Think Thin

I try to like protein bars, I really do.  Or maybe at this point I only do it so I can add to my review labels for bars?  Seriously though, if I could find one that tasted good, smelt good, had nice texture, and was good for me, I'd love it.

"Protein helps fuel a full, energetic life. And good nutrition should always be delicious. That’s why thinkThin® products are packed with protein and come in a variety of decadent flavors."

Think Thin wins on the "sounds good" front, and little else.  They make a ton of product lines: High Protein Bars, Protein & Fiber Bars, Protein & Superfruit Bars, and Protein Nut Bars, plus, uh, Protein Cakes, Protein & Fiber Oatmeal, Protein & Probiotic Powder, and Protein Smoothie Mixes.  

I tried several types of bars.  I can't say I want more.

High Protein Bars

"Our highest protein bar for consumers seeking post-workout energy or even meal replacement. Also great for those watching their sugar intake. 20g protein, 0g sugar, 0 guilt. Gluten Free."

These are the type of stats that should scare you away immediately.  There is no way something like this will taste good.  Where does all the protein come from? The "protein blend" made from why protein isolate, soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, and casein..  Mmm, tasty.  Oh, and soy crisps too.

But the varieties available all sound good: "brownie crunch", "maple almond", "cookies & cream", etc.  Protip: Don't trust the names.  These things are awful.

Chunky Peanut Butter.

"This high protein bar packs the nutty flavors of chunky roasted peanut butter blended with cocoa and covered in luscious milk chocolate."

Ok, so, this looked, and sounded good.  Who doesn't love chocolate coated peanut butter?

First, the coating.  It looked like chocolate, but, it certainly wasn't creamy milk chocolate.  Made from "coating": maltitol, cocoa butter, chocolate, sodium caseinate, milk fat, soy lecithin, natural flavors. salt.  Yum.

It was tasteless and the layer too thin to be useful anyway.  So if you are looking for a chocolate flavor to compliment the peanuts, this is not it.  But that was the least of the problems.

Chunky Peanut Butter: Inside.

The inside was the problem.  This was just downright nasty.  It tasted like sawdust.  The consistency was sawdust.  It was really, truly, gross.  I didn't taste peanuts either, just, sawdust.  I spit it out.  I really couldn't swallow something so foul.

Wow, it isn't like I expected this to be good, but I certainly didn't expect it to be this bad.

Cinnamon Bun White Chocolate.

"A sweet yet spicy mouthful of exotic cinnamon wrapped in creamy white chocolate is a perfect choice for those who want a little adventure at 3:00 pm."

If at first you don't succeed ... try, try again.  Plus, who doesn't love cinnamon buns and sweet white chocolate?

The aroma on this was actually pleasant.  Cinnamon-y.  Really not bad.

The white chocolate "coating" was similar to the chocolate though, basically lost, just giving a touch of sweetness, an element of icing.

And it did taste like cinnamon.  But with a base of soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, chicory fiber, and brown rice syrup, how tasty could it really be?  At least it wasn't quite as sawdust-y.

Crunch

The Crunch line seems to be a trial, with only a few flavors available, and no main listing on their website.  A lighter item.  I think they pivoted these to the nut bars?

Blueberry Mixed Nuts Crunch Bar.

"With 60% less sugar and 2x the amount of protein than leading fruit and nut bars, this delicious nutty delight is not only a good source of fiber packed with peanuts, almonds and cashews, but also has a generous helping of blueberries - natures jewels and nutrition-rich superfruits."

I obviously wasn't into the protein bars, but bars that have real nuts, and are just stuck together with sweetness generally appeal to me (at least, as much as any bars do).

Through the see-threw packaging, I could see that this bar really did look like sweet stuck together nuts, yet it promised to be a bit better for me, so I gave it a try.

I couldn't decide if I hated it or not.

Yes, it did have nuts.  Whole peanuts, almonds, and cashews.  And they were bound together by sweetness (brown rice syrup in this case).  But it had a strange bitterness, which, once I looked at the ingredients list, I realized came from chicory fiber (why was that in there?).  I also saw another gem hiding in the ingredients.  No, it wasn't the blueberries.  Soy crisps.  Made from ... soy protein isolate.  Sigh.

This was almost good.  Sweet sticky nuts ... almost.  But strangely bitter.

