Battle Bars
Stella Blue Dark Chocolate Espresso Protein Bar
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
A coffee-collab, chocolate‑espresso protein bar with an authentically roasty profile and a reported ~100mg caffeine boost (per Stack3d), built on a whey‑and‑egg blend with a light, crispy bite.
When to choose Battle Bars Stella Blue Dark Chocolate Espresso Protein Bar
Coffee lovers who want protein plus a pick‑me‑up for the afternoon slump or pre‑workout. Skip it late at night, and avoid if you’re steering clear of dairy, egg, coconut, or sugar alcohols.
What's in the Battle Bars bar?
Meet Battle Bars’ Stella Blue Dark Chocolate Espresso: a whey‑led protein bar dressed in real coffee and cocoa. The flavor comes from dark chocolate (with alkalized cocoa), extra cocoa powder, vanilla, and brewed coffee—so it tastes like a chocolate‑covered espresso bean.
Nutritionally, it’s a mixed bag in a useful way: 17g of protein from a whey/egg blend (with some collagen for texture), carbs on the higher side mostly from soluble fibers rather than straight sugar, and moderate fat from a mix of coconut, sunflower, and palm‑kernel oils.
Expect steady sweetness from sugar alcohols and fiber syrups with only 7g of actual sugar, mostly from the chocolate.
- Protein
- 17 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Calories
- 220
Protein
1715MIDProtein comes primarily from whey (isolate and concentrate) with supporting egg‑white protein and some collagen. Whey and egg are complete, high‑quality proteins, so the 17g lands a bit above average for bars and covers your amino‑acid bases. Collagen softens texture but isn’t complete by itself—here it’s a complement, not the star.
Fat
89MIDThe 8g of fat is moderate and comes from a blend: coconut oil and palm‑kernel oil (more saturated) in the chocolate coating, balanced by unsaturated sunflower oil. That means a firmer bite and good shelf stability, with more saturated fat than if this were nut‑butter or olive‑oil based.
Carbs
2520HIGHCarbs skew higher, but many come from refined soluble fibers—tapioca fiber syrup and soluble corn fiber—plus erythritol and glycerin for sweetness and moisture. You’ll still see some digestible carbs from sugar in the dark chocolate and a bit of starch in the protein crisps. Net effect: less of a sugar spike than a candy bar, though tolerance to fibers/sugar alcohols varies.
Sugar
74MIDSugar is a reasonable 7g, largely from the dark chocolate (and a little lactose from milk powder within it). Most of the sweetness is actually carried by sugar alcohols (erythritol) and glycerin, plus the fiber syrups, which keep sugar lower than taste would suggest. If you’re sensitive to polyols, stick to one bar and see how you feel.
Calories
220210MIDAt 220 calories, this sits slightly above the bar average. Energy is spread across protein and fat, with a meaningful share from carbohydrates that include low‑calorie erythritol and lower‑calorie soluble fibers—so not all 25g of carbs hit like sugar. Think balanced fuel rather than a quick sugar rush.
Vitamins & Minerals
You get a modest mineral bump—about 10% DV calcium, likely from the whey/milk components, with small amounts of iron and potassium from cocoa and coffee. Vitamin E and ascorbic acid appear on the label as antioxidants; they help freshness more than they meaningfully fortify.
Additives
Expect modern bar tech: sugar alcohols (erythritol) and glycerin for sweetness and softness, soluble fibers for binding and lower glycemic impact, and sunflower lecithin in the chocolate for smoothness. These are highly refined ingredients that deliver a candy‑bar texture with less sugar, though some people notice GI rumbling from polyols and big fiber hits.
Ingredient List
Cow's milk whey
Corn (maize) endosperm
Cow's milk whey
Bovine, porcine, fish, chicken tissues
Eggs
Oil palm fruit
Corn or wheat starch
Sugarcane and sugar beet
Cacao beans treated with alkali
Cow's milk
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“Battlebars, good bar. Definite A-Tier. Good crispy texture.”
“Battle bars! They have better ingredients than most bars.”
“I love Battle Bars because they don’t taste fake and help get some protein in.”
Main Praise
Flavor is the headline here. Reviewers consistently call out the coffee‑and‑cocoa combo as convincing—more like a chocolate‑covered espresso bean than a chocolate‑flavored protein bar.
Redditor NihilistProphet even slotted Battle Bars into the A‑Tier for its crisp texture, and others praise that the bars “don’t taste fake” and lean on what they see as better ingredient choices than many competitors.
Independent reviewers echo the taste praise, singling out Stella Blue as one of the brand’s standout flavors with a fun, roasty profile. Add the reported caffeine kick and you’ve got a snack that feels purposeful: protein plus a little go‑juice.
Main Criticism
Texture isn’t universally crispy. Multiple reviewers note that while some bars crackle, others chew denser—closer to a traditional protein bar with a slightly grainy finish.
Coatings can be a bit waxy and melt‑prone in heat, which makes storage matter. There’s also chatter about price feeling high relative to the macros.
And because sweetness leans on sugar alcohols and refined fibers, sensitive stomachs may prefer to test one bar before committing.
The Middle Ground
So which is it—crispy revelation or dense pretender? The truth lives in the middle.
When fresh and stored well, the Stella Blue bar tends to deliver that light puffed‑crisp bite Redditor NihilistProphet liked; leave it warm in a bag or car and the coating softens and the interior can feel chewier, which aligns with independent reviews noting texture inconsistency.
Flavor is the safer bet: even skeptics concede the roast‑y coffee and dark chocolate come through cleanly rather than candy‑sweet. On the nutrition side, 17g protein at 220 calories is solid for an afternoon tide‑you‑over snack, not a full meal replacement.
The lower sugar is achieved with sugar alcohols and fiber syrups, which many people tolerate fine but can trouble a few—something to consider if you’re, say, Reddit user “one-week‑out and everything tastes like heaven” (we’ve all been there).
And yes, the reported ~100mg of caffeine is a real advantage—just not at bedtime.
What's the bottom line?
Battle Bars’ Stella Blue Dark Chocolate Espresso is for coffee people who want their pick‑me‑up to pull protein duty. It delivers a convincingly roasty, chocolate‑espresso flavor and, per Stack3d, an energetic ~100mg caffeine lift, wrapped around 17g of whey‑and‑egg protein with a crispy‑leaning build. It’s not perfect.
Texture varies from snappy to a little dense depending on storage and batch, the coating doesn’t love heat, and the sweetening system (sugar alcohols plus refined fibers) won’t be every stomach’s friend. But if you’re gluten‑free and fine with dairy, egg, and coconut, this is a fun, functional bar for the afternoon slump or pre‑workout window. In short: a tasty coffee break that actually does some work—just check your label for caffeine, keep it cool, and maybe don’t eat it right before lights out.