Julia's Food Reviews

Chocolate Peanut Butter: 8/10 - Keep in mind my protein bar scale is skewed higher because I have such low expectations for them. It would only get a 7/10 on my Luna bar scale. I really liked how there was a thick and creamy chocolate coating surrounding the entire bar and how I could really taste it. However, it was definitely very salty but I could barely taste the peanut butter. It did keep me very full so I could enjoy swimming at the beach which was a huge plus!  I also took a couple of points off because it just tasted like all of Luna's other protein bars. I'm not really getting any sort of variety in that department. It was also pretty dry. Both because it was boring and because I was extremely thirsty afterward. I  find it kind of crazy how after eating this bar, I've tried every single Luna bar flavor available!   Thank you for joining me on my Luna Bar journey! 

Tangerine Zest: 7/10 - I found that this Luna Bar was pretty similar to the other Prebiotics Luna bar (Wild Cherry). I did like the fruity, sweet, and tart mixture of flavors but texture and presentation were definitely lacking. The texture was pretty dry and grainy.  There were no toppings such as a coating or drizzle which left the bar with only a bottom coating. Of course, that is still perfectly fine, but definitely not as exciting to look at or to taste. 

Nutz Over Chocolate: 8/10 - I was actually really surprised with how high I rated this bar because it was actually really bland but I guess my expectations were just so incredibly low. What I liked about it was that it was definitely very chocolate heavy and kept me very full! However, I kind of think I was just imagining the nut flavor because I wanted to like the bar so bad... Anyways, overall, this was a satisfactory bar but could definitely use some more flavor. Then again, I'm sure many people are not looking for exciting tastes when shopping for nutrition bars. 

Chocolate Salted Caramel: 9/10 - Similar to the first Luna-Protein bar I tried, this one scored higher on my 'protein bar scale' than on my 'normal' Luna bar scale. That being said, this bar earned 8/10 on the ordinary Luna bar scale just because you can really taste the extra nutrients... However, it scored a 9/10  on the protein bar scale because I loved the sweet chocolate and salty caramel combination. I felt like I could actually taste it, unlike many other bar flavors. Then again, I should mention that my score might be very high either because my expectations were 6 feet underground and I usually hate protein bars or because I had just finished a 9-mile uphill hike and was very hungry. Either way, this was definitely a very enjoyable Luna bar!

Peanut Butter + Fudge: 6/10 - I was actually really disappointed with this bar. When you first unwrap it, you can see a very thick, chocolatey, top coating, chocolate drizzle, and a chocolate bottom coating which made me super excited!! I was fully expecting a chocolate-peanut butter overload but was sorrily mislead.  It actually tasted pretty similar to the "White Chocolate Macadamia Nut" bar in that it was just a bland mixture of chocolate and nuts. The presentation was over-the-top amazing! Which sadly led my expectations to be far too high for the actual taste of this bar. 

Wild Cherry: 7/10 - This bar only had the sugary-fruity bottom coating but I'm glad it didn't have a top coating or drizzle because I think that would make the Luna bar far too sweet. I originally gave this a 5/10 because it tasted like cough syrup but the more I had of it, the more it grew on me. However, it did still taste like medicine I think I just got used to it.  Something I appreciated about this flavor was that it definitely was not bland, but I didn't really like the flavor which was unfortunate. I love fruit but the way that Luna flavored it made it taste off to me. Even though I didn't enjoy the taste, I gave it a high score because there actually was a strong taste, unlike many other bars from this brand. 

Creamy Dreamy Peanut Butter: 9/10 - This bar actually did taste very 'creamy' and sweet to me. My expectations were not very high because with previous Luna bars, the nut flavors had not been very present but this almost tasted like a protein-y/nutrional version of a Reese's Peanut Butter cup! It was actually much 'softer' than I expected. It sort of melted in your mouth which I loved! As expected, the Peanut Butter bar had it's classic, sweet bottom coating plus a pretty, white drizzle on top! I could definitely taste the peanut butter and was pleasantly surprised with how sweet it was as well! Although, I could imagine others might not want it to be as sugary as it ended up being. Generally, this was a great bar and I was very satisfied with the overall taste and presentation. 

