Smoothie Time!
Posted on March 8, 2021 Posted by Athena Scalzi 17 Comments
Like the sheep I am, it is easy to persuade me to try something, especially if it has to do with food. So when I suddenly started getting (and still am getting) nonstop ads for a smoothie brand called Kencko, I decided to try it out.
Kencko is a company that takes farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and turns them into a powder through flash freezing and slow drying them. Then, they send you the powder in a box, and you mix the powder with milk (or water) to turn it into a smoothie.
The brand states that each smoothie packet is 2.5 servings of fruits and vegetables, which makes up half of your daily recommended amount. They’re also each only 80 calories! Kencko also boasts the only ingredients in their smoothie packets is organic plants, no colors, preservatives, added sugars or artificial sweeteners, etc.
With all that good stuff in mind, let’s dive in to my review of some of the smoothies! Here’s the box they came in:
Not only does Kencko have all organic produce, but their packaging is on the sustainability side, with compostable packaging and no single-use plastics. Their standard shipping is also carbon neutral.
Here are the smoothie packets:
To give them a fair shot, I ordered a box of 20 packets. There were five flavors in the box, so four packets of each flavor I chose. The flavors I went with (seen above) are Yellows, Ambers, Golds, Purples, and Aquamarines. It looks like just a lot of yellow and brown shades, I know, but they have tons of colorful ones, like reds and greens! In fact, you can see a list of all fifteen of their flavors and what all is in each one here.
The first one I tried was Purples, and I mixed it with whole milk. I used Kencko’s blender bottle they sent me for free with my order, which is really just a normal bottle with a lid on it so you can shake the shit out of it to mix it up. Honestly, I thought it tasted really good! I tried this one first because it seemed the least adventurous. It has blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, bananas, strawberries, and dates in it, so I figured it was a safe bet. And it was so yummy!
Next, I tried Golds, because it says it has cacao in it (as well as banana, dates, strawberries, and some proteins like pea and hemp protein) and I wanted something vaguely chocolatey. Here’s what it looks like once it’s all shook up! (Plus my grandma’s dog.)
This one was also really good! So far, Kencko was 2 for 2! Again, I just used whole milk because it’s my favorite, but really you can use any milk alternative (or even water for some of them, like Greens or Corals).
Next, I tried Yellows, and I mixed this one with vanilla almond milk.
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one because it has carrots in it, but it also has pineapple, banana, and mango, so I thought it had to be at least kind of good, right? It was totally another great flavor! Definitely healthier tasting than the other two, like you can tell it’s good for you, but still a good taste.
Ambers was up next, and it was also good, though Yellows and Ambers are definitely second to Purples and Golds. Ambers has passion fruit and tumeric in it, and I don’t really love either of those, so maybe that has something to do with it, but it also has bananas and dates in it, so it’s a perfectly fine flavor.
So far, Kencko was going strong, every flavor was decent enough that I didn’t think this purchase was a bust. Then I tried Aquamarines. OH MY LORD. It was horrible. I had to dump it out, and the other packets are just sitting in my pantry collecting dust because I can’t bring myself to drink them. Aquamarines is terrible. I should’ve expected as much since there’s parsnips and zucchini in it, but damn. That is one flavor I would recommend staying clear of.
Other than that one flavor, I had a positive experience with Kencko, except for one more thing. The powder is so frustratingly hard to mix. It says to shake it for roughly thirty seconds to mix it, but there’s always powder left over that didn’t incorporate. No matter how hard I shake, no matter if I use their bottle or a different one, it never mixes all the way unless I use an immersion blender or something. Definitely not achievable with just a spoon, either.
However, if you do blend it, whether it’s with a real blender or an immersion blender, then it mixes perfectly. And when I say shaking it doesn’t do the job, I really mean it does like 85% of the job. So it’s not atrociously bad or anything, just kind of a pain to have chunks of powder on the sides of the bottle or just kind of floating around.
Anyways, Kencko is a monthly subscription box, and you can choose to get a box of 7, 20, 30, or 60 smoothie packets. The box of 7 costs $37, 20 smoothies is $60, 30 is $80, and 60 is $150. So technically the more you buy, the cheaper each smoothie is, but we’ll just use 20 in the following example since that’s what I bought.
I used to go to Tropical Smoothie like, twice a week. I almost always got the Chia Banana Boost with peanut butter, which is $5.49. And the cost of one Kencko smoothie (if you buy the box of 20 like I said) is $3. To be fair, the Tropical Smoothie smoothie is 24 ounces, whereas the Kencko smoothie if you make it according to instructions is only 12 ounces. So if you doubled that to get 24 oz, it’d be $6, which is basically the cost of the Tropical Smoothie smoothie, plus you had to use your own milk and bottle for the Kencko smoothie.
So, is Kencko better cost-wise? Not really. But it is convenient, you don’t have to go into a smoothie place and wait in line or anything. It’s also way healthier than Tropical Smoothie, but who cares about health, amiright?
Anyways, Kencko was fun to try out, I’m glad I did. I’m pretty satisfied with it overall, it definitely seems like a pretty good and easy way to get in a couple servings of fruits and veggies, at least!
