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Healthy smoothies delivered? Um, yes please! kencko is the smoothie subscription box that is shaking up the powdered drink world and we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The single serving powder packets promise to deliver you 2.5 servings of fruit and/or vegetables with absolutely nothing added, but with all the nutrition that fresh fruit and vegetables provide.
So, how do they do that, you ask?
Well, they actually start with the real deal. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sourced from organic farms at peak ripeness to optimize sweetness. They are then flash-frozen and promptly slow dried to remove all moisture content. The final step is blending into a powder where they are then packaged into small smoothie sachets before being shipped off to thirsty customers.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Subscription Details
Subscription Box: kencko
Price: 20 smoothies - $2.99 per smoothie, 30 smoothies - $2.69 per smoothie, 60 smoothies - $2.49 per smoothie.
And if you are like me and really hate to do math, here are the totals:
20 smoothies - $59.80
30 smoothies - $80.70
60 smoothies - $149.40
Deals
Their smoothie bottle is usually an additional $9.90, however they currently have a promotion going on where you can get the bottle for free with code: FREEBOTTLE
They also have a great additional deal where if you commit to three months, you will get your third month free. After the first month, if you don't like a flavor or want to try a different one, you can easily change it in your member area profile on their website.
Currently, they are also offering a free 45 minute session with a health coach when you sign up (more about that below!).
kencko currently ships to to the US, EU member states, and Singapore.
The Bottle
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As mentioned above, the kencko smoothie bottle is currently free for first time subscribers, and I definitely recommend grabbing one. It's a small, portable size, has the fill line clearly labeled, and my personal favorite, has the lid attached (I always seem to misplace my lids!).
You could just use a water bottle or an old protein shaker, but I appreciated the bottle and the ease in which it worked with the smoothies. It comes apart easily and can be washed in the dishwasher, making this add-on a no brainer in my opinion.
Health Coach Session
Kencko offers a free nutritional call with a dietitian when you subscribe to their smoothies, which I was super curious about. I scheduled mine after I had tried a few of the different flavors, and wanted some advice on how best to use these smoothies to my advantage. I received a call from Carolina and told her that I just wanted some general advice on nutrition and basically how to have our entire family eat healthier.
After giving me some ideas on the phone, she also followed up by email with a ton of resources with healthy snack ideas, quick and easy dinner options, a sample grocery list, and a recipe e-book that had recipes on how to use your smoothies in additional ways. I'm excited to try the berry waffles and sweet potato curry!
kencko Smoothie Review
Now onto the smoothies themselves! I was sent a kencko mixer bottle as well as 20 smoothie packets with 14 of them being unique flavors. Usually, you could go onto your profile and add in the flavors that you want to try that month, but I actually liked the idea of getting a total random mix the first go-around. There were definitely a few flavors that surprised me and a few others that I would be happy to leave out the following month!
The kencko flavor system is actually categorized by colors which I thought was a fun way to do it and also helped me to recall the ones I liked, without having to remember the exact ingredients.
Before I dive into the flavors themselves, I want to point out a couple of things I saw in other reviews. A few people mentioned they are grainy and don't mix well. They can be grainy, but not in an undrinkable sort of way. It's because the fruit pieces are being rehydrated and it makes the smoothie more pulpy. I actually quite liked the little fruit pieces within the smoothie.
I also saw others mention that the powders clump. And yes, they can. However, I found that if I followed the instructions and kneaded the powder first to break up any large clumps, this usually did not happen. There were one or two smoothies that still clumped even after kneading the packet, but with a couple extra shakes they usually dissolved in.
See these clumps? Break 'em up!
Also, while kencko markets these as smoothies, there were definitely a few that were more juice-like rather than a thicker smoothie texture. Most of this is going to depend on what you mix them with and your personal preference, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Using water to mix is going to make these into a juice or even flavored water. If you want that thickness, then be sure to mix it with some sort of milk.
Ok, enough talk... smoothie time!
kencko Colors (Flavors)
The following kencko smoothies were mixed with water and you can see by the photos that they have a pulpy juice consistency.
