QuestBarI never heard of QuestBar until I came across a freebie deal. The company gave away two free QuestBars, so I ordered mine. Freebies cost money, but they pay off as I’ve bought many of the products I first tried as freebies. And here I am doing my word of mouth part for QuestBar. If it weren’t for the freebie, I would’ve never heard of it, tried it or written about it.

QuestBar stands out from competitors based on its claims to include more fiber, more protein, 100% whey and milk isolates, no sugar alcohols, no bad aftertaste, gluten free, no soy and no trans fat. I’m impressed with the nutritional numbers for protein, sat fat, sugars and fibers.It’s a low carb eater’s ideal bar.

Unfortunately, I’m not thrilled about the calories as I prefer my bars to have fewer than 200 calories. I work out a lot, but not enough to eat a lot of calories like body builders and athletes. I’d love to work out longer, but I have a job and a family.

The bars resemble a toughened cookie dough, but not the dryness or crunch of a cookie. The chewiness is like eating nougat. If that’s not your style, you can change that.

The company suggests several microwave options. One is to cook the bar in the microwave for 15 seconds (take the wrapper off first since it’s metallic) for a soft baked cookie-like taste. And it does come close. The other option is to break the bar into small pieces and nuke it for 35 seconds to get soft and crunchy bits. And indeed that’s what I got. It’s like having one bar, three ways and all of them work.

Peanut Butter Supreme QuestBar has a peanut butter taste. I wouldn’t compare it to the famous peanut butter cookie with the criss crosses since those are buttery and crispy. It’s more like a protein bar peanut butter chew. I know that’s an odd way to describe it. I can’t think of something comparable. Just a plain protein bar with nuts and no swirls, coating or icing.

Vanilla Almond Crunch QuestBar mixes the sweetness of vanilla with the nuttiness of almonds that it almost tastes like hazelnut flavoring. The texture is the same as peanut butter only a little sweeter. When I first tried the bars, I didn’t think I liked them and thought they had an aftertaste. But the more I tried it, the better they tasted. However, these aren’t the best tasting bars. They’re good — not delicious or superb.

Will I be ordering these? No. I rarely eat bars over 200 calories. If I did, though, I would. I’m guessing one of the competitors is Met RX and these are better especially with no aftertaste. QuestBar only comes in two flavors. Maybe the company will add more flavors later if it can retain the integrity of the bar’s advantages.

Vanilla Almond Crunch QuestBar: 230 calories, 12g fat, 1g sat fat, 350mg sodium, 19g carbs, 15g fiber, 2g sugars and 20g proteins.

Peanut Butter Supreme QuestBar: 220 calories, 11g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 320mg sodium, 20g carbs, 15g fiber, 3g sugars and 20g proteins.

Verdict

***½