Caramel Walnut Brownie: 9/10 - This one was my highest rating yet! I also think that my reviews have been getting more generous as my expectations are lowered. I loved how this Luna bar had a chocolate bottom coating, caramel top coating, and a chocolate drizzle.  Usually, I find that most Luna bars (or bars in general) are pretty bland and I can't taste a lot of the flavors but in this one, I could distinctively taste the sweet and salty caramel as well as a hint of chocolate. I would've liked if there was more of a nutty taste and a stronger chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Cupcake: 7/10 - Personally, I found that the look was more appealing than the taste. There was a chocolate coating underneath, a layer of chocolate on top, and a chocolate drizzle. The first bite was pretty underwhelming as I expected a chocolate overload but it seemed to be more of an aftertaste.  However, I thought that the bar tasted better with each bite. At first, it simply tasted like an ordinary protein bar but the more I ate it, the better it tasted? Not exactly sure why but maybe it was because I got more used to it or because my expectations were lowered. Overall, the decoration was beautiful yet the taste was a little disappointing but I obviously managed to choke it down. ;)

White Chocolate Macadamia: 4/10 - I liked this bar but it was pretty boring. I don't really like white chocolate but I couldn't taste it anyway. I couldn't taste any macadamia nuts either but it was definitely a little more 'nutty' than other Luna bars.  I liked how they added a drizzle on top plus their classic coating on the bottom. I think that if the flavors had been just a little stronger this would've been a great bar but sadly, I was underwhelemed. 

 Lemon Zest: 8/10 - My general review is that it had a great flavor but was a little boring. I thought it defeinetly tasted like lemon and the taste was sweet yet tangy. However, there were no toppings or drizzle or anything on top but to be honest, there didn't need to be as it already had a perfectly fine flavor and texture. It tasted and felt like your standard Luna Bar so I wouldn't say there is anything necessarily 'wrong' with it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: 7/10 - I think I would give it a 7/10 considering it's a protein bar but only a 6/10 on a 'normal bar' scale. I usually hate protein bars because of how chewy and dense they are. They also almost always taste the same and I feel like it would be impossible to create one that tastes like fruit (for example), or doesn't have chocolate in/on it.  That being said, this was just as chewy, dense, salty, and chocolate-y, as I expected. However, I've had worse protein bars which is why it got a high rating on my 'protein bar scale.' It didn't taste awful although I definitely prefer ordinary Luna bars as opposed to their protein versions. Like I said, it tasted very similar to all other protein bars that I've had (from different brands) and I would just describe this one as a chewy, thick center coated in salty chocolate. But then again, in my opinion, it is indeed very hard to get a protein bar to actually taste good so kudos on...

Chocolate Peppermint Stick: 7/10 - I'm not sure if this is a high 6/10 or just a 7/10 but I thought this was a pretty good bar except obviously not that special. There was no topping but I did get a hint of a nice minty - chocolate taste.  I really liked how it wasn't too dry and I still got enough flavor even with just the bottom coating. And even though one of the main flavors is chocolate, it was definitely not too sweet at all. 

Blueberry Bliss: 5/10 - It was much sweeter than I expected. There was a yogurt coating on the bottom and a blueberry 'gel' with a sweet drizzle and some oats on top. I was really excited for this bar but I guess I should've realized that fruit-flavored protein bars are mostly just going to taste like sugar, not fresh fruit.  I definitely liked it better than the non-fruity bars because I think these have more flavor and are more exciting. However, I didn't really like the yogurt flavor or how sweet it was.

S'mores: 2/10 - The package said there wouldn't be marshmallows so I wasn't expecting too much but when I unwrapped it there wasn't even "decoration/toppings" on the top. There was a chocolate coating on the bottom but that was it. It really just tasted like the "default" bar. I didn't find it interesting or tasty at all.  Obviously, it wasn't awful- I ate the whole thing and didn't complain but it was so, so boring and didn't taste like s'mores at all. I couldn't taste chocolate, marshmallow, or graham cracker.   

Chocolate Dipped Coconut: 3/10 - the smell was amazing (6/10) which made it even more disappointing when I bit into it. This was the opposite of the Lemon/Blueberry bar in that I thought it tasted better eating the coconut on top and chocolate on the bottom separately instead of biting it normally and having the combined taste. The flavor was mediocre but the texture was very dry.  When I unwrapped it I immediately smelled a strong coconut aroma which made me really excited to bite into it but I barely tasted the coconut at all. It felt super plain, there was a thin chocolate coating on the bottom but that's about the only thing that made it special taste-wise. It still tasted totally fine just not a lot of coconut flavor which was their main selling point to me. 

Sea Salt Caramel: 4/10 - I would've given it a better score if my expectations weren't so high but it was super bland. I actually ended up trying it with some peanut butter which I think improved it a little but putting peanut butter on a protein bar is not something I'd want to do more of.  There's nothing "wrong" with this bar but it's kind of just like a dry, sweet, salty blob. And I'm sure some people would enjoy that but I expected it to have a more prominent caramel flavor and just have stronger tastes overall. 

LemonZest+Blueberry: 7/10 - I originally gave it a 6/10 when I bit only the blueberry part on top and the lemon part on the bottom separately but I think that the two flavors complement each other really well so that bumped it up a full point.  Obviously, it doesn't taste like real blueberries or lemon but the flavors are very present and go well together. Also, because it's a fruity bar, I don't think it was too dry at all.