry Milkshake
Everyone love strawberry, especially us ladies…
So I was pretty darn excited to try this flavor.
But unfortunately, this one fell flat for me.
With a fruity flavor, I want more tartness, and more of that ‘zing’ to go with the sweetness…
In my opinion, that’s what gives a fruity-themed protein depth.
This is something that Ryse protein does a great job of with their fruitier flavors…
But yeah I would steer clear of the Strawberry – it also had a bit of a weird aftertaste in my opinion.
So.
Where does that leave us, on flavors?
What’s the Best Flavor of 1st Phorm Protein?
Real quick – sitting here now on their website I am kicking myself…
Because I did not even notice that this protein also comes in an ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ flavor…
I mean… who even knew that was physically possible to make?
Next time I will get that one for certain.
But yeah – the flavor I dd end up falling in love with, being the basic bitch that I am, was the Vanilla Ice Cream.
The best flavor of 1st Phorm Protein Powder is the Vanilla Ice Cream, and here’s why.
The best flavor of 1st Phorm Protein Powder is the Vanilla Ice Cream”
– lovelyreviews.com
It is so perfectly sweetened, and has such an incredible vanilla flavor itself, that I simply could not, not give it the top spot.
I really wanted to give the crown to the German Chocolate Cake flavor…
But come on.
I’m a red-blooded American woman.
I can’t snub good ‘ol American vanilla milkshake in favor of something German.
My Uncle would roll over in his grave!
But in all seriousness…
I found all of the 1st Phorm flavors to be on point, across all criteria that I judge protein shakes on:
The consistency is spectacular- even mixing in your shaker, you never run into any sort of clumping issues with this protein powder.
And then you have the taste.
These Flavors are Intense
The flavor intensity of these proteins is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
It’s like a wall of flavor jumps out the shaker and smacks you across the lips.
It’s like a wall of flavor jumps out the shaker and smacks you across the lips…”
– lovelyreviews.com
I know. It’s a fantastical visual that I’m creating for you…
But you really can feel the taste.
It’s so intense, that my only knock on it might be that if you aren’t in the right mood it could come off as being ‘too much’.
But I am really quite fond of the intensity.
So that’s what I think of flavor – they’ll knock your socks right off.
Speaking of socks…
The only thing about this protein that didn’t ‘know my socks off’, was the formulation…
Not that it’s bad by any means…
But let me explain.
1st Phorm Protein Formula Review
So, this is the more technical part of the review, so if you’re looking to keep things lighter, feel free to skip forward.
You guys know I’m going to talk plenty about the label and packaging next…
But at the same time I don’t want to breeze through 1st Phorm Level 1 protein from a formulation standpoint.
It’s easy to do sometimes, when so many of these products seem to be quite similar from a formulation standpoint…
(And this one definitely seems to suffer from a slight case of ‘protein boringness’ when it comes to the formula…)
But really at the end of the day, how can you make the formulation that different?
I don’t blame them for making this so basic.
Here are the macros:
1st Phorm Level-1 Macros
- Calories 138.5
- Calories from Fat 22.5
- Total Fat 2.5g
- Saturated Fat 1.5
- Cholesterol 60mg
- Sodium 130mg
- Total Carbohydrate 5g
- Dietary Fiber 1g
- Sugars 2g
- Protein 24g
NOTES:
I don’t really have an issue with the macros here…
Are the saturated fats and sugars a tad on the high side in First Phorm Level-1?
Sure, yeah sure maybe.
Same with the sodium?
Yeah sure.. I’ll concede they’re a little bit high.
But I’m not going to lose sleep about 1.5g of anything.
Or 2g of sugar.
Whatever.
It’s fine.
Is it really worse than the 6 glasses of wine that I drank on Saturday night?
I doubt it.
(Or was it seven? Anyways…)
The macros check out fine- 24 grams of protein is a good round number too.
1st Phorm Protein Ingredients
The ingredients in Level-1 protein shake are a little more numerous when it comes to the sheer number of ingredients used..
So there are quite a few different ingredients added on top of the protein sources themselves.
It’s a bit more of franken-protein than something more basic like Promix or some of the other ‘clean label’ proteins that I’ve tried…
But here’s the ingredients list…
1st Phorm Level-1 Protein Ingredients
- Cross-Flow Micro-Filtrated Whey Protein Isolate
- Low Temperature Micro-Filtrated Whey Protein Concentrate (providing Di-Peptides, Tri-Peptides, Oligo-Peptides and Poly-Peptides)
- Low Temperature Processed Milk Protein Concentrate
- Pure Egg Whites
- Sodium Caseinate
- Cocoa
- Nonfat Dry Milk
- Non-Dairy Creamer
- Modified Food Starch (derived from tapioca)
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Cellulose Gum
- Xanthan Gum
- Salt
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame Potassium
NOTES:
So the protein sources are fine…
You have whey isolate, whey concentrate, and then some milk concentrate and egg white on top of that.
