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

Honey Stinger: Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Pro

Part of Honey Stinger’s protein bar lineup, this bar’s most notable selling point is the fact that it contains 20g of protein. Advertised as a having dark chocolate, almond, and coconut flavors, this 3 ounce bar is loaded with enjoyable flavor as well as nutrition. The flavor of this bar can definitely hold its own, with the smooth chocolate center delivering a rich dose of flavor with light coconut and almond notes. If there’s anything we might change, it’s the sweetness of the bar, which is a bit strong, but it does help mask the underlying protein flavor. The bar weighs in at 380 calories, so there’s plenty of substance to it, plus there’s 20g of fiber, 3g of fiber, and loads of vitamins and nutrients. Packaging definitely looks and feels like a protein bar, with a dense 3 oz bar that has bold and colorful labeling. Plus, the Honey Stinger bee logo works quite nicely, emitting a wholesome but aggressive vibe that helps define this product’s niche. Overall, a really nice tasting bar that’s backed with 20g of protein. One of our favorite protein bars to date.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Clif Bar: Blueberry Crisp

Made with organic oats and soybeans, Clif’s Blueberry Crisp bar has a pleasant tasting base that’s very chewy with a slightly crispy finish. There’s a fair amount of flavor to this bar, with the oats and blueberries providing the majority of the flavor, while an earthy note added flax seed and oat bran. It’s a relatively sweet bar, but not too sweet to the point where you can’t consume it during physical activity. Functionally, this bar definitely has some sustenance to it, with 240 calories, 5g of fiber, 9g of protein, and loads of vitamins and minerals. It’s just the right portion for a quick pick me up – or even to replace a light meal. Packaging has a “crunchy” vibe to it, complete with brown toned colors and an image of a mountain climber. It’s appealing and credible, especially given the equity that exists in the Clif Bar brand name. Overall, a very enjoyable product.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jammy Sammy: Apple Cinnamon & Oatmeal

Like its counterpart, “Strawberry Jam & Peanut Butter”, this sandwich bar delivers excellent flavor in a nicely portioned size. Flavor wise, it tastes exactly like we would have expected based on the name of the product. There’s a lot of apple flavor that has a hint of cinnamon to the finish. The exterior has a nice oat flavor, with a consistency that’s like that of smooshed bread. Ultimately, it tastes very similar to the apple flavor that you’d expect to find in other mainstream products, such as cereal or oatmeal. That’s fine by us – and we think it will be a hit with kids as well. Packaging is colorful and clean, with an excellent design that gives of a credible vibe of nutrition and quality. The product is USDA Organic certified – and the logo is a key part of the front part of the wrapper. Overall, this is a very enjoyable and convenient product that’s sure to be something that will go over well with kids.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Calories: 100
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 1g
Sugars: 10g

Tiger’s Milk: Peanut Butter Crunch

Featuring a tagline of “America’s Original Nutrition Bar” and a call out of “Great Taste,” this smallish bar was actually quite enjoyable to eat. The chewy, chocolate coated bar is reminiscent of a Butterfinger candy bar, both in terms of flavor and mouth feel. There’s a pretty strong peanut butter flavor in this bar – and the chocolate coating adds a bit of indulgence to it. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, B vitamins, iron, and copper. The bar also has 6g of protein, which isn’t bad given the size of the bar. On the outside, the wrapper feels like something that’s for the athlete crowd, especially given the recent success of another product with “milk” in the name (Muscle Milik). It’s not a bad look, with a somewhat classic vibe to it. Overall, very enjoyable taste and modest appearance make this a good choice when you need a little pick me up.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honey Stinger: Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro

Another Honey Stinger product that has more in common with a candy bar than a nutrition bar, this product contains 20 g of whey protein and a whopping 390 calories. With tasty dark chocolate and a nice spike of chewy dried cherries, as well as the sweetness of honeyed nougat, it’s tough to stop eating. That said, its appearance – and feel – are a bit intimidating. The bar is thick and heavy, almost brick-like, in the wrapper, and while the 20 grams of protein are certainly enough to give it some gym-worthy credibility, bannering it so prominently across the bar’s wrapper doesn’t seem to jibe with the natural honey vibe that is the central focus of the Stinger brand. In other words, if it wasn’t your job to try all the bars on the market, you probably wouldn’t pick it up. Unless you’d heard there was a candy bar in there.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 390
Fat: 17 g
Carbs: 41 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 20 g