Review: Clif Bars

clif bar coconut chocolate chip

Whenever I hear Clif Bar, the first thing I think of is “a good tasting energy bar.” Clif Bar has been around for a long time, and they’ve been making energy bars that actually taste good since before it was cool.

It wasn’t all that long ago, you could go to the store and choose between Powerbars and Clif Bars – that was it. Nowadays, you have all sorts of energy bars, in all shapes and sizes, and lots of them taste good.

It’s getting harder and harder to stand out. You might think Clif was left in the dust, but you’d be wrong. They keep coming out with new flavors, new product lines, and new recipes to rejuvenate old flavors! Clif is always on top of their game, so you can’t count them out!

Plus, Clif Bars are still reasonably priced; the MSRP is $1.39, and I’ve seen them on sale for $0.99 – $1.19. A lot of the newer bars start at $1.49, with some fancy ones going for $2.69 each!

Clif Bar recently sent me some free samples to review, so I’ll do a little taste test right here. First is the brand new Clif Bar flavor, Coconut Chocolate Chip. Then, Peanut Toffee Buzz and Apricot, which have newly updated recipes.

I also got a few Clif Crunch granola bars in Chocolate Peanut Butter and Blueberry Crisp flavors.

Here are my thoughts on the Clif Bars:

Coconut Chocolate Chip – Being a big fan of the coconut and chocolate combo, I was excited, yet nervous. See, I like actual coconut and chocolate together, but sometimes other foods taking on this flavor doesn’t work out that well. (Think a Mounds Bar vs a granola bar with some coconut and chocolate sprinkled on.)

Well, I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t blown away. This Clif bar tastes like a pretty good cookie that contains some shredded coconut and chocolate chips. (Toasted shredded coconut, plus chocolate chips, to be precise.) It is mildly sweet, and the texture is nice. It kind of reminded me of those Samoas girl scout cookies that I used to love but haven’t had in forever.

To summarize, it’s alright, but nothing like a homemade coconut macaroon dipped in dark chocolate!

Apricot – This bar is very sweet, and it certainly tastes like apricot. Clif says it contains 50% more dried apricot pieces than before.

This is kind of pointless though, because I might as well just eat dried apricots for a snack. Nevertheless, the flavor is good and true to it’s name!

Peanut Toffee Buzz – I actually can’t pinpoint a flavor in this one. There’s some peanut flavor, but not like a robust peanut butter. Not sure that I taste any toffee chunks, either. I don’t know what to say. It didn’t appeal to me at all.

It does contain 50mg caffeine though, so that’s pretty cool if you want a little buzz.

Moving on to the Clif Crunch granola bars…

I used to think these granola bars were just a Nature Valley granola bar knock-off. I mean, they looked the same, had the same flavors, and tasted exactly the same! Until now… Clif applied their flavor magic and made some granola bars worthy of the “Clif” name!

Chocolate Peanut Butter – A very good flavor. Normally I like plain peanut butter, but in this case, the chocolate and peanut butter combo makes a great flavor. Simple as that!

Obviously it’s not quite Reese’s cup good, but it’s about as good as can be for a granola bar.

Blueberry Crisp – This is freaking delicious! Lifelike, too!

You actually get real blueberry flavor, then add in the “granola” part and you have the crunchy topping on blueberry crisp. This is by far my favorite Clif Crunch flavor, and possibly one of my favorite products from the entire Clif line!

Thanks to these flavors, I’ve changed my mind and have come to accept Clif Crunch granola bars!

Should you buy them? I think both types of bar would work well to fuel your runs. The original Clif Bar is packed with energy, so choose it for big runs, and try the lighter and easier to digest Clif Crunch for quick little runs if you need a snack.

Should you desire, you can find Clif Bars at most grocery stores and sporting goods stores, and of course, Amazon.com carries 12-packs of Clif Bars.

Full disclosure: I received these Clif bars for free. However, I was under no obligation to write about them at all. I receive no compensation from Clif Bar. I don’t care if you eat them or not.

About the Author:
Levi Bloom is the official product reviewer for RunnersResource.com. Levi, an elite mountain bike racer, writes about cycling, running, and triathlon at CoachLevi.com.

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