Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThey've made great improvements
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2021
**Updated Review -9/29/2021-**
I'm finally submitting an updated review. I was sent a sample variety box from the Co-Founder. I was hesitant about these bars at 1st but gradually tried each. Indeed they did make changes. I gotta say, great improvements. The flavors are much better than before and have more of a moist, yet not oily, oatmeal/soft-like texture. Normally I like my bars cold but these are very good at room temperature. I went ahead and tried a bit of the remaining ones. I'll go through each favor.
1) Matcha Chai: I didn't even know they had this flavor. It's a new one to me. The matcha flavor is there and on point. It's a flavor I'm not used to but it might grow on me. I definitely like the ingredients this one has.
2) Blueberry Lemon: Far better, strong blueberry and lemon flavor with blueberry bits.
3) Blueberry: This had a deeper blueberry flavor, a better improvement. Good bits of blueberry.
4) Banana Nut: Definitely better, the banana nut hits the taste buds quickly.
5) Almond Butter Chip: I'm an almond and peanut butter lover and this one is quite good. May end up one of my favs. I did taste the almond butter quite well and the chocolate chips taste good.
6) Peanut Butter Chip: A solid improvement. The peanut butter flavor hit me a bit later than the almond butter. Not really a bad note, the peanut butter flavor is there. Peanut butter chocolate tends to be my favorite flavor so this may end up on the top for me.
7) Chocolate Seasalt: Although I'm normally not a fan of flavored bars with sea salt. this is far better than before. Good chocolate flavor and sea salt is there.
On another note, I like their branding. The box shows what the bar actually looks like versus other brands showing some indulging treat of what it suppose to taste like. They even show videos of breaking apart the bars.
And there you have it. Nice improvements IQ Bars. I can see these now as a good alternative choice for me.
**Original**
I've tried many different types of protein bars, starting from whey and switching to plant protein. I've seen recent reviews mentioning these bars taste better due to a new/better formula but these are very bland in flavor. I'm at the close point of giving this a 2 star.
I give protein bars a good try and see how my tastebuds adjust to them. My tastebuds normally adjust well to new brands I try. The problem is these bars fail in the 1st impression in flavor. Even at a health standpoint, it shouldn't compromise flavor. I bought both variety packs, the chocolate and fruit lovers. Both so far are very bland and I just plan to choke these down so I don't waste the money but also to give these a full complete try. Maybe I got a bad batch but then that's also a problem. If IQBAR has really improved their bars, needs to be consistency across the board. Everyone is different, you may or may not like these. I wanted to try all the flavors but so far none are my favorite. I get health and nutrition, but not cutting corners.
So here is my overall:
Price: 3 - Avg/Fair - Price is around average imo compared to most plant protein bars but I've had better.
Taste: 1.5 - Very bland - 1.5 - These bars may be the blandest bars I've had yet or at least in 2nd place which is a shame because also included in the box is a little sheet saying "we improved our bars".
Texture: 3 - Semi Dry/soft - I'm fine with the texture. It has somewhat of a semi-moist granola texture.
Ingredients: 4 - The main reason I decided to try, the ingredients look good overall. They look like a good alternative choice.
Packaging: 5 - Packaging was great. Clean box design, no reckless handling, and bars in good shape.
If you plan to try, I recommend one of the variety packs and hope you enjoy them. Unfortunately, these are leaning to a no-go for me. Maybe in the future that will change.