It is mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, and my stomach was doing a bit of rumbling. So I decided to do a review of a protein bar that I don’t eat on a regular basis. In my kitchen cupboard I have a stack of protein bars that I have meant to dig into, and I came upon the Pure Protein Chocolate Salted Caramel bar that has been sitting there for a few days that I picked up at my local grocery store.

This particular store has a ton of different protein bars, all of which I can buy as singles to try. I figured this would be a perfect bar to test out, and I was eager to try it.

Pure Protein Chocolate Salted Caramel Bar

To start out, I like to test protein bars that have interesting and somewhat obscure flavors, and chocolate salted caramel sounded pretty intriguing, so I tore open the package and was ready to go at it. But before I let you in on my findings, lets take a look at the ingredients.

List of Ingredients

I don’t normally like a list of ingredients a mile long, for two reasons. First, the longer the list of ingredients, usually the more unhealthy it is. This is a good rule of thumb to go by when eating anything, and protein bars are no different. Second, the longer the ingredients list, the more typing I have to do, and my fingers hurt. But, I want to make my reviews as accessible to you by not only giving you my personal take on a product, but by letting you know exactly what you are putting in your body. Hence, the list of ingredients.

Ingredients: Coating (Maltitol, Fractionated Palm Kernal Oil, Whey Protein Concentrate, Cocoa [processed with alkali], Calcium Carbonate, Sugar, Natural Flavors, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Peanut Flour, Sucralose, Nonfat Dry Milk Solids, Yogurt Powder [Cultured Whey Protein Concentrate, Cultured Skim Milk], Peanut Butter [Peanuts], Caramel Layer (Maltitol Syrup, Nonfat Dry Milk, Heavy Cream [Cream, Milk, Cellulose Gel, Milk Solids, Cellulose Gum], Milk Protein Concentrate, Palm Kernal Oil, Butter, Water, Disodium Phosphate, Caramel, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Carrageenan), Hydrolyzed Collagen, Protein Blend (Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Glycerin, Soy Crisps (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Caramel Flavored Chips (Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil/Palm Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Whole Milk Powder, Cocoa [processed with alkali], Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors, Annatto Extract Color, Natural Vanilla Extract), Natural Flavors, Maltitol Syrup, Water, Canola Oil, Sucralose, Soy Lecithin, Almond Butter, Peanut Flour.

Contains milk, soy, peanut and tree nut (almond) ingredients.

Some Important Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar, Amount Per Serving: Calories 200, Calories From Fat 45, Total Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 210mg, Total Carbohydrate 20g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 3g, Sugar Alcohol 9g, Protein 19g.

My Honest Reveiw

First of all, when I opened the package I got a very strong caramel, salty smell. It smelled absolutely delicious! Like a decadent, luxurious candy bar. Which is basically how it tasted.

The flavors exploded in my mouth, was exceptionally sweet with quite a bit of saltiness. I guess this shouldn’t surprise me, since it is chocolate salted caramel flavored, however I didn’t really taste much chocolate up front. The salty caramel flavor and aroma jumped right out at me.

I must say that this is one of the best tasting protein bars I’ve tasted in quite a while. Of course, the reason it tasted so delicious is that it is loaded with lots of sweet ingredients.

It only has 3g of sugar, which is relatively low, however it has 9g of sugar alcohol, which is higher than I am used to. So it’s safe to say that I will never have more than one of these bars in a day.

There is a thin coating of milk chocolate around the whole bar which does not add a lot to the overall flavor, which is dominated by the caramel, salty taste. This bar is incredibly sweet, with no protein taste at all.

It has a mild crunch, which gives it a nice texture, and finishes very creamy.

Though it has 19g of protein, which is a good amount, to me this is basically a glorified candy bar. Which really isn’t that terrible if that’s what your into.

I don’t suspect many bodybuilders prepping for a contest will be eating these bars, but for the rest of us, it’s like eating a candy bar. Having one of these bars as a snack or before a workout will pack on some much-needed protein, but it probably won’t do anything positive for the waste line.

All in all, I would definitely try this protein bar if you are looking for a sweet treat. It certainly tastes amazing! Maybe steer away if you are watching sugar and carbohydrate intake. I loved the bar, but I wouldn’t buy them by the case.