You’re getting a nice variety of fast and slow-digesting elements to 1st Phorm Level 1 that you don’t get in all protein shakes.
What I’m not crazy about with this formula, is all the stuff they added in addition to the proteins themselves.
But I have the feeling that if they didn’t, they would’ve really sacrificed on the taste, which nobody likes.
So that makes me a little more okay with this stuff…
One thing that does bother me though, is this one artificial sweetener:
Acesulfame Potassium is probably my least favorite of all.
It would’ve been nice if Level-1 Protein did not include that artificial sweetener in their Level 1 Protein.
But those are my thoughts on this protein formula-wise…
Let’s get back on the positive side of things and talk about 1st Phorm Level 1 packaging, which truly is awesome.
1st Phorm Level-1 Protein Packaging Analysis
Mad props.
That’s what I give 1st Phorm on their packaging in this 1st Phorm Level One Protein review…
I know, I know…
“But Allie it’s so masculine and aggro-looking”.
I dsagree.
Is it serious-looking?
Absolutely.
Do you really want your protein powder looking like one of those absolutely ridiculous skinny booty Tea Teatox products, or whatever the heck they are?
No. You don’t.
I hate those products.
Give me 1st Phorm packaging any day.
I love the shade of blue / teal that 1st Phorm uses almost more than I love anything else in the entire world.
Ok I’m being dramatic. But look at this? It’s lovely design.
It gives off serious Blue Bottle Coffee vibes.
(speaking of epic branding!)
But yeah with this protein – the eye is naturally drawn straight to the words ‘LEVEL-1’…
Which uses an absolutely brilliant, bold, attention-grabbing block font with a thin white stroke to make it pop even more…
Additional information is aligned strategically on either side of the product name.
The 1st Phorm logo is even cool.
It’s a bold statement of victory and of solitude at the same time.
It symbolizes empowerment in my opinion, and is an exemplary instance of good design.
Really a top-shelf job goes to 1st Phorm on this individual packaging, and really across the board on their brand language.
I give them an ‘A’ on packaging.
Now there is one last thing we need to discuss with this protein, and it’s the price.
Is 1st Phorm Protein Worth the Money?
This is always the ‘million-dollar’ question with these protein powders…
And the one that i get asked the most.
With some products, it is very ‘cut and dry’ on whether or not they are worth buying.
But with some others, it’s a little fuzzier.
I will start by saying that I do believe that 1st Phorm products are worth every penny.
They use quality ingredients, and they actually manufacture all of their own products, ‘in-house’, which is rare.
It means that they have complete control over their product.
They are consistent, and they are effective.
Now.
That peace of mind comes at a cost.
And 1st Phorm products are some of the most expensive products out there.
But for me – I’m okay paying that higher price point for the safety of knowing that I’m getting a reliable, high-quality product every single time.
So, I understand if some of you can’t afford it – and I’d never pressure anyone to over-spend on something they can’t afford..
(To be honest I am firmly in this category of not being able to afford 1st Phorm either right now..)
But the second I can, you better believe I’m stocking up on the Level-1 Protein, because it really is that good.
Let’s review what we’ve learned today about this protein:
Review Summary
1st Phorm is one of the most highly-regarded supplement brands around, and they make their own products in-house in St. Louis, Missouri
They make two different protein powders – a blend called ‘Level-1’, and a 100% whey product called ‘Phormula-1’
The Level-1 Protein comes in 11 different flavors, with some of the most popular flavors being the Blueberry Muffin, German Chocolate Cake, and Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream is the best flavor of 1st Phorm protein, due to it’s excellent sweetness level, flavor profile, and versatility to mix with other ingredients
From a formula standpoint, this protein includes milk protein, whey protein, and egg white protein, which provide a variety of different rates of digestion
Each serving comes with 24 grams of protein and just around 130 calories per serving, with very little fats or sugars included
One of the many strengths of this protein powder is its packaging, which features a handsome pearly-white jar, and the iconic blue-theme of the 1st Phorm brand
My final verdict?
Although it’s pricey, the 1st Phorm protein is highly versatile, and excellent for anyone who needs a great-tasting, high-quality protein for weight-loss, or athletic performance goals.*
Final Score
- Flavor Grade: 9.0
- Formula Grade: 8.4
- Packaging Grade: 9.4
- Value Grade: 9.4
- Final Score:
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