When it comes to protein bars, no two are alike. Some taste like candy and others leave that chalky cardboard aftertaste that no one likes. Because of this, we usually reach for the same old bar and pass up the new options that seem to pop up in groceries each visit (vanilla cookie cone crunch anyone?).
If you’re interested in broadening your horizons and adding some diversity to your post-workout snack, you’re in luck. I have enlisted the help of some experts (hungry co-workers) to parse out which tastes best. For comparison sake, I selected the crowd favorite peanut butter and chocolate chip options to be consistent. Here’s what we thought:[aside id=”1″]
Tasting Notes:
Lara Bar
- Like the inside of a fig newton.
- Soft, flavorful and quite enjoyable.
- Love the chewy texture on this. Great flavor, too.
- Not a fan. Yuck.
- Tastes like peanut butter. Squishy, small bits of nuts. Not very chocolatey, but it tastes healthy. I’m into it.
Luna
- Has a nice peanut butter flavor.
- Chocolate tries too hard to cover up what’s inside. But I see right through it.
- Tastes carmel-y. Definitely that chalky, protein bar aftertaste.
- Really chewy. Tastes like a candy bar more than a protein bar.
- Very, very sweet. Tastes like cheap Easter candy. There’s a metallic aftertaste. It’s burning my throat.
Power Bar
- Tastes just like B, pretty good.
- Tastes like a candy bar. A bad one though.
- Ew.
- Doesn’t really taste like much of anything, if that’s possible?
- Chalky, tastes like I imagine a protein shake would taste like. I can’t tell if I like it or not.
Clif
- I like the crunchy granola bar texture.
- Absolutely zero chocolate. I’m disappointed.
- Great flavor and a wonderful whole grain texture.
- Soft, but crunchy, too. Not bad at all.
- Looks like an oatmeal cookie. Tastes bland. Crunchy. Seriously weird aftertaste, like I just inhaled a bunch of Splenda and salt simultaneously.
Balance Bar
- This one is just a candy bar.
- So sticky and chewy. Hard to eat and not very tasty.
- Snickers ugly step sister
- Chewy and cardboard-y.
- Crying. I can’t. This is disgusting.
Kind
- Really like the whole nuts in this one. Love the texture and flavor.
- Nutty. Very nutty, but chocolate and peanut butter help.
- I prefer bars to be blended and packed together like a hot dog. But nice chocolate flavor.
- Looks like a Kind Bar. Is this a Kind Bar? It’s totally a Kind Bar. Mmm, nutty.
Tally Up:
Lara – 3 votes
Kind – 2 votes
The Winner:
Blended and compact, the Lara Bar took the title. But the Kind bar, which is jam-packed with whole almonds and nuts, was a close second. I guess it is true that no two protein bars are alike – and the same apparently goes for taste buds.
