Raw Revolution: 100 Calorie Spirulina & Cashew

Since this is a 100 calorie bar, it’s small, weighing in at only 0.8 ounces and having a shape that’s approximately 1 square inch. In terms of taste, the bar’s USDA Organic certified six ingredient formulation tells the story: cashews, dates, agave nectar, almonds, spirulina, and sprouted flax. It’s nutty, but pasty in consistency, with a mellow note of cashews and almonds. The dates don’t have that much of an impact on the flavor, while the spriluna and sprouted flax add a grassy note (and green color) to the mix. It’s not overly sweet or salty, which is nice, allowing the naturally earthy flavors to shine through. Nutritionally, the 100 calorie bar is more of a “bite” than something with a ton of substance to it. However, there are 3g of protein and 1g of fiber in the mix, as well as iron and calcium. Packaging is a shrunken down version of RAW Revolution’s normal wrapper. Despite the reduction in size, they’ve kept more or less the same amount of text on it, resulting in something that’s extremely busy. Moving, or even eliminating, some of the text might help make the product look more appealing. Overall, it tastes pretty nice and we like the 100 calorie portion, but a little visual help would improve the product.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Pure: Cherry Cashew Bar

This bar is made with ingredients that are USDA Organic, raw, vegan, and gluten free, which helps make it live up to its “for all people” tag line. There’s a pleasant base of date and almond flavor to the mix, which has been sweetened with agave and has a slight crunch from small chunks of walnuts throughout. The cherry flavor is subtle, adding a nice tart flavor to the otherwise earthy tasting bar. We’re definitely pleased to see that they didn’t make it too “fruity” tasting. Nutritionally, this 1.7 ounce bar packs a fair amount in, including 400mg of omega 3, 4g of organic fiber, 6g and protein, 200 calories, 9g of fat, and vitamins and minerals. Packaging has a relatively simple style of presentation to it, with a white wrapper that’s decorated with a yellow illustration of a female face. It’s an appealing design that has a definite vibe of health and nutrition to it. The rest of the wrapper has a lot of text on it, but in this case, it all logically fits together as opposed to creating clutter. Overall, an exceptional tasting bar that delivers the perfect balance of flavor and nutrition.

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Vega Whole Food Energy Bar: Berry Flavor

Like the other Vega Whole Food Energy bars, this one is made from “raw, alkaline, plant based superfoods.” You’ll find dates, hemp protein, almond butter, agave nectar, sprouted whole flax seeds, cranberries, raisins, almonds, sesame seeds, organic sprouted mung beans, organic wheat grass, and a few other ingredients for flavoring. It’s a soft but chewy bar, with a slightly dry texture, especially at the finish. Flavor is really enjoyable, with notes of the fruit and nuts throughout. There’s also a slightly earthy note of flavor to the bar, which is likely from the wheatgrass, mung, and flax. Nutritionally, the bar is a winner, with 10g of raw protein, 250mg of potassium, 6g of fiber, omega 3 and 6, vitamins, and minerals on top of 240 calories. The bar is great as for snacking before a workout – or to help supplement a meal with something that’s sweet but nutritious. Packaging is probably the only area that we’d like to see some improvement, with a look that feels technical rather than inviting. To a degree, the label made us expect a bar that didn’t taste good, which is fortunately not the case. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable product, but kicking up the packaging a bit would definitely help.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vega Whole Food Energy Bar: Chocolate Flavor

As the label states, this bar is made from “raw, alkaline, plant-based superfoods.” So what’s in this bar? Key ingredients include dates, sprouted flax, cocoa powder, almonds, sprouted mung beans, and wheat grass. The resulting product has a decidedly earthy but fruity flavor to it, with a soft but dry base that’s has big notes of cocoa, dates, and sprouted flax. The bar has a nice balance to it, with just the right amount of chocolate to level out the other flavors. It’s really easy on the palate, making it a pretty easy bar to scarf down in a hurry. Nutritionally, this 240 calorie bar has 6g of fiber, 10g of protein, vitamins, minerals, potassium, omega 6, and omega 3. It’s enough to help tide you over in between meals – or to give you a boost before a workout (our preferred use). Packaging is clean and easy to understand, but it lacks in the “biteability” department (meaning it doesn’t whet the appetite). Regardless, this is a bar that we’d pick up again and again for both flavor and to satisfy our hunger.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Make Your Own Bars

