Organic sure is a buzz words these days, and it has seeped into energy bars. Clif Bar (aren’t they already organic?) recently jumped on the bandwagon with their new Clif Bar Kit’s Organic. These bars are named after the co-owner, Kit Crawford, and on the outside look more like a small granola bar than a regular Clif Bar. I sampled every available flavor of these certified organic, gluten free, soy free, and dairy free bars and jotted down my impressions.
Peanut Butter: Very tasty. Reminds me of those small, chewy granola bars I used to eat as a kid. Subtle peanut butter taste with a hint of fruity flavor that comes from dates. Almost tastes homemade.
Berry Almond: Explosion of fruit and berry flavor. Almonds are crushed small, so no big chunks of nuts, just nutty flavor. Ingredient list shows it’s made from blueberries and bilberries. Never heard of them, but damn are they tasty!
Chocolate Almond Coconut: Not my favorite. A bit more heavy than the others. Made me feel thirsty. Nice balance of coconut and chocolate flavors, but the texture is really dry and chewy.
Cashew: When I first saw it was cashew flavor, I thought it would be nothing but cashews. Wrong. They should have called it “cashew butter.” It’s a creamy blend of nuts and fruit, but I must say the flavor of the dates is really forward in this one.
Overall, I really liked the Clif Kit’s Organic bars, even though they are not as flavorful as other Clif products. The copious amount of dates used in the mix make the bars sometimes taste a bit bland, but when you’re exercising hard outdoors, that’s not always a bad thing. Their size is also an advantage as they take less room up in a pack, and are a better quick snack than an original Clif Bar, which can sometimes feel like a full-on meal.
For this and more from Clif Bar, check them out online at www.clifbar.com