Reviewing and ranking all the flavors from best to worst of the Think/think! High Protein Bars that I can find.
Overall Review & Verdict
The calories are a bit high compared to its protein macros. Ingredient-wise, it’s mostly a mix of whey proteins and sugar alcohol.
First, the big thing I noticed between these bars is that, despite only some having a few clearly embedded pieces like chocolate chips or peanuts, all have a very light crunch that provides some contrast to the soft-solid filling. They’re quite large, with a perfect thickness, are reasonably moist, and provide an easy-to-bite-through filling. Essentially, the filling is good; it doesn’t woo you, but it’s not bad either; it’s simply fulfilling and about what you would expect from a decent protein bar.
In terms of flavor and sweetness, don’t expect anything crazy here either. They taste like middle-of-the-road protein bars, where most of the flavors sport more or less authentic flavors with no artificialness — again, most of them, not all. Lastly, in terms of how sweet they are, while some vary, they’re all around a reasonable, moderate, “this is just right for a protein bar” level.
The verdict? These feel like your average protein bars. Nothing here is extraordinary, and nothing here is disappointing. The filling is fulfilling due to its thickness and mouthfeel, and the taste is just about right for all of them.
Flavor Ranking
1. Girl Scouts Thin Mints
It smells strongly of dark chocolate and mint, just like a Girl Scout Thin Mint. There are also little bits inside the chocolate protein filling, all in a darker chocolate shell.
I feel like a Girl Scout Thin Mint is maybe just a hint stronger than this overall. Nonetheless, this still has the exact flavor profile of the real thing, and its sweetness is just right. Its flavor is completely authentic: the chocolate is dark and cocoa-like, and there is definitely a minty balance!
I think the only downside is that the inside filling felt almost entirely uniform despite the little chocolate bits. Unfortunately, they were very small, and there weren’t many, and I really had to find any sort of additional crunch from it. Otherwise, this is a Girl Scouts Thin Mint in protein bar form!
2. Cookies & Creme
This flavor looks just like a cookies-and-cream bar, with a white shell and a filling that resembles a hazelnut color — between milk and dark — and also contains a few small dark chocolate chips.
When I first bit into this, my taste buds experienced a clear, mild, very creamy creme-like flavor, followed by a chocolate that falls between milk and dark — exactly what the brownish filling’s color accurately portrayed. Notably, this bar has an additional protein-bar-like taste from the chocolate filling. It’s not strong, but it does make the cookies-and-cream here seem more artificial than authentic.
In terms of sweetness as a whole, it’s a little less sweet than I expected from a cookies and cream bar–still reasonable, though not nearly as sweet as one might expect of a flavor like this. Lastly, the little chocolate pieces added a slight contrast to the filling, which was nice.
3. Creamy Peanut Butter
This far is mostly uniform with a slight crunch from the filling, like the other bars in this list. It also looks identical to the Chunky Peanut Butter flavor.
My first thought after trying this is, how is this any different than the chunky peanut butter flavor? And really, the big difference is that this doesn’t have any embedded peanut pieces that provide a more notable crunch. As the name implies, this bar is simply smoother and less crunchy; otherwise, it’s a fairly sweet, peanutty bar with a light, complementary milk chocolate flavor.
If I had to really analyze this bar and keep comparing it to its peanut sibling, I would say it is also a tad sweeter overall, with a peanut flavor that closely resembles what you’d find in a jar of Jiff or Skippy.
4. Chunky Peanut Butter
On initial inspection, it doesn’t appear to have any embedded bits or pieces; it looks pretty uniform, with a dark orange protein filling. But I later found out that there are clearly many little tiny peanut pieces that add a crunch to the soft texture when you bite in. I guess they blended in with the filling!
The taste reminds me of those sugary canned peanut spreads you find in stores like Jif or Skippy, but this is less sweet. Basically, the peanut tastes authentic and is still moderately sweet overall. There’s a lighter milk chocolate flavor in the background provided by the bar’s shell, though; it’s clear that the primary flavor of this bar is peanut butter.
To note, the flavor of this bar is nearly identical to Creamy Peanut Butter. The big difference is that this has a bit more crunch from the peanut pieces, while the other flavor lacks that addition.
5. White Chocolate
This bar has a white shell encasing a yellowish-orange protein filling. It looks like your standard vanilla protein bar, nothing fancy here.
Right after biting in, I immediately recognize the flavor. It’s very distinctly something you would taste in a plain ol’ vanilla protein powder or a vanilla-based protein or meal shake. It has that slightly chalky taste and a decently sweet vanilla-ish protein flavor. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say it’s white chocolate, necessarily — honestly, this is a vanilla protein powder in bar form!
6. Lemon Delight
A white shell with a uniform protein filling, orangey yellow inside. Unfortunately, nothing too crazy in the composition or texture department.
To me, this tastes like sugar first, then a sugary lemon. Indeed, this bar initially falls into a sugary taste profile, then greets you with a lighter, sugary-based lemon flavor with a hint of zest. It’s not at all punchy by any means, to be clear. Also, despite the white shell, it didn’t seem to provide much to the flavor or experience.
Overall, it’s a decent lemon bar that, frankly, could use more lemon flavor — and I say this as someone who almost always prefers fruit-based protein bars!