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oranges
Ingredients: 1/2 orange, slice of pineapple, 1/4 papaya, 1/2 apple, 1/2 rhubarb stalk, 0.15g turmeric
Recommended to mix with: water
I mixed with: water
In one word? Refreshing. I tasted more papaya than orange, but the orange flavor was definitely there. This would be great as a healthy drink on a hot day (or a mimosa!?). It wouldn't replace my glass of OJ like the website suggested it might, but this was still a great drink that I would have no problem enjoying frequently. It's also got a massive Vitamin C punch, which I think we could all use right about now!
greens
Ingredients: 5 spinach leaves, 4 kale leaves, 1/2 kiwi, slice of pineapple, 1/2 apple, 1/3 banana, .05g ginger
Recommended to mix with: water
I mixed with: water
This one tasted like a healthy green drink. Not terrible, but also not something I would crave very often... even if I was trying to be healthy. The greens are supposed to give you an energy burst, and I actually did feel pretty energetic afterwards. I was even able to skip my morning coffee, so I was impressed to say the least. I tried it again during an afternoon slump and also had a big burst of energy after finishing it. Even though I'm not a fan of the taste, I think I would still add this to an additional order for when I wanted a healthy, energy burst.
mint greens
Ingredients: 3/4 apple, 1/4 mango, 1/4 orange, 1/4 banana, slice of cucumber, slice of sweet potato, slice of parsnip, 1g spearmint, 0.5g wheatgrass, hint of ginger
Recommended to mix with: water
I mixed with: water
This one tasted like a refreshing summer juice, but it had a bit too much of a mint flavor for my taste. I would prefer the mint to be more subtle, but it wasn't bad overall. I tried it over ice and I would definitely recommend getting this flavor as cold as possible rather than just chilled. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more of a cucumber taste with just a dash of mint, but that is personal taste. Every now and then I would get a hint of something else, but it was fleeting.
corals
Ingredients: 1/3 beetroot, 1/2 apple, 1/3 carrot, 1/4 orange, 1/5 mango, 0.2g ginger
Recommended to mix with: water
I mixed with: water
This one was a big fat no for me. The color was promising and reminiscent of a thick kool-aid, but alas I was not able to finish this one. There was way too much of the beetroot flavor for my liking, and the earthiness to the juice was something I just could not get past.
I quickly switched to milk for the rest of the smoothies and the consistency is much thicker.
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purples
Ingredients: 5 strawberries, 3 blackberries, 6 blueberries, 2 raspberries, 2 cranberries, 1/2 banana, 1/2 date
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
I really enjoyed this one. It was a little less flavorful than a normal smoothie, but I still thought the taste was nice and I would definitely drink this one frequently. My kids also liked it, which makes this flavor a big win in my book.
mochas
Ingredients: 1.5g coffee, 10 cacao beans, 4 maqui berries, 2 dates, 1 strawberry, 1 shiitake mushroom, 1.5g chaga mushroom powder, 0.75g baobab powder, 0.5g cinnamon.
Recommended to mix with: any milk
I mixed with: chocolate almond milk
This one was not a winner in my book. To me, it tasted like chocolate that was trying to be healthy. Which, honestly, I'd just rather splurge every now and then and eat actual chocolate. It had a touch of berry flavor with a earthy notes and try as I might, I just could not finish this one. I quickly went onto the next smoothie.
reds
Ingredients: 6 strawberries, 3 raspberries, 1/3 banana, 1/2 apple, 1/2 date, 1g chia seeds, 1g ginger
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: one with vanilla almond milk, and one with 2% milk
I absolutely did not like the smoothie made with the vanilla almond milk. It was almost too much flavor with the vanilla almond milk and heavy berry flavor of the powder combined. While the almond milk did not taste tart on it's own, it definitely gave the smoothie a tartness that left an odd flavor in my mouth.