Make your own bars with ingredients found at your local grocery store. Read more

Elevate Me!: Espresso Cocoa Crunch

Billed as “The world’s simplest protein & fruit energy bar”, the flavor of this bar certainly lives up to this intention. Blending whey protein isolate, dates, organic raisins, apples, almonds, cranberries, cocoa, and coffee beans, the product has a very “raw” and homemade flavor to it. It has a dry but chewy consistency, with pleasant notes of dried fruit and nuts, followed by decent note of cocoa and a hint of coffee to the finish. All in all, it’s a very pleasant and satisfying bar to eat. Nutritionally, this bar has 230 calories, 6g of fiber, and 16g of protein, which is certainly enough substance for us. That leaves us with the packaging, which is the largest area for improvement. Specifically, there’s something that’s unappealing about the design, especially compared to the better designs of other players in the category. We’d probably say the same for the name, which sounds like something that’s more appropriate for a supplement product. Overall, very enjoyable flavor and nutrition, but needs work on the packaging.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Go Raw: Real Live Flax Bar

Made with sprouted organic flax seeds, organic apricot, organic raisin, organic date, and organic lime juice, this bar is a tour de force of the organic and raw way of life. The bar itself eats like something that’s on par with “fruit leather”, those chewy pressed fruit snacks that most of us had as kids. However, that’s where the similarities end, for this is a far superior product in just about every aspect. Flavor comes in the form of dried fruit, which is a mixture of apricot, raisin, and date flavors, and the sprouted flax seed. It has noticeably earthy flavor to it, which is to be expected given the use of flax. Nutritionally, this vegan, non-GMO, USDA Organic bar has a nice hit of protein, fiber, and omega-3, plus the benefits of eating raw and unprocessed food. Packaging is busy, but effective, with an extremely text heavy design that works for some strange reason. However, we do think that calling attention to the fact that it’s made in a solar powered production facility might be a marketable benefit. Overall, a stellar bar – definitely one to try.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 164
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 5g

WildBar: Mountain Mint

Made with raw cacao and wild blue green algae, this gluten free, vegan, and USDA Organic bar is designed to be the “ultimate meal in a bar.” The bar, which is dark in color and has a dry but chewy consistency to it, has a lot of flavor to it, including cacao, mint, and macadamia nuts. Unfortunately, these flavors aren’t balanced well, resulting in a harsh, almost off putting, mint flavor that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (and a lingering aftertaste). Conceptually, we think it’s a good one, and some refinement to the recipe might make this a better tasting product. Otherwise, this bar is likely going to appeal to someone who’s really hell bent on adding blue algae (Crystal Manna and Blue Manna) to their diet. On the packaging front, this product’s wrapper design made us expect something very different than what was inside it. Specifically, the bright colors and emphasis on the mint leaf seemed to be somewhat of a head scratcher, while there are no visual aides to call out the other ingredients in the bar. That seems like a big mistake, especially since mint isn’t something that’s likely to whet the palate of too many bar shoppers. Overall, this bar needs work, both in packaging and flavor.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 185
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 14g
Protein: 5.5g
Vitamins: Vitamin B5: 9%, Vitamin D 3%, Vitamin E 8%, Magnesium: 2.5g, Copper 26%, Zinc 12%, Selenium 16%, Molybdenum 37%, Phosphorous 60%

