Mayver's Smooth Chocolate Protein+ Peanut Butter

 Rating: 5.5/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Flavoured
• Country of origin: Australia
• Serving suggestion: Mixed with Dutch processed cocoa powder and a splash of hot water to loosen, spread onto toast and topped with sliced banana

I think this was actually my second time purchasing this (the first pre-peanut butter blog), and, strangely, both occasions were very similar. On my most recent trip to Sydney, we stayed at a serviced apartment (for multiple reasons - proximity to a long run location, more space, access to a laundry, etc. etc. but also because it had a working kitchen) and I purchased this spread to make breakfast bagels. On the previous trip to Sydney, which was to run City2Surf, I also stayed at a serviced apartment and purchased this same spread to top my pre-run breakfast toast. Perhaps the combination of 'chocolate' and 'protein' just gets me excited when I'm looking for a quick thing to snarf before running unexplored roads, and, I reason, I won't have to buy additional flavourings (cinnamon, cardamom) or the protein bread I like if I know I won't get enough protein later in the day. (Note: I'm not obsessive about macros but I am very active and try to eat lots of plant-based meals, so I do think about protein.)

Anyway, I had the same reaction as I did the first time - it's okay, maybe slightly better than okay, but requires some dressing up to actually make this exciting when I'm at home, in my kitchen, and I do have access to additional flavourings.

Let's start with what I like about it - the base, as with all Mayver's products I've tried - is enjoyable, as in the peanut flavour comes through with no staleness. It's not too sweet, as I expect: it's not marketed as a Nutella/chocolate spread alternative but more a flavoured peanut butter, and this is reflected in the sugar content being quite low to begin with.

Now the not-so-good: the chocolate flavour is so slight it's almost not worth it. As per my serving suggestions, I am pretty much always adding extra cacao powder (Gewürzhaus has a gorge one) to amp the flavour right up because I love to be punched in the face in the morning. Also, yes, there is slightly more protein compared to the regular degular PB as per the jar's claim - owing to the extra peanut flour - but this makes the spread really gloopy (which I fix using a bit of hot water).

Are these tradeoffs worth it? You decide. (By you, I mean the future Retno who is on the next Sydney trip deciding which breakfast spread to buy at an unfamiliar supermarket.)