Lean Protein & Fiber

"At only 150 calories, thinkThin Lean Protein & Fiber™ bars deliver the perfect balance of 10g of protein and 5g of fiber to give you energy and help keep you full and satisfied."

Salted Caramel Lean Protein & Fiber Bar.

"Bite into smooth caramel covered in dark chocolate, with a crispy salty finish."

I'll start with the good.  The flavor was actually really great, salted caramel.  The dark chocolate coating was equally flavorful and deep.  Chocolate and caramel go together well.

But, how do you get 10g of protein and 5g of sugar into a 150 calorie bar?  With a base made from protein blend of soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, and calcium caseinate,  And, you can tell.  The texture is strange, the taste is funky, particularly on the finish.  Sad, since it could be so tasty, but, destroyed by what it is.  **.

Oatmeal

Hot oatmeal is enhanced with additional protein and fiber, and comes in numerous varieties: madagascar vanilla with almonds & pecans, Farmer's market berry crumble, honey peanut butter, banana bread, apple spice, and original sprouted grains.

Packaging.

thinkThin uses a slightly different form than most oatmeal packets, and it contains a handy feature - you can use it as a measuring cup!  Yup, you dump the oatmeal into a bowl, and can use the packet to measure the water - the fill line is on the back.

Instructions are provided for either a microwave cook (add cold water, heat, stir, wait) or adding boiling water (stir, wait).

I went the boiling water route, as I already had water ready.

Original Sprouted Grains.

"Fuel up and feel great, with a warm, wholesome and delicious bowl of Original Sprouted Grains Oatmeal. It’s a protein and fiber fueled way to fill your day with plenty of positive energy. Each bowl is a hearty blend of whole grains, like whole rolled oats, steel cut oats, sprouted buckwheat and sprouted quinoa. The thick, rich texture is full of body and perfectly balanced with a mouthwatering hint of brown sugar. Made with just the good stuff and Non-GMO Project verified. So you can feel great about every single bite."

It looked like ... powdery oatmeal.  Not sure what I was expecting, but I think I thought there would be something slightly more interesting about it.  More bits of something perhaps, and certainly not all the powder.

Still, I added my boiling water, stirred, let it get thick, and tried to enjoy.

It was very meh.  Very boring.  The base is mostly just standard rolled and steal cut oats.  They were fine.  The sprouted grains, buckwheat and quinoa were minimal.  I did like the bits I got, they added great crunch, but, there just wasn't much of that at all.  I wanted more texture.

And then, the flavor.  This isn't a flavored variety, although it has a touch of salt and a touch of brown sugar.  It tasted odd though.  It tasted like fake sweet, which makes no sense.  The only thing I can think is that perhaps the chicory root fiber or soy protein isolate they add made the taste off for me?

I tried adding more toppings, but I still just couldn't get excited about this.  It really was a nice healthy bowl of seemingly quality oatmeal though.  **+.

Madagascar Vanilla with Almonds & Pecans.

"Power up-perfectly with a warm, wholesome and delicious bowl of Madagascar Vanilla, Almonds, Pecans oatmeal. It’s a protein and fiber fueled way to fill your day with plenty of positive energy. Each bowl is a hearty blend of whole grains, like whole rolled oats, steel cut oats, and the super-grain red quinoa. The thick, rich texture is full of body and perfectly balanced with a mouthwatering assortment of almond and pecan pieces along with real Madagascar Vanilla Bean-crushed for a sweet, creamy flavor."

I moved on to another good sounding version, this one promised me almonds and pecans, and vanilla flavor.  I was again hopeful for more texture, crunch from the red quinoa I knew not to expect, but I thought the almonds and pecans might deliver.  And maybe the vanilla bean would mask some of the strange flavor ...

But, alas.  Again, just powdery oatmeal.  Not much texture.  Not really sure where those promised almonds and pecans were.  And, no, I didn't taste vanilla either.  I didn't taste much.

Well, that is, except for the strange, fake sweetness that came on the finish, and lingered.  I really do not understand, as the only ingredients, besides the base whole grains, almonds and pecans, really are cane sugar, soy protein isolate, and chicory root fiber. The chicory root should be bitter, and I didn't think soy protein had a fake sweet taste ... but, this tasted, well, fake sweet.  I really did not like it.  **.