Go Raw: Banana Bread Flax Bar

Think the world’s healthiest fruit leather. Or banana jerky. Either way, we think they’re on to something with this four-ingredient, sprouted organic flax seed product. Made with dried bananas, coconut, dates and the aforementioned sprouted flax, the thin bar has the initial consistency of cardboard but chews into a healthy dried banana treat. Packaging is cheap and simple – just a clear wrapper and a “go raw” label. It needs to be jazzed up, and have the certified organic label on top, but the inside product, with a combination of unique taste and simple healthy ingredients, is surprisingly addictive.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 110
Fat: 5 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 4 g

Raw Revolution: Cashew & Agave Nectar

If you’re like us and you subscribe to the belief that raw food is better for you than processed food, then this is a bar that’s worth checking out. Made with only a handful of ingredients (cashew, date, agave nectar, almond, sprouted flax seed), this bar delivers “raw” flavor that’s pleasant and satisfying to eat. The flavor starts out with a light (compared to other bars) date flavor that’s followed with notes of almond and cashew. Bear in mind, the taste of raw nuts is different than that of roasted, so this will likely taste somewhat different than you are expecting. The bar is, as the name suggests, sweetened with agave nectar, which gives it a subtle honey like sweetness and also helps bind this soft and chewy bar together. Packaging is hip and functional, with a cool looking logo that’s tries to make “crunchy” into something that’s fun. Overall, a superbly executed product that delivers great taste and nutrition using only raw ingredients.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eat Natural: Macadamia and Fruit Bar

This bar is billed as a “luxurious bar full of premium quality ingredients and nothing else.” It delivers nicely on that promise, with a soft base of puffed rice, coconut, and sesame seeds, followed by some sweet apricot flavor before having just a touch of crunch from the nuts (macadamia and Brazil nuts). We really enjoyed the layers of flavor, especially since the bar tastes very raw and natural. They’ve carefully balanced the various flavors, resulting in something that gives your palate just the right amount of savory and sweet. From a nutrition point of view, this gluten free bar has 243 calories, 15g of fat, 3g of fiber, and 4g of protein. It also has 22g of carbohydrates, 8% RDA of iron, and 35mg of sodium. The packaging is straight forward and easy to understand, although it lacks the visual pizzazz that you’ll find in some competing bars (e.g. KIND). Punching up the look seems like the biggest opportunity for this bar. Otherwise, we wouldn’t change a thing.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

NuGo: Peanut Butter Chocolate

Made with “real milk chocolate” we expected this bar to be somewhat candy like in flavor. Really though, this product is more about crisped rice and soy than it is peanut butter or chocolate as the label might have you believe. It’s a pretty chewy bar at that, with countless ingredients in comparison to the many “organic” or “raw” bars that we’ve tried. However, they’ve done a pretty good job presenting a packed nutrition panel, complete with 11g of protein and loads of vitamins and antioxidants in a 180 calorie format. Really, it’s one of the better tasting bars that we’ve had relative to its level of nutrition. Packaging is decent, but feels like that of a candy bar more than a nutrition bar. On the other hand, we like the name “NuGo,” which is short for “Nutrition on the Go.” Overall, a very enjoyable bar.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bar Companies at Expo West 2009 — Are you going?

Our list of bar exhibitors that will be at the 2009 Expo West Show in Anaheim.  Are you going?  Let us know — we’d love to stop by.

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Think Organic: Chocolate Coconut

Think Organic’s Chocolate Coconut bar is billed as a raw fruit & nut snack bar that’s gluten free and vegan. It has a heavy amount of dates as its base, follow buy a touch of cashew, a modest amount of coconut, and the slightest hint of chocolate to the finish. The combination is good, and while it delivers a nice coconut flavor, we were quite underwhelmed by the lack of chocolate flavor in the bar. Nutritionally, the bar packs 4g of protein, 3g of fiber, 300mg of potassium, trace vitamins and 9g of fat into a 160 calorie format. As it currently stands, it’s an edible bar, but it isn’t an overly memorable one. The same can be said for the packaging. It’s a clean design with proper handling of the various text elements, but it’s not a package that whets our appetite. Overall, it’s good, but a bit more chocolate flavor would be nice on the inside – and more visually appeal is needed on the outside.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pro Bar: Koka Moka

