A Review and Flavor Ranking of the Balanced Tiger Functional Mushroom Protein Bar Variety Pack. The variety pack flavors include Chocolate Brownie, Banana Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip, Vanilla Chai, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
Note: My variety pack instead had flavors: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Banana Chip, Banana Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Chocolate Brownie.
Overall Review & Verdict
First and foremost, my variety pack had flavors that differed from what was advertised, so I will base my judgment and reviews on what I received.
Plant-based protein bars that emphasize mushrooms. According to the ingredients, though, it’s mostly rice protein with sugar, with “Mushroom Powder” listed later as a mix of different ground-up mushrooms.
I love mushrooms, they’re one of my favorite things to eat! However, how do they fare in a protein bar?
The first thing I noticed: The protein-to-calorie ratio isn’t superb by any means, likely because these are primarily made with sugar — shouldn’t they have a much higher fiber content, given the mushrooms too? Not to mention, these bars are very small and on the thinner side! Definitely not a good first impression.
These bars all look mostly the same, taste the same, and have similar mouthfeels. They are, for the most part, very generic protein bars: soft, lightly chewy, but also on the drier side. It also doesn’t help that they’re small and thin, so eating them overall isn’t the best experience or particularly fulfilling. Their composition reminds me of a mostly uniform protein concoction, thoroughly mixed with oats and other organic ingredients. Lastly, looks-wise, they all have a dark brownish color and are smooth and dry to the touch; They don’t look very appealing, to be honest.
On the “how do they taste” scale, they’re all mildly sweet at most, with a generic protein bar taste taking the forefront, further dulling their advertised flavors. Each bar has a few embedded bits, like chocolate chips, but they go mostly unnoticed, contributing very little to the mouthfeel and taste. Most of the bars didn’t have any crazy or weird artificial flavors; the main issue was the “generic protein bar” taste, which unfortunately overshadowed everything they had to offer.
The verdict? Well below average protein bars, whether you’re comparing them to other plant-based bars or not.
Simply put, I have a lot of issues. They’re small and thin. The lack of sweetness, the overarching generic protein bar taste that takes over, and the overall unpleasant dryness. Combining all of these problems made me feel unfulfilled and question why anyone would get these. Okay, it has some mushrooms, but who cares? I didn’t get any mushroom-like vibes from this whatsoever. I guess if you’re into believing these are healthier because of those ingredients, go for it; otherwise, these fall well short of even decent protein bars.
Flavor Ranking
1. Peanut Butter Banana Chip
The sweetest of the bunch, which helped tremendously in skyrocketing this to the top of the list. However, don’t get your hopes up; compared to other branded protein bars, the sugary sweetness here is still below average!
There are some small embedded peanuts or crunchy bits throughout this bar — I can’t tell exactly — that provide the lightest contrast to the already uniform texture. They sport a light peanut flavor, with a moderately sweet banana taking the forefront. Surprisingly, it smells quite strongly of a sweet, chemical-like banana; not horrible, but it is eyebrow-raising.
Taste-wise, it’s primarily a mix of a chemical candy banana and a regular banana, with a mild dose of peanut. Good combination. Unfortunately, there is a protein-bar-eske flavor too, which doesn’t help. Nonetheless, if they upped the sweetness and got rid of that protein bar taste, this bar could very well turn itself into an above-average overall protein bar.
2. Banana Chocolate Chip
Immediately, I noticed this has an even stronger chemical banana scent than Peanut Butter Banana Chip. Moreso, its flavor is almost exclusively that: mildly sweet chemical banana, with little to no signs of chocolate. In fact, I didn’t notice any chocolate chips — this had white, crispy-like pieces, which, because they’re so small and so far in between, didn’t add much.
3. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
The mix of pieces inside was nice, though there wasn’t much of it. A few hits of blueberry and chocolate chips–it would have been so much better if they were more substantial. Further, it’s super mildly sweet and mostly tastes like a generic protein bar. I did notice there was an attempt at an oatmeal flavor, and for the most part, there is some oat taste alongside an equal part of chocolate, but the protein-filling flavor overshadows it.
4. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
The bar itself tastes like an extremely lightly sweet authetic peanut alongside a notable protein bar taste. This protein flavor doesn’t come across as strong on this list, which is nice, but the bar lacks sweetness and a pronounced peanut and chocolate flavor. Sure, there are a few chocolate chips in it, but they don’t seem to do much.
As a peanut fan, I’m disappointed!
5. Chocolate Brownie
The only one on this list that looks different. It’s a darker-shelled bar with a semi-dark milk chocolate-filled center. Despite the difference here, the bar still has a uniform mouthfeel and no contrast in that regard aside from a few tiny chocolate chips.
Taste-wise, it’s a generic protein bar flavor with a hint of cocoa, which, frankly, doesn’t help. Basically, it’s not at all sweet, and with a light mix of cocoa and heavy emphasis on the generic protein bar filling, it comes across as slightly bitter. These flavor combinations simply don’t work well together.
6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
What am I supposed to be tasting here? All I get is a generic protein bar taste, almost no sweetness, and maybe a slight hint of chocolate, nothing more. Also, it’s a bit softer than others on this list, which was a surprise, and it also has tiny chocolate chips on the inside.
So, texture-wise, it’s a bit better than most of the other flavors on this list; however, its flavor is essentially nonexistent.