Clif Bar Reviews!

I really love Clif Bar & Company--almost every product of theirs that I've tried I love. If you don't know much about them, they're a nutrition bar company that makes several different products, from their original protein bar to fruit ropes for kids to energy gels for athletes. They've got you covered for almost anything, and with their all-natural and at least 70% organic ingredients, you'll feel good eating their stuff. Here are my takes on a few of their products I've recently tried! For each one, I'll give a rating out of 5 stars.

• Clif Bar Cool Mint Chocolate (5/5): This may be my favorite Clif bar flavor of all time! The combination of peppermint and chocolate is so delicious and this bar nails it perfectly, without being too minty or too chocolaty. This is one of their 'iced' flavors (it has a drizzle of mint-flavored icing made from evaporated cane juice and cocoa butter), which I didn't think I'd be a fan of, but it really adds to the bar. The first time I ate this, I was pleasantly surprised to find small bits of chocolate cookie mixed in throughout, which added some needed texture. This is their only flavor with caffeine in it (from green tea extract), but it's only 50 mg so you probably won't notice it.
• Clif Mojo Mountain Mix (4/5): I picked this one out of the lineup of Clif's trail mix-like bars because the combo of almonds (my favorite nut), raisins, pretzels and chocolate chips sounded delicious. And it was, except it was a little saltier than I expected. But I did like the addition of the chocolate chips, which were dark chocolate (much better than milk chocolate, in my opinion). The pretzel pieces were also a nice touch.
• Clif Kid ZBar S'mores (2.5/5): All the Clif ZBars (supposedly for kids, but adults love 'em too!) I've tried have been good--Blueberry is my favorite, Apple Cinnamon (now sadly discontinued) was like apple pie in a bar and Chocolate Brownie was also very delicious. So when I saw the S'mores flavor at Whole Foods, I just had to try it. (Note: These used to be called Spooky S'mores and were only available around Halloween; now they've dropped the 'spooky' part so they're available year-round) However, I almost forgot about it until one day when I was packing a snack for class, saw it in a drawer and decided to finally try it. Let's just say I was disappointed. The outside looks sort of like a s'more--the bar was the color of a graham cracker with a dark brown drizzle on top. But it smelled very, very sweet and I shouldn't have been too surprised that it tasted very, very sweet, too. And not in a good way. It was very cloying, and didn't taste like s'mores at all. There weren't even any marshmallow bits, which were what I was looking forward too. Sorry, Clif Bar, but these bars aren't your best.
• Clif C Apple (4/5): I've actually tried all four flavors of the new Clif C bars and it's hard to pick a favorite, but I think the apple one was the best. It tasted the most like its name...in fact, it was very much like a homemade apple pie! These new bars are very different from most of their other varieties, because they're made with only 9 ingredients and they have two layers: a soft crust made of almonds and macadamia nuts and a sticky fruit layer topped with almond bits. So Clif C bars won't crumble in your hand, but like I said, they're very sticky so try to eat them directly from the wrapper. The wrapper itself is very cool--it's designed with a "window" so you can see the bar before you eat it! Also, each bar is equal to one serving of fruit so it's great if you're on-the-go and can't bring along a piece of fruit. Overall, just a great, unique bar.
• Clif Bar Minis Variety Pack (5/5): I love these little things! Unlike the full-size Clif bars, which are great for bike rides and hikes, the minis are the perfect size for a snack when paired with a piece of fruit, yogurt or a Clif Kids Twisted Fruit rope. For their small size, they pack a lot of nutrition: 4-5 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and 10% DV of calcium, along with a host of other vitamins. Each variety pack has 18 bars in 3 flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Chip and Crunchy Peanut Butter in the original; Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, Blueberry Crisp and Oatmeal Raisin Walnut in the newer one. It's a great deal because for $10-12 you get 18 snack-sized bars and a choice of flavors. Here’s my low-down on each one. The Chocolate Brownie tastes like a brownie…no, actually, it tastes better. I love how dense and chewy it is, and the chocolate flavor is so intense. The oats add interesting texture, and the chocolate chips are great, too. Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch has big chunks of peanuts in it, which are yummy, not to mention chocolate chips, which are delicious paired with peanuts. The Chocolate Chip bar is like a square-shaped chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. The chunks of chocolate are huge! Blueberry Crisp is much lighter than the other flavors, but still really good. There are actual dried blueberries in here, as well as almonds. It’s pretty sweet, but not overwhelming. The Crunchy Peanut Butter is like peanut overload—it has organic PB in it, as well as peanut pieces. If you love PB, you must try this bar! Finally, the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut bar is kind of an acquired taste (it was for me), possibly because of how cinnamon-y it is but once you learn to like it, you’ll be surprised how good it is. The raisins are plump and juicy and the walnuts add texture.

What are your favorite Clif Bar products?