Quick Answer: BevyGood makes protein work in hot chai and coffee through a formulation that uses an 80:20 casein-to-whey blend inspired by milk's natural protein composition, alongside careful ingredient selection and preparation considerations.
We have a voodoo doll and we implored on the Dark Lords to get us the powers to make a BevyGood work in the hot format.
Kidding. It’s simple nutrition science. We just thought out of the box. Out of the cold format box, to be precise.
In our previous blog, we unpacked one of the biggest myths around protein: that hot water destroys it. In reality, heat can change a protein's structure without suddenly stripping away its nutritional value.
To give you a recap, we identified 4 challenges with maintaining the right texture, solubility, and overall drinking experience of hot water in protein powder, like:
Challenges With Adding Protein to Hot Water
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The type of protein used: Whey protein is more heat-sensitive and therefore more prone to clumping.
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Temperature: Very high temperatures accelerate protein denaturation and aggregation.
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Formulation: Ingredients such as stabilisers, emulsifiers, and flavouring components affect how the protein behaves when heated.
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Preparation method: The order of mixing can significantly influence the final texture.
So all in all, the formulation became key in making the protein in hot water work and that is what we at BevyGood mastered.
It took us a year and half of perfecting the formula along with our manufacturers at KAG. Once we were close to satisfaction with the formula, we tested it on real humans, because what is a good chai and coffee without actual human beings validating it.
Let’s take you through the journey.
The Question We Started Asking at BevyGood
Once our team understood the science, the conversation changed. The question was no longer, "Can protein survive hot water?" We already knew the answer.
The better question was: Can protein still deliver the experience people expect from a cup of chai or coffee?
That's a completely different challenge. People don't drink chai and coffee only because it's warm. They drink it because it's creamy, smooth, comforting and it kicks the energy into the system.
If protein was going to become part of that ritual, nutrition alone wasn't enough. The beverage still had to taste and feel like chai and coffee.
Why We Took Inspiration From Milk
We had a lot of to and fro with our manufacturers because we collectively disliked A LOT of variations of the pro-tea and coffee. Then one day, one observation stuck us to something familiar:
Why? Part of the answer lies in its natural protein composition. Milk contains roughly 80% casein and 20% whey.
Whey and casein respond differently to heat. Whey proteins are relatively heat-sensitive, while caseins are generally more heat-stable under ordinary processing conditions.
Also read: Casein vs Whey
Instead of asking whey to solve a problem on its own, we took inspiration from the way proteins already exist together in nature. That thinking became one of the foundations behind BevyGood's formulation.
Why BevyGood Uses Casein and Whey Together
Like milk, BevyGood brings casein and whey together rather than asking one protein to do all the work.
Whey is relatively fast-digesting, while casein is digested more gradually. Together, they offer a combination of faster and more sustained amino acid availability.
But for BevyGood, the decision wasn't based on nutrition alone.
The two proteins also behave differently when exposed to heat. Taking inspiration from the natural protein composition of milk gave us a starting point for developing a blend that could work with the texture, mouthfeel and overall experience we wanted from hot chai and coffee.
In other words, the 80:20 blend wasn't about choosing between casein and whey. It was about getting them to work together.
So, How Exactly Does BevyGood Make Protein Work in Hot Chai and Coffee?
The short answer is: we don't stop proteins from denaturing and we can’t.
Yes, the proteins in BevyGood can undergo structural changes when exposed to heat, just as proteins in milk, eggs and other foods do.
However, the formulation is designed for a protein beverage that accounts for those natural structural changes while still delivering the smooth texture, taste and overall drinking experience people expect from hot chai and coffee.
What 1.5 Years of Product Development Taught Us
That practice and innumerable iterations make a man perfect.
Thankfully, we have now lost count of the number of iterations it took us to get where we are today. Also, of the gazillion ways chai is made in India.
Different temperatures. Different quantities of milk and water. Different preparation methods.
And somewhere in the middle of all this, we were trying to make protein behave.
Improve the solubility, and the texture may change. Adjust the protein blend, and the mouthfeel may have an opinion. Something that worked beautifully in coffee didn't necessarily deliver the same experience in chai.
So, iteration after iteration, we kept returning to the same questions:
Does it mix well? Is the texture smooth and creamy? Does it still taste like chai or coffee? Is it easy enough to prepare every day? And most importantly, would someone actually want another cup tomorrow?
Somewhere along the way, our goal changed. We weren't trying to make a technically successful protein drink anymore. We were trying to make chai and coffee that people would genuinely enjoy drinking, and that also happened to contain protein.
A year and a half later, there was no dramatic Eureka moment. Just taste. Test. Change. Repeat.
Until all those small decisions finally started working together. That practice and innumerable iterations make a man perfect?
We don't know about men. But they certainly helped us make BevyGood.
The Future of Protein May Not Be Another Shake
For decades, protein has been closely associated with shaker bottles and post-workout routines. But perhaps that was never because protein belonged there. Perhaps it was because those were the easiest products to formulate.
Today, the bigger opportunity isn't convincing people to drink more protein.
It's making protein fit naturally into habits they already have.
Millions of people already begin their mornings with chai or coffee. If those everyday rituals can also become an effortless source of high-quality protein, nutrition becomes less about remembering another healthy habit and more about improving one that's already there.
Maybe that's the real innovation. Not putting protein into a hot beverage.
But making a hot beverage that still feels exactly like the one you've loved all along.