In the last five years alone, protein bars have grown in popularity across all spectrums of health oriented individuals. Whether you’re a dedicated strength athlete or the casual lifter, chances are you consume protein bars either on a regular or inconsistent basis. Like every health-oriented food, protein bars can be a good and bad thing depending on how you use them and why you need them.
Out of all of the protein bars on the market, The Bar Shack protein bars in this review were definitely some of the more unique bars I’ve tried. Instead of the traditional ordering a box on a whim with a flavor that I think I could like, I got to make my own bars through their site. I’m not going to lie, it was definitely an interesting experience, and I was skeptical at first.
After all, how good could a protein bar be that I design with ingredients that I’ve never actually tried all together? Well, let’s just say The Bar Shack Gourmet Protein Bars surprised me, and we’re going to dive into why below. A majority of the surprises were good, but I did have a couple beefs with the protein bars.
Customize your own Bar Shack Protein Bars here!
The Bar Shack Gourmet Protein Bars Taste
To kick off this review, it’s only fair we dive into these protein bars’ tastes and textures. I’m not going to lie, this taste review may be a little biased because I did create my own bars with all of my preferred tastes and flavors. I made two bars and called them BarBend PB Cup Bar and BarBend Nuts and Nibs, don’t judge me, I made these names at the end of the day and my creativity was running low.
BarBend PB Cup Bar
The PB Cup Bar had a slight more focus on the “nut and seed” components offered on The Bar Shack’s website. For example, I put peanut and almond butter in this bar, along with almonds for extra texture. Honestly, I thought the bar did pretty well with its ability to deliver the peanut-esque flavor and theme.
I was happy all-around happy with this creation and didn’t think the molding of “new” ingredients effected what I perceived it would taste like. For some taste context, imagine you froze a chunk of almond butter with little cacao chips and almonds, and that would be this bar.
BarBend Nuts and Nibs
The Nuts and Nibs bar was also good, but definitely a tad different than what I had originally planned for it. I made this bar with a handful of multiple ingredients to test the differences in texture. For example, I added chia seeds and cinnamon to this bar and the texture reflected a slightly more breakable and less chewy bar. All around, the bar tasted awesome and it broke apart pretty well in every bite and rip, as you can see in the video.
The Bar Shack Nutrition Facts and Ingredients
Another unique aspect of The Bar Shack (as mentioned above) is how the nutrition will change based off of what you want in your bar. For this reason, we can’t provide you with exact calories and macronutrients for every bar combination, but we can share the variance we experienced in our two.
In terms of calories, our bars varied between 212-248, and for fat content there was a range of 10-15 grams. For carbs, we saw a ranges from 22g-27g, fiber 11-17g, and protein came in at 13g-15g. What’s cool about The Bar Shack is they provide a live nutrition label updated on the side when you’re building your bar, so you can aim to get the nutrition you want. Additionally, they have articles to help you achieve a certain bar’s macronutrients (high protein, high fat, etc).
Below we’ve included a nutrition snapshot of the BarBend Nuts and Nibs bar.
The Bar Shack Ingredients
One thing I liked about The Bar Shack’s ingredients is that you get to pick everything you’d like in your bar. Also, they include a lot of organic ingredients, which is nice touch for limiting processed ingredients (below, the “*” means organic). Check out the Nuts and Nibs ingredients below!
BarBend Nuts and Nibs Ingredients: *CHOCOLATE HONEY ALMOND BUTTER, FIBER SYRUP, EGG WHITE PROTEIN, WHEY ISOLATE, *CHIA SEEDS, *CHOCOLATE PB CUPS, BLUEBERRIES, *CINNAMON, *GUARANA CAFFEINE, *CARAMEL FLAVOR
The Bar Shack Pros
- Ability to custom create your ideal protein bar with every ingredient.
- Consistent taste, plus, little chance of poor tasting bars since you create them fully.
- Decent macro profile, which you can custom build.
- Creative packaging the ability to name your own bars.
The Bar Shack Cons
- Slightly more expensive than other protein bars on the market after an additional shipping fee.
- No ability to order individual bars and must buy in boxes of 12.
The Bar Shack Price
In respects to price, The Bar Shack are pretty competitive from a bar-to-bar approach, but lose course when you factor in shipping. Their bars come in three options of 12-packs, which include: Protein ($36), Gourmet ($42), and “Cheat Day” bars ($42). If you do the math, that comes out to $3.00-$3.50 per bar, but there’s also a ground shipping rate of 7ish dollars, so the bars become a bit more. Granted, they are custom built, so the price really isn’t that bad.
Wrapping Up
Honestly, I was subtly surprised by The Bar Shack’s protein bars. I was a little skeptical at first about their bar’s taste, texture, and nutrition labels, but I’m becoming a believer and a fan. If you enjoy eating protein bars, and want a more “natural” tasting bar, then The Bar Shack’s custom made protein bars could be a good fit for you.
Customize your own Bar Shack Protein Bars here!
The Bar Shack Gourmet Bars
$42
Pros
- Consistent Taste
- Full Customization
- Decent Macro Profiles Available
- Fun Gift Idea
Cons
- Slightly More Expensive
- Have to Buy In Boxes of 12
