Much like reviewing protein powder, when it comes to reviewing protein bars the majority of it is about taste for us. Most protein bars tend to have a reasonable nutrition profile, just like the protein bar we have in for review today, the Venture Bar. This product had actually been in the works for a very long time before it was finally released, so we were expecting something in the area of above average. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, at least from out point of view, as the Venture Bar is easily the worst bar we’ve ever had.
We don’t really have high standards for protein bars, in fact we’ve never had one we didn’t enjoy so we didn’t think there were any bad ones out there. Regardless of their profile, they’ve all been delicious such as the recent Quest Labs releases, and our current favorite Grenade’s Carb Killa. Some flavors aren’t as impressive as others, however in the end, they’re all very enjoyable and taste good enough for us to want to finish them all. The Venture Bar is a first here at Stack3d, as we have had to throw a number of them away purely because they aren’t a treat like protein bars usually are.
Brick like consistency without a microwave
The biggest problem we have with the Venture Bar is its consistency. The product is as close to a brick as we’ve seen, with each bite you take quickly turning into an effort to get through. We did initially think maybe it was just one of the flavors, although after opening several Venture Bars and trying each flavor we discovered they all have the same problem. Heating up the protein bar for 10 seconds does soften it, but you will need at least 30 seconds. At that point it’s not really a bar anymore and is still surprisingly, very chewy.
The extremely thick consistency, unfortunately does ruin the whole bar for us. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, and Coconut Almond Delight do taste like their titles, however their flavors aren’t exactly strong. Each one does have a small taste that stands out letting you know what you’re eating, such as chocolate chip in Cookie Dough, peanut in Peanut Butter Fudge, and coconut in the Almond Delight.
While the microwave does make the Venture Bar edible, and a couple of its flavors a tiny bit enjoyable. The problem is you shouldn’t need to use one just to eat a protein bar. We usually purchase bars to have on the go, which is definitely something you can’t do with the Venture Bar unless you want to chew for 10 to 20 minutes and get almost no flavor.
Plenty of other options
There are plenty of other options out there that are just as good as the Venture Bar nutrition wise, if not better, and they don’t need to be heated. If it’s the low calories you want, Grenade’s Carb Killa has 214, more protein than the Venture Bar, and is the best tasting bar on the market. If it’s the fiber and no artificial flavors you’re after, Muscletech’s Mission1 would be the ideal solution and it has a lower amount of calories.
At the end of the day it does come down to what you enjoy, and if the Venture Bar sounds like your kettle of fish, don’t let our feelings stop you. We’re really just blown away, as after all these years of trying delicious protein bar creations we thought this is the one area of the industry that is consistently on point. We do wonder if maybe the batch of Venture Bars we got was bad, especially since they are promoted as being soft. Although if that’s the case that doesn’t make them seem overly reliable.