I then tried one with 2% milk and this one was much more to my liking. It tasted like a smoothie that I would order at a store, with just a touch less flavor.
peaches
Ingredients: 1/2 peach, 1/3 carrot, 1/2 stalk rhubarb, 3 strawberries, slice of sweet potato, 2g coconut water, 1/5g baobab powder, 1.5g flax seeds
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Ok this was hands down one of my favorite. I mixed this one with 2% milk and it was incredibly creamy and tasted exactly how I would expect a peach smoothie to taste. There was a hint of the strawberries mixed in which added a great berry flavor. I did not taste any of the carrot, rhubarb, or sweet potato, which I was actually kind of happy about as I was a little worried about how they would taste together. The smoothie was absolutely delicious though and even my kids were fighting to drink some.
aquamarines
Ingredients: slice of pineapple, 1/4 peach, 1/3 zucchini, 1/2 parsnip, 1 date, slice of lime, 0.3g blue spirulina, pinch of fennel seed
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Nope. I did not like this one at all. All I tasted was the fennel, and honestly a fennel milkshake in even the best of circumstances is not appealing to me.
golden plums
Ingredients: 1 plum, 1/4 papaya, slice of pineapple, 1/2 carrot, slice of rhubarb, coconut water, hint of thai lime leaf and coriander seed
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Ok, this one legitimately surprised me. I was really worried I was only going to taste the lime and coriander, but they blended in incredibly nicely. This one actually reminded me of a twist on a piña colada and would make a fantastic summer smoothie.
ambers
Ingredients: 1 passion fruit, 1/2 banana, 2 dates, 1/4 apple, 2.5 baobab, slice of yellow beetroot, 1g chia seeds, pinch of turmeric
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
This one was a little flavorless for me. It wasn't a bad flavor, it just wasn't strong at all. It also had a bit of an earthy tone which wasn't overbearing, but not my favorite. I think this one would have tasted great with a bit more of the passion fruit flavor.
crimsons
Ingredients: 6 açaí berries, 1/3 banana, 3 strawberries, 1/4 apple, 1/3 mango, 1g chia seeds, 0.5g cinnamon
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Probably one of my favorite flavors! It was nice and thick mixed with the 2% milk and it had lots of berry flavor. I actually liked that the seeds from the strawberries gave it a little bit extra texture. This was a hit with everyone in the house!
yellows
Ingredients: 1/3 carrot, slice of pineapple, 1/2 banana, 1/5 mango, 0.5g cinnamon
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
This one was very tasty, mixed well with the milk and didn't have any overpowering flavors. It was a huge hit with my kids and was gone in about 2 minutes!
golds
Ingredients: 1/3 banana, 1 strawberry, 12 cacao beans, 1.5 dates, 1.5g pea protein, 1g baobab powder, 1g flax seeds
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Once again this one tasted as if chocolate had set up an elaborate scheme to distract me from the true taste of the smoothie. And I know that cacao beans are not quite chocolate, but they definitely imparted that dark chocolate, earthy flavor. If that is your jam, then you may love this one! It was not for me though.
beet reds
Ingredients: 1/3 apple, 3 strawberries, 1/3 beetroot, 1/5 banana, 7 raspberries, 3/4 carrot, 2 cranberries, 2g lucuma
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
I'm pretty sure trying all of these smoothies solidified that I am not a beet fan, because once again I could not get past the earthy flavor. Even with all of the fruit added, all I was able to taste was the beet which meant I was not a fan.
rubies
Ingredients: 7 raspberries, 1/4 sweet potato, 1/4 apple, 12 goji berries, slice of orange, 1 date, slice of pumpkin, slice of red pepper, 1g maca
Recommended to mix with: water or milk
I mixed with: milk
Despite mixing this one with milk, it didn't get nearly as thick as some of the others did. Not sure if that has to do with the ingredients or if I didn't shake it hard enough? The taste was still really nice though. Lots of flavor, but nothing was too overbearing in it.
What I Loved About the kencko Smoothies
The entire idea of portable, single serving smoothies. My husband travels frequently and my kids are incredibly picky, so having something that I can pop open just for me (with no leftovers!) is a big win in my book. While I was not a fan of every flavor, I absolutely loved that these are healthy with nothing added. I'm constantly on the move, and these smoothies make those hungry down times so much healthier. I was a big fan of the fruit forward smoothies mixed with regular 2% milk, and felt that they were definitely thick enough to be properly described as a smoothie.