We were sucked in by this bar’s subtle but appealing name, but what was inside the wrapper is ultimately what would keep us coming back for more.  The core flavor is quite pleasant, blending raisins, dates, oats, and sunflower seeds with the decadent flavor of dark chocolate.  There’s an occasional crunch from raw almonds and sesame seeds, which helps give the bar its diverse texture.  The addition of other seeds (such as flax, pumpkin, and hemp), nuts, and whole grains help add to the product’s fiber (6g) and protein (9g) content while also rounding out the bar’s earthy flavor.  The only dig as this product is the high calorie (360) and fat (18g) content per bar.  That rules it out as a snack, but certainly makes it a good choice for a meal replacement.  Packaging is good, but when put side by side with other Pro Bars, the brand looks a bit monotonous. Adding something that helps whet the appetite and/or gives the bar a bit of personality would be a nice touch.  Overall, exceptional flavor and nutrition content still make this a very worthy bar to choose.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Vega: Natural Flavor

The “Natural Flavor” of Vega’s “Whole Food Energy Bar” line is made exclusively from raw, alkaline, plant-based superfoods.  This is obvious from the second that you bite into this soft bar.  The product has a strong date flavor, followed by earthy notes from what appears to flax, sesame and nut ingredients.  It’s certainly not indulgent as some of the other bars that are out there, but the simple, raw ingredients are effective and enjoyable.  The bar has 240 calories, 10g of fat, 10g of protein, 6g of fiber, magnesium, iron, calcium, and Vitamins C & E. Packaging is good, with an earthy design that goes with the flavor and purpose of the bar.  However, there’s a bit too much text, which left us wondering what the name of the bar actually was.  Overall, a well done raw energy bar.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars.

Pro Bar: Cocoa Pistachio

With a tagline of “The Whole Food Meal”, this bar has a larger calorie count (400) than most non-body building bars that we’ve tried.  The ingredient list includes a variety of organic and raw ingredients, including peanuts, oats, dates, coconut, dark chocolate, pistachio, flax seed, raisins, sesame seeds, rolled rye, cashews, almonds, cocoa nibs, oat bran, hemp seed, apples, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, nutmeg, and more.  The resulting flavor is, as the label states, savory and sweet, with a bit more emphasis on the sweet than the savory.  The flavor is earthy at heart, with distinguishable notes of sesame and flax hitting your palate throughout.  As a meal replacement option, we definitely dig this bar, although 25g of fat and 400 calories is probably a bit much for the type of person who appreciates all of these ingredients.  The bar is also high in carbs (39g) and sodium (350mg), but does pack a load of fiber (7g) and protein (12g).  Packaging seems to be going for a classy and upscale theme, which is a nice departure from all the outdoorsy feeling labels that clutter this category.  Overall, enjoyable taste, but we’d probably think twice about something that’s this high in calories, regardless of many of its ingredients being organic and raw.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Prana Bar: Cashew Almond

Touted as being 55% raw, this bar has a fairly nutty flavor, followed by a touch of date past that makes its way onto your palate.  The nuts give it that raw, earthy flavor that they appear to be going for, with distinguishable cashew and almond notes.  The bar itself is very light and moist, with the only crunch coming from the chunks of nuts.  There’s also puffed amaranth (a vegetable) that has a rice like consistency.  Being so reliant on nuts, it’s not surprise that the bar has 220 calories and a whopping 14g of fat.  It doesn’t really provide much in the way of nutritional benefits, aside from being “raw”, which in theory doesn’t leave a lot of work for your digestive system.  Packaging is a bit washed out for our liking, especially when competing products tend to have more vibrant, appealing labels.  Plus, it might help if they helped explain what their “Raw Enzyme Power” tagline meant in a more understandable way.

Rating: 3.5 Stars