By Jessica Monroe · 11 min read · Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ · Keyword: kion review
Jessica Monroe
Health & Wellness Writer · Tested Kion Aminos, Clean Protein, and Coffee for 4 weeks · Reviewed for accuracy by a certified nutrition coach
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement.
Table of Contents
“Kion Aminos is one of the few amino acid products where I actually know what I'm taking — nine essential aminos in a clinically informed ratio, no proprietary blend hiding the numbers. I take it most mornings on an empty stomach, and on hard training days I'll add a second serving intra-workout. It's not a magic fix, but as a stimulant-free way to blunt muscle breakdown and keep energy steady, it's earned a permanent spot in my routine.”
— Ben Greenfield, MS, CSCS, C-ISSN, human performance consultant and co-founder of Kion (via Ben Greenfield Life)
I've bought and returned more amino acid powders and “clean” protein blends than I care to admit — the ones with a 2,000-word proprietary blend disclaimer and a taste that made me dread the next scoop. So when I kept seeing Kion mentioned in the same breath as Ben Greenfield, one of the more credentialed voices in the biohacking and performance space, I wanted to find out if the brand actually held up once you got past the founder's name on the label. I ordered three of Kion's core products — Aminos, Clean Protein, and the Medium Roast Coffee — and used them daily for a full month.
What Is Kion?
Kion is a Boulder, Colorado-based supplement company co-founded in 2017 by Angelo Keely and Ben Greenfield, built around a simple premise: full ingredient transparency, no proprietary blends, and no filler ingredients that exist just to pad a label. The lineup has grown well beyond the original Aminos formula to include Clean Protein, Creatine, Omega Fish Oil, Colostrum, Flex, Lean, Sleep, an Immune formula, and a line of organic coffee. Everything is manufactured in cGMP, NSF-certified facilities, and Kion subjects finished products to third-party testing for purity, heavy metals, and contaminants — the kind of detail that matters if you've ever been burned by a supplement that didn't contain what the label promised.
Kion Product Reviews
Kion Aminos — $42.46 (30 servings)
The flagship product. Nine essential amino acids per serving — 2,000 mg L-Leucine, 850 mg L-Lysine HCl, 550 mg L-Isoleucine, plus valine, threonine, phenylalanine, methionine, histidine, and tryptophan — sweetened with stevia and monk fruit, zero caffeine. Available in powder, capsules, and single-serve packets for travel.
Kion Clean Protein — $53.96 (20 servings)
A grass-fed whey isolate and micellar casein blend with no added sugar, gums, or artificial thickeners. Mixes noticeably thinner than most protein powders on the market — a texture I initially mistook for “watered down” until I compared the ingredient panel and realized it just doesn't rely on gum thickeners to fake a shake-like consistency.
Kion Medium Roast Coffee — $24.95 (12 oz)
Single-origin, certified organic, and tested for mold toxins — a detail that traces back to Ben Greenfield's biohacking roots. It's noticeably smoother than the pre-ground coffee I was buying at the grocery store, with none of the bitter aftertaste I usually get from a second cup.
Kion Creatine — $18.00 (30 servings)
Straightforward creatine monohydrate, unflavored, no unnecessary additions. It's the cheapest product in the lineup and, unsurprisingly, the one with the least room for the “clean label” story to matter — creatine monohydrate is creatine monohydrate — but it's a low-friction add-on if you're already ordering Aminos or Protein.
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My Real Experience, Week by Week
Week 1: First Impressions
My order (Aminos in Mixed Berry, Clean Protein in Chocolate, and the coffee) shipped from Boulder and arrived in three days. First thing I noticed with the Aminos: it dissolves almost instantly in cold water, no gritty residue at the bottom of the glass like I'd gotten used to with a cheaper EAA powder I'd been using before. I started with one 11-gram scoop before my 6 a.m. workouts on an empty stomach, per the label's directions. The taste is light — more like a faint berry water than a sweet drink — and the stevia note is there but not overwhelming, at least not to me.
Week 2–3: Building Into Real Life
This is where I started paying attention to soreness. I train legs twice a week, and I've historically rated next-day DOMS around a 7 out of 10 after a heavy squat session. By day 16, after adding a second Aminos serving intra-workout on lifting days, I rated soreness at a 4 out of 10 the following morning — the first real drop I'd noticed in months of tracking it casually in my phone's notes app. I can't attribute that entirely to the aminos versus better sleep that same week, but it lined up closely enough that I kept the second serving in my routine. The Clean Protein became my go-to post-workout shake; at 24g protein per scoop with 0g added sugar, it mixed thin but tasted clean, without the chalky aftertaste I get from whey concentrate blends.
Week 4: The Real Test
I stopped the Aminos for four days in week four to see if I'd actually notice a difference. I did — energy dipped mid-afternoon on day two and three off it, enough that I reached for a second cup of coffee both days, which I hadn't needed to do while on the aminos. That's a small, honest data point, not a dramatic transformation. I didn't wake up with visibly bigger muscles or a six-pack by week four — that's not what a fully disclosed amino acid formula is designed to do, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Strengths
Full ingredient transparency. Every amino acid amount in Kion Aminos is listed individually on the label — no “proprietary blend” line hiding how much of what you're actually getting.