I also absolutely love that kencko has decided to use plant-based packaging material for their products. The boxes they are shipped in can be recycled normally through home-based recycling, and the smoothie boxes are made from unbleached sugar cane fiber which can be recycled or broken down in normal home compost. The smoothie packets themselves are also made from a plant-based compostable film.
In addition, kencko is a certified B Corporation member, which is a group of companies that are at the forefront of sustainability and inclusivity throughout the world.
What I Didn't Love About the kencko Smoothies
There were a few flavors that I felt kencko was really pushing it with the taste. Obviously, everyone likes different things and has different opinions on what tastes good or not, but personally for me I need something that doesn't feel like it's forced. The mocha, coral, and aquamarine to me definitely felt forced. They just felt like something a parent would try and do to get their kids to eat their vegetables, like smothering cheese sauce all over broccoli or wrapping bacon around brussel sprouts. (Ok to be fair, I love bacon wrapped brussel sprouts... but, you get the idea!)
What I Wished kencko Had Done Differently
I do wish they sold cleaning wipes for the bottles. They like to market that these smoothies are great to drink while you are out and about, but it would be nice to have something that also made it just as easy to clean while on the go. I drank one while sitting in the car waiting to pick my kids up from school, but realized when I was done that the milk I used to mix it with would not do well in a hot car for very long.
I also wish they had more recipes that were easy to find on their site with recommendations for what to mix with these. They are there, but they are buried in their site and blog and not easy to find. As I mentioned above, I did get an awesome little e-recipe book from my nutritionist call, but I think the sky could be the limit with these and they should have more of a prominent place on the website.
I also wouldn't mind if they made these with just a touch more flavor. There were a few that I loved, but I think adding just a bit more of the main ingredient would knock a lot of these out of the park.
Who are kencko smoothies good for?
Absolutely anyone looking to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into their diet, but with the simplicity of pouring a glass of water. That said, these are especially good for someone that is constantly on-the-go, and doesn't have time to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables at the market and prepare ahead of time. The packets are portable, easy to open, and can be taken just about anywhere. Frequent travelers would also find these useful so that they can stay away from unhealthy airport and hotel snacks. Parents would also find these great to add extra fruit and veggies into their kids diet.
Can kencko smoothies be used as a meal replacement?
Eh, not really. If you really load the smoothie up with milk, protein powder, yogurt, oatmeal, etc, then you could probably use these as a meal replacement. However, when just made with water, each smoothie is only approximately 85 calories, and if you are anything like me, that's not enough to get me through even an hour before I'm hungry again. These are better suited as a snack replacement between meals, so that you don't grab that mini bag of Oreos from your kid's snack drawer. (I may or may not be looking at myself here.)
Does kencko sell other products besides smoothies?
Yes! They also sell gumdrops! Each packet of gumdrops will give you one serving of your fruits and vegetables for the day, and are totally natural with nothing added. We were not sent the gum drops for review, but let us know in the comments below if you want us to look into those as well. We love getting your feedback and review recommendations!
Verdict
I thought these were great. Totally organic, nothing added, and extremely fresh tasting fruits and vegetables in a convenient packet for people on the go is definitely my jam. Healthy and convenient? Yes, please!
However, I will be staying away from the veggie smoothies going forward. Try as I might, I just couldn't get past some of those earthy, vegetable flavors. Although, a few of the ones I don't like are actually some of their best sellers, so be sure to see which ones suit you best. I also prefer them to be thicker and made with milk (which you probably noticed I ended up mixing the majority of mine with), and I definitely think that lends itself to the heavier fruit flavored ones.
Overall, kencko smoothies are a great addition for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone interested in giving them a go. Just be sure to try different mixers (water, milk, almond milk, etc) and find what works for you. If I had only stuck with water for all of these, I doubt I would be recommending them. Someone else though might prefer these as a juice rather than a smoothie, so be sure to see what works for you and your personal taste!
Have you tried kencko? What did you think?
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