If you want to try it out, they have a quiz you can take and based on your health goals they’ll recommend you certain flavors, or you can just choose your own. Also, if you’re thinking of trying it out, you can use my referral link to get $10 off your first order! (But don’t forget it’s a recurring charge, so opt out of it if you don’t like it.) Here’s my link! Or if you want to sign up without it, no worries!
Let me know if you’ve tried Kencko before, and which flavors you like. I want to switch up my next box, so tell me what’s a good one to try! And have a great day.
-AMS
As a reminder: here is the site Product Solicitation Policy, which covers reviews like this:
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/08/21/and-now-the-whatever-official-product-solicitation-policy/
Athena was not asked by or given any consideration from, this company. She tried it out on her own remit and paid her own money for it.
I tried the Kencko smoothies, too. I didn’t mind the aquamarine, though it was just okay (crimson, red, and purple were my favs). The price doesn’t seem worth it to me, and I like the smoothies I make in my blender better. This might be a good choice for folks who don’t want the hassle of making their own smoothies or don’t have the equipment to make them.
A secret I’ve found to mixing powder into drinks: mix it into just a little bit of liquid first. Like, use maybe an inch or less of milk and all the powder and shake into a slurry, then add the rest and shake again. I hope if you try it it works on this powder too.
How do these compare with smoothies made with whole fruit?
I have a VitaMix and I get a farm box every two weeks. I make fabulous smoothies. Although it sounds like Kencko would be a good travel option (when/if travel becomes an option…).
I have the same question as Harry – any comparison with just plain old fruit?
Those sound tasty, albeit expensive.
“Organic,” sadly, is bullshit.
I’m tempted! Sounds like a good way to “eat all the colors,” and it’s a plus that the packaging / shipping is eco-friendly.
Athena – people have been asking about it compares with whole fruit, but more specifically how’s the fiber content?
Bethany – def. going to try your trick about slurrying first!
PS – cute grandma doggo. I hope you gave him/her some smoothie!
Sound delicious and convenient. I may give them a try, in spite of the organic designation.
Sadly the term is pure marketing hype to get you to buy something in the mistaken belief it is good for you and/or the environment — usually at higher prices.
But don’t take my word for it (or any random person on the Internet). Please do your own research from a variety of independent, scientifically rigorous sources. And not from anyone trying to sell you something, i.e. manufacturers or self-proclaimed lifestyle experts hawking their latest book. When you do, you will find that:
There is no good evidence that organic is either more healthful or environmentally friendly.
Organic farmers DO use pesticides, but only natural ones which may be less effective and more toxic — if they have even been tested at all.
Organic farming is less efficient and less sustainable. With the world approaching 8 billion people, we need to make the best use of finite crop land.
Would shaking work any better if you put something solid (a marble or large ball bearing or whatever) in the shaker?
Would your grandma’s dog like the evil vegetable version of the smoothie?
Second to mixing the powder with a small amount of milk to make a slurry before adding the rest of the milk. I’ve found this to work with all sorts of powders that suggest you can just add them to the liquid. Originally it was my mum who taught to mix cornflour, and also cocoa like this.
Thirding or whatever that ‘organic’ isn’t as healthful as the oranic producers like you to believe, direct comparisons find no diference in any nutrient levels between organic and conventionally farmed. There are farming systems that aim to use the minimum amunt of fertilisers and pesticides to maintain a healthy crop, worth looking into supporting them rather than organic.
I don’t drink a lot of smoothies- I prefer eating fruit. However, I do use Carnation Instant Breakfast (or whatever its 21st century name is) instead of protein drinks when I want a fast breakfast. Tastes better, and the powder dissolves much more easily.
I’ve been using Kencko for about 3 months now. I really like them, they are convenient, healthy, and cause zero food waste in my house. I struggled to get enough fruit and veg in my diet and found that every time I would get serious about adding fruit and veg I would end up throwing away a lot of it because I couldn’t eat it all before it started spoiling. (I generally have a pretty small appetite) I use these as a sudo meal replacement for breakfast and lunch (I usually still have a boiled egg or some other small protein) and have really noticed a difference in my overall energy levels and metal focus throughout the day. It works for me. I get the 60 count box and feel like I get my moneys worth and I don’t have to throw away food that I couldn’t eat before it spoiled.
The slurry method works for cornmeal and grits as well – no lumps!
I like the idea of smoothies, but the vast majority get their texture/thickness from the included bananas. Bananas are fine on their own, but I don’t like them mixed in with anything else; they take over and I can’t taste anything else. I’m just not fond of drinking bananas, I guess.
I never knew my bathroom walls tasted of passion fruit.
Does $3 apiece include shipping?
Do they include the whole fruit? As in, are you getting the berry skins, or just the skinned berry? When it’s a fine powder, I have to wonder whether you are getting all the fiber of those 2.5 fruit servings.
If they taste sweet at all, they probably have a LOT of date sugar. Especially in the veggie ones. It’s not terrible for normal people, but it really isn’t much better for you than table sugar.
I’d say that, in general, it sounds like you are making food choices based on commercial claims (and paying a LOT for the foods). If healthy eating is important to you, please start at the back end, with the science.
OTOH, I’m carefully not telling you to quit paying so much for pretty packaging, because that obviously gives you pleasure. I certainly have many non-useful things I spend discretionary funds on that other people would never.