A Review and Flavor Tier List of the Melo/Melō Protein Bar Variety Pack. This variety pack includes the flavors: Brownie, Coconut, Cookie Dough, Lemon Meringue, Mint, and Peanut Butter.
Overall Review & Verdict
This is my first time seeing the Melo brand. They advertise themselves as being a marshmallow and candy-based maker of these protein bars, so I thought, why not give them a go? And what I also wanted to answer was: Are these better than other marshmallow-based protein bars like BUILT Puff?
First, note that the macros are good, with a nice ratio of calories to protein. In terms of ingredients, it’s short: a mix of a protein blend, which includes whey isolate, in combination with other binding and flavor ingredients.
All of these have a similar composition: a thin, smooth shell enclosing a soft, pliable, marshmallow-like filling. There doesn’t appear to be anything that stands out looks-wise, no embedded bits or pieces, nothing crazy or different, just generic bars.
Needless to say, these are soft, a lot like BUILT Puff, but not as marshmallowy, and instead slightly more solid — still exceptionally pillowy soft with definite marshmallow vibes. Knowing this, in my opinion, results in a more fulfilling and substantial feeling bar–yes, even better than BUILT Puff. That aside, they’re all uniform in texture with no embedded or crunchy bits, just a thin shell with that soft, marshmallow-like, pliable filling.
Biting in, and I said before, they’re a lot like BUILT Puff, but I’d say even better. They have a slightly firmer marshmallow mouthfeel and feel thicker, as if they were a mix of marshmallow and a protein filling–it’s great; these all have a clear marshmallow filling at heart, and the sweetness is more or less the same between all of these bars and falls on the sweeter side in terms of your average protein bar (and sweeter than BUILT Puffs by quite a bit). They’re all noticeably creamy and have a touch of marshmallow taste, which works well with the sweetness to help balance it.
Lastly, in terms of flavor, there is nothing artificial or weird, and they all taste as advertised — just don’t expect anything that stands out or blows you away, although the texture will, at least. Really, I’d love to see these bars add more nuance or other flavors that complement one another, because, as it is, they’re a bit boring.
The verdict? The composition and eating experience are wonderful and are the centerpiece of these bars. Then, in terms of taste, they’re inoffensive, yet fairly sweet compared to other protein bars. They also have authentic, non-artificial flavors and a notably creamy texture. A big downside is that these bars don’t necessarily have any flavors mixed or any contrasting other physical bits, which makes them a tad unwhelming due to their uniformity. Still, these are definitely worth a try and are ahead of many other protein bars on the market, especially if you’re after something more marshmallow-like and filling.
Flavor Tier List
1. Peanut Butter
This sports a darker chocolate shell with an orangey inside.
They didn’t advertise chocolate, but it’s definitely there. This bar sports an equal part of darker, non-bitter chocolate alongside a peanut. Don’t expect something like a Reese’s here, though; it’s not that sweet. However, if they added more sugar, honestly, it would be a very close rendition of that flavor profile! So, if you’re a Reese’s and marshmallow fan like me, this flavor is for you!
2. Cookie Dough
The dark chocolate shell appears to be applied to a cookie-dough-colored filling.
A moderately sweet bar with a mild cookie-dough flavor–I do feel like this bar has a sugary-sweet flavor rather than the advertised flavor. In fact, it’s the sweetest bar on this list! There’s also no artificial or weird sweetener aftertaste, which is a plus–well, it kind of just tastes mostly like pure sugar, so if you’re into that, go for it. Otherwise, they could have done this bar better by dialing back its sugary sweetness and replacing it with more chocolate and cookie flavors. Like, the flavors are there, the sweetness just overshadows them!
3. Coconut
As advertised, this looks like a coconut bar on the inside, but surprisingly, it also has a dark chocolate shell.
As a huge coconut fan, I feel like very few treats nail the authentic coconut correctly, but this bar almost does. It has a strong and moderately sweet, predominantly coconut taste, like they used the real thing, but also a tiny shot of artificial coconut extract.
It’s a tasty coconut, nonetheless, and there is a light, darker chocolate in the background that works well with it. Also, compared to a few others on this list, it’s definitely slightly sweeter overall, which further brings out its creamy, sweet coconut-y flavor.
4. Lemon Meringue
Its appearance is a thin white cream shell with a yellow inside.
Creamy with a sugary, slightly punchy lemon taste. It definitely reminds me of lemon meringue, but a little less punchy and a little less sweet; it does have a good amount of appreciable creaminess. Overall, a good rendition of the real thing — if Melo added some crunchy bits to resemble a crust and a touch more sweetness, this might actually be perfect! Surprisingly, this is one of the lesser-sweet bars on this list!
5. Brownie
A dark chocolate shell houses a lighter brown filling.
This flavor tastes like a reasonably sweet, creamy milk-to-dark chocolate, uniform-tasting bar. The chocolate is more or less your average chocolate, not tasting cheap or premium; it’s just a good, mostly average chocolate-based protein bar — not much else to say! Actually, I’m not sure if I’d say it’s precisely brownie per se, as I wouldn’t claim it’s that dark or sweet. However, it is close, especially noting the creamy marshmallow essence this bar gives.
In terms of sweetness, it’s average in every regard, both on this list and if you compare it to most other chocolate protein bars. The real standout, really, is that wonderful mouthfeel and filling!
6. Mint
Chocolate mint? By the looks of it, I hope — this has a thin, dark chocolate shell with a green-looking filling.
An equal part of mint and chocolate. And, don’t worry, these aren’t extraordinarily minty or punchy, nor do they have any strong toothpaste vibes. It’s more of a moderately sugary sweet and smooth mint that’s helped balanced by its darker chocolate counterpart. Really, this is a very inoffensive and tasty chocolate-mint bar, likely also thanks to its marshmallow filling and creamy texture.
Personally, however, as a minty flavored fan, I’m kind of bummed out by this one! The mint could have been stronger! It’s still a good bar, I just want something more punchy and hard-hitting.