A Flavor Ranking and Review of Plant-Based NuGo Protein Bars. These flavors are Peanut Butter Cup, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Pretzel, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Almond.
Overall Review & Verdict
From their initial appearance, each bar seems to have a dark chocolate-looking shell with embedded pieces on top. Then, when you break it apart, you find a crispy rice-based filling inside. The bars as a whole seem about average in size, though the Mint Chocolate Chip is especially thin. Lastly, aside from the crispy filling, some bars seem to have other little embedded pieces depending on the flavor.
In terms of macros, they aren’t the best with a moderate calorie count and a lowish protein content. It’s not horrible, but there’s better.
From eating all of these, I noticed they all have authentic, non-artificial, and not weird protein-bar-esque tastes. This observation is likely due to their ingredients, which consist primarily of soy crisps and “real” sugar. However, the flavors themselves are milder than your typical bar, and each one leans toward a semi-dark or dark chocolate side, with the additional advertised flavor making up a smaller part of the profile.
These bars offer a more pleasant, subtle experience while still giving you enough flavor without being bland. Each bar falls on the mildly to moderately sweet side, which is great if you want something that still has some flavor, but if you’re craving something sweeter, other brands offer a more exciting, sugary experience. Lastly, the crispy interior, combined with the thick shell, is a nice touch, offering a semi-soft, semi-crunchy experience.
Overall, I found these bars decent enough; however, someone who likes sweeter bars wouldn’t find them exactly to their liking. Personally, I still enjoyed eating them because there was nearly enough sweetness. On the other hand, I wish their advertised flavors were stronger. They won’t woo you, though; at the same time, they’re good enough to eat, especially if you prefer more chocolate-based bars.
Flavor Ranking
1. Mint Chocolate Chip
Unfortunately, these aren’t as large or chunky as the others, as this one runs on the thinner side for some reason. When I bit in, I got about 70% dark chocolate and 30% mint. Compared to, say, other minty chocolate-based protein bars or minty candy bars, this is much milder and more subtle. It doesn’t have much sweetness, but it has just enough to give you mostly a darker chocolate taste with a pleasantly smooth minty background. Honestly, if you’re not a fan of mint or want a more dark chocolate-based eating experience, this is for you.
2. Chocolate Coconut
I love coconut, especially when it’s paired with chocolate. And indeed, looking at the crispy inside, there does seem to be a few chocolate chips too. Unfortunately, as a coconut fan, it didn’t necessarily meet my expectations as I generally prefer strong, sweet coconut flavors. However, with this bar, I get about 85% dark chocolate, and the rest is coconut. The flavors are authentic, but nothing stands out, especially not the coconut, and the bar as a whole is more mildly sweet, perhaps a little higher. I guess if you don’t want a crazy-sweet coconut flavor and something more subtle, this is for you.
3. Chocolate Pretzel
I was hoping there would be bits of pretzel or something else aside from the regularized crispy bits on the inside, but this looks pretty uniform in texture aside from the bumpy top. My initial impression was that it seemed like a regular chocolate protein bar. I literally asked myself, “Where is that pretzel or the saltines?” But after a few bites, I started to notice a more subtle pretzel flavor alongside some saltiness and sweetness.
This flavor specifically has a lot of nuance; however, the chocolate does dominate here. As a side note, I’m usually not a fan of chocolate-covered pretzels, but I did enjoy this because the pretzel and the saltiness were lighter. Going back, though, while this falls on the chocolatey side, it’s not overly chocolatey or sweet.
4. Peanut Butter Cup
There’s nothing special about this: a dark chocolate shell with embedded orange rice pieces, with nothing much else. In terms of taste, everything here feels just okay. The peanut and semi-sweet chocolate flavors are equal, but neither stands out, and the bar, notably, isn’t quite as sweet or strong as many other peanut-based protein bars. They don’t go overboard, nothing is artificial, and the sweetness provides just enough for a pleasant, but nothing to write home about, experience.
5. Chocolate Chocolate Chip
As the name suggests, along with crispy bits, there are also chocolate chips inside, or at least a chocolate version of the crispy bits, too. What I really like about this bar is that the shell gives a more dark taste; however, it’s a milk chocolate-based flavor on the inside, and when combined with the mild to moderate sweetness, it’s a pleasant chocolate bar experience, neither dark nor milky, something in between. Then, combined with the fact that it’s a tad sweeter than many other bars on this list, it’s not too bad and gives you a nice, chocolately experience.
6. Chocolate Almond
From its appearance, it doesn’t seem to be anything too crazy about this — it has a crispy inside with no other bits. And like its appearance, its flavor is also nothing spectacular. It’s primarily a mildly to moderately sweet, semi-dark chocolate flavor, with a background of almond that complements the chocolate. Overall, it’s a pleasant experience, but don’t expect anything super nutty here; this is definitely a chocolate-based bar through and through.