Third-party tested, cGMP + NSF-certified manufacturing. Kion tests finished products for purity, heavy metals, and contaminants rather than just trusting raw material certificates of analysis.
Stimulant-free and genuinely clean-tasting. Stevia and monk fruit instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners, and no gums or fillers padding the protein powder.
60-day money-back guarantee. Enough time to actually test a product through a full training block, not just a rushed 14-day return window.
Things to Know Before You Order
Premium pricing. At $42.46–$53.96 per product on subscription, Kion sits above budget amino and protein brands — plan on it as a mid-to-premium line item, not the cheapest option in the category.
No NSF Certified for Sport label. If you're a tested athlete who needs that specific certification, check Kion's current batch documentation before ordering, since some competitors carry it and Kion currently doesn't.
Stevia aftertaste is noticeable to some. If you're someone who can't stand stevia in any form, sample a single-serve packet before committing to a full tub.
How Kion Compares to Other Brands
| Brand | Founder Credibility | 3rd-Party Tested | NSF Cert. for Sport | Avg. Price/Serving | Product Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kion | Ben Greenfield, MS, CSCS | Yes | No | $0.64–$2.70 | Wide (aminos, protein, coffee, etc.) |
| Momentous | Elite sports performance team | Yes | Yes | $1.20–$2.00 | Wide (protein, creatine, aminos) |
| Thorne | Clinical/medical-grade lab | Yes | Yes | $1.00–$1.80 | Very wide (clinical supplements) |
| Ancient Nutrition | Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC | Yes | No | $0.80–$1.50 | Wide (collagen, protein, greens) |
| Onnit | Aubrey Marcus, biohacking entrepreneur | Yes | Partial | $0.90–$1.60 | Wide (nootropics, fitness) |
| Transparent Labs | Sports nutrition formulators | Yes | No | $0.70–$1.30 | Moderate (protein, pre-workout) |
Honestly, Kion holds its own here mostly on the strength of full label transparency and Ben Greenfield's own credentials rather than on price. If NSF Certified for Sport is a hard requirement for you, Momentous or Thorne are the better fit. If you just want a clean-label, no-nonsense amino and protein lineup without wading through a proprietary blend, Kion is genuinely competitive.
Who Should Buy Kion
Kion makes the most sense if you train regularly and want a stimulant-free way to support recovery without guessing at what's actually in your supplement. It's also a strong fit if you've been burned before by a protein powder loaded with gums and fillers, or if you value knowing the exact milligram amount of each amino acid you're taking rather than a vague “amino blend” listed on the label.
Maybe Wait If…
If you're a competitive athlete who's contractually required to use NSF Certified for Sport products, hold off until Kion adds that certification to its aminos line. And if you're shopping purely on price per serving with no interest in the transparency story, a budget EAA powder will get you closer to your macros for less money — you just won't know exactly what ratio you're getting.
Final Verdict: 4.6/5
After a month of daily use, Kion earned its place in my routine — not because of the founder's name on the label, but because the products actually do what the label says, with nothing hidden behind a proprietary blend. It's not the cheapest option in the category, and if you need NSF Certified for Sport, look elsewhere for now. But for a clean-label, third-party tested lineup that covers aminos, protein, coffee, and recovery in one place, Kion is one of the more trustworthy brands I've tested this year.
See What Kion Can Do for Your Recovery
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FAQ
What is Kion best known for?
Kion is best known for Kion Aminos, an essential amino acid powder co-formulated by Ben Greenfield. The brand has since expanded into Clean Protein, organic coffee, creatine, omega-3s, and recovery supplements, all built around the same clean-label, no-fillers philosophy.
Is Kion Aminos worth the price?
For most people who value transparent labeling and third-party tested ingredients, yes. At roughly $0.64 per serving on subscription, it's priced in the mid-to-premium range, but you're getting a fully disclosed amino acid profile rather than a proprietary blend.
Does Kion third-party test its products?
Yes. Kion manufactures in cGMP, NSF-certified facilities and conducts third-party finished-product testing to verify purity and screen for heavy metals and contaminants.
What products does Kion sell?
Kion's core lineup includes Aminos (powder, capsules, and packets), Clean Protein, Creatine, Omega Fish Oil, Medium Roast Coffee, Flex, Lean, Sleep, Colostrum, and an Immune formula.
Is Kion coffee actually organic?
Yes, Kion's Medium Roast Coffee is certified organic and sourced from single-origin farms, then tested for mold toxins, a detail the brand highlights given Ben Greenfield's background in biohacking.
How does Kion Aminos taste?
Kion Aminos is sweetened with stevia and monk fruit rather than sugar or artificial sweeteners. Mixed Berry and Cool Lime are the two most popular flavors, and most reviewers describe the taste as light and easy to drink daily, though the stevia note is noticeable if you're sensitive to it.
Does Kion offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, Kion backs its products with a 60-day money-back guarantee, giving you enough time to actually test whether a product fits your routine before committing long term.
Is Kion a legit, trustworthy supplement brand?
Yes. Kion was co-founded in 2017 by human performance consultant Ben Greenfield and Angelo Keely, is based in Boulder, Colorado, and has built its reputation on full ingredient disclosure and third-party testing rather than proprietary blends.
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