Saturday, June 8, 2013

A Bit More Bland Than It Is Filling, Clif Builder’s Chocolate Mint Bars Are Only Average.


The Good: Very healthy, Tastes all right.
The Bad: Very expensive, Could be more minty.
The Basics: Filling, but not exceptional, Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Bars are pricy and only average.


With health foods, I have been finding there are any number that are far too expensive, especially for what one gets. Having tried the Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bars (reviewed here!), I thought I would love the Cliff Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint protein bars. Unfortunately, I am entirely underwhelmed by this new bar.

I picked up the Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Protein Bars because they were on sale and I wanted something that would allow me to keep within my caloric budget for the day. But these bars are not remarkable enough to enthusiastically recommend, though they do live up to their promise.

Basics

Clif Bar is the company that merchandises its foods for active people who are on the go and need a lot of nutrition in light, convenient form that travels well. For exercise enthusiasts, outdoorspeople, and/or dieters, the Clif Builder’s Bars can be a real asset.

The Chocolate Mint Bars come in a 2.4 oz. chocolate bar that is foil-wrapped. Each bar represents a single serving and Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint bars are a mealy 4 1/8” long by 1 5/8” wide by ¾” thick chocolate bar. The slightly textured top of the bar contrasts the smooth rest of the bar. One bar is one portion, so this is very easy to get into on the portion front! These snack bars come sold as single bars or in boxes of 12.

Ease Of Preparation

Eating Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Bars is not a real challenge. After removing the wrapper, simply pull out the bar and take a bite off it. There is no particularly complicated equation to eating this chocolate bar. This is an entirely ready-to-eat food!

Taste

The Chocolate Mint Clif Builder’s Bar smells aromatically of milk chocolate. There is almost no hint of mint in the scent that comes from the big bar, but the chocolate itself is so inviting it is hard to resist salivating when one opens the wrapper!

The chocolate that surrounds the bar tastes sweet, with just a hint of peppermint which comes through more in a scent as one consumes the bar than it does an actual flavor. The chocolate and light mint flavor dominate, added by the lower strata of the bar, which is a chocolate cookie bar. These flavors – and an occasional chocolate chip in the upper strata of the bar – distracts the consumer from the dry, paste-like filling of the protein bar, which tastes more like a craft product than a food. Fortunately, the sweet and chocolate flavors overwhelm the dry, sandy filling flavor to make a bar that is satisfying, if not classically delicious.

This leaves a strong, dry aftertaste in the mouth and I found myself drinking a considerable amount of water while eating it and afterward, despite the fact that most of that water did not actually reduce the dry aftertaste!

Nutrition

Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Protein Bars are intended as a supplemental food or to replace a full meal when one is on the go. These 2.4 oz. bars represent a single serving and they have a boatload of nutrients in them. Made primarily of soy protein isolate, beet juice concentrate, and organic brown rice syrup, the ingredient list does become a mess of preservatives and vitamins near the end. This is not an all-natural food product and these snack bars were produced on equipment that forces them to add a disclaimer about milk, soy, wheat, and almonds.

Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Bars have a stunning 270 calories, only 70 of which are from fat. A bar represents 25% of one's RDA of saturated fat, though they are cholesterol free. As well, they are surprisingly low in sodium, having only 230 mg per serving. They also have twenty grams of protein and at least ten percent of twenty-three different vitamins and minerals! These are not vegan compliant, but they do not use any genetically engineered ingredients.

Storage/Cleanup

Clif Builder’s Bar Chocolate Mint Protein Bars do not vary in taste regardless of when they are eaten or how they are stored. Unopened, they have a decent shelf life around eight months. We purchased a ours in the mid-February (2013) and they have an expiration date of October 2013. If they melt, they will stain, so consult your fabric guide if that happens. Otherwise, cleanup is simply throwing the foil wrapper away when you are done with the chocolate bar.

Overall

Clif Builder’s Chocolate Mint Protein Bars are all right, but in no way exceptional. They do what they are supposed to, but not in a remarkable way.

For other reviews of healthy foods, please check out:
Special K Sweet & Salty Popcorn Chips
Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Chocolate Mocha
Peeled Organic Apricot-a-lot

5/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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