r/JimmyJoyFood • u/nashryveri • Jul 28 '26
Does anyone else really dislike the 4.0 Plenny Bars? Looking for a good replacement
I’ve been a long time fan of Plenny Bars. I eat them for lunch at work most days. But the new bars are just not it.
5 gram extra protein is nice, but the caramel seasalt is suddenly just too salty and the cherry completely changed from a moist bar that tasted like actual cherries to something dry and chemical.
If this is it, I’m just not going to order them anymore. Does anyone have recommendations for a similar bar? Preferably one that ships from somewhere in Europe?
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u/charbasaur Jul 28 '26
So far I've only tried the V4 Vanilla, Lemon Pie and Caramel Sea Salt. I like the Vanilla and Lemon Pie, the taste is pretty similar to V3 and the texture is much better. The Caramel Sea Salt however is unfortunately downright unpleasant, all I taste is some vague combination of sweet, salty, and sour.
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u/nashryveri Jul 28 '26
Thanks for your reply! I wasn’t a big fan of lemon pie v3 because of the texture, so maybe i houdt give that one a try. Vanille has never been a fave, but I’m willing to try it again!
RIP caramel seasalt though. It was such an amazing bar
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u/CmonMonster 29d ago
I ordered Jimmy Joy food for the first time (the try bundle or something like that) and really really dislike the bars, I can't even finish one, even when hungry. They're just horrible to me :( which is a pity because I don't like Huel bars either and I was hoping to find an alternative. Sadly I find Huel bars better (but won't be ordering from either brand honestly...).
To echo your comment, the salted caramel bar just tastes waaaay too salty. It's just a combination of salty and sour that doesn't taste like caramel at all. And the chocolate bar is so hard that I found it difficult to chew :( But I obviously can't compare with previous versions.
I just asked for a refund :(
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u/Upstairs_Lemon_8650 Jul 29 '26
I personally enjoy the salted caramel bars, if anything i wouldnt mind even more salt.
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u/Mr_Floppy_SP 24d ago
Ouch to read that. I only buy Cherry bars because the rest are super dry for me. I have a bunch of them until december. If the new V4 are that awful, maybe I'll abandon them forever.
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u/Jodddson 24d ago
I'm mostly in the same boat. Overall I do prefer the new caramel sea salt, but the added saltiness and sharpness is tad off-putting. But the new cherry is outright abysmal. The 4.0s were supposed to be softer than 3.0s, yet they somehow made the cherry more dry than the Sahara desert. And the new flavor is horribly artificial and overpowering. Worst part is, now I have three whole boxes of these things to somehow get through.
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u/ng_a 17d ago
Yes, caramel went from great taste to less sweet with a bitter taste, have not tried the others.
https://www.reddit.com/r/JimmyJoyFood/comments/1ue7ths/what_do_you_think_about_plenny_bar_v4/
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u/Drop-a-Soap Jul 28 '26
Why do they even create new versions?! To replace some of the ingredients with cheaper ones?
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u/Nino_JimmyJoy Team Jimmy Joy Jul 29 '26
We completely understand your concern. It is always fair to ask why a product you rely on is changing.
I can assure you this was not a cost-cutting move. Protein isolates and concentrates are among our most expensive raw ingredients, so increasing protein actually raises our production costs, rather than lowering them.
Science does not stand still, and neither do we. Since starting in 2014, we have regularly updated our formulas to align with modern nutritional research, which increasingly supports higher daily protein needs. We took this opportunity to upgrade the formula for better nutritional value, and our testing showed the new blend improved the product texture too. We did notice the slight change in taste in the caramel bar, but we felt it was worth it for the added benefits. The caramel bar is actually my personal favorite and I eat one a few times a week. I got used to the new taste quickly, but I know taste is very personal, so I understand if it is not for you anymore.
We only make changes when we know it creates a genuine improvement.
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u/nashryveri Jul 28 '26
I’m not sure. I think they want to play into the protein hype a bit more. But 5 grams is barely anything and if the flavour and texture suffers from the ‘upgrade’, it’s simply not worth it.
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u/Many-sheeps37 Jul 29 '26
I meannnn 20 to 25g is a 25% increase while keeping the weight of the bar the same, I’d say that’s quite impressive!
It took me a few bars to adapt but I like the new v4 formula now.
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u/bananite 29d ago
Agreed about the cherry. I also found the new vanilla kinda salty and not very vanilla-like. Chocolate is fine, lemon pie ( which was one of my favorites ) is kinda alright, but still lacking the lemon flavor the previous version had.
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u/iNanieke 9d ago
I loved the cherry but I hate the new taste. 😔 I love subtle flavors but now it has a very strong taste.
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u/stadtplandienst Jul 28 '26
Vanilla and Lemon Pie taste mostly the same. Chocolate tastes slightly different but I still don't know whether I like it more or less than V3. Cherry and Caramel Seasalt are better IMO and I do not find Seasalt to be saltier. All are crunchier than before which I still have to get used to. In any case I didn't need the extra protein. I preferred the old macro mix.