If you’ve ridden a bike for any distance longer than ten miles, you know that it is smart to carry snacks with you. I love trying out new snacks I see at grocery / health food / LBS’s / pharmacies / online stores. Kind Snacks mailed me four of their best-selling bars for me to review.
The flavors?
Kind Plus
Kind Plus is a recently launched line of delicious, all natural fruit and nut nutrition bars, enhanced with functional benefits (Antioxidants, Calcium, Protein, Omega 3’s) made with wholesome ingredients you can see and pronounce.
- Mango Macadamia – “Tangy, fruity taste and slightly crunchy texture makes it a perfect choice for your sweet tooth. This KIND bar is enhanced with calcium and provides 50% of the recommended daily value of folic acid & vitamin D making it a healthy addition to your diet.”
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- Cranberry & Almond – “Delightful mix of tangy cranberries and crunchy almonds, creating a delectable snack whether morning, afternoon, or even a late-night treat! This KIND bar is enhanced with antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, & E which fight free radicals, helping to maintain the immune system and healthy skin.”
Click for Ingredients/Nutritional Info
Kind Fruit & Nut
Kind Fruit & Nut is a line of delicious, wholesome, all-natural fruit and nut energy bars made with wholesome ingredients you can see and pronounce.
- Almond & Apricot – “A sweet blend of tangy apricots, crunchy almonds and a hint of coconut.”
Click for Ingredients/Nutritional Info
- Fruit & Nut Delight – “A delectable medley of crunchy nuts, naturally sweet fruit, and a touch of honey.”
Click for Ingredients/Nutritional Info
Like the title of this review suggests, these bars are not cheap; they retail from $1.50-$2.00+, depending on how big of a pack is purchased. When I go through 3-5+ snack bars a week, depending on how often or how far I am riding, the cost of these could really add up fast. This is where I am at a bit of a conundrum… These little Australian made 40g snack bars are about as tasty and fresh as a bar can come. I found that their consistency is somewhat difficult to eat while riding, (I will get to this topic in a moment) so a two person panel was used to evaluate these bars in terms of flavor and enjoyment.
Reviews
Mango Macadamia
Reviewer 1: Sticky. Just fruit and nuts stuck together. Could eat a bunch of them, and they are very generous with the product (No cheap fillers).
Reviewer 2: Enough of the tiny crispy rice pieces to counteract the texture of the soft fruit. Coconut stuck in mouth 😦
Overall, this Kind Plus bar was very favorable in flavor. The medley of ingredients worked well together, and the additional nutrient supplements did not distract from the essential flavors of the fruit. Both reviewers wondered if the bar they shared had too much coconut on it, not that it detracted from the flavor, but the mouth-feel of it. This was R1’s favorite bar.
3.5 out of 4 Stars
Almond & Apricot
R1: One big notice, I could hardly taste the Apricot. Maybe it was just the portion I had?
R2: Light, not sticky. Easier to chew than the Mango Macadamia. Almonds are very present.
The Almond Apricot bar again shows that Kind Snacks does not skimp on their ingredients. While the reviewers shared half of the bar each, R1 did not receive as much Apricot as R2, but still enjoyed the flavor and consistency. The puffed rice pieces give the bar (like others) a texture surprise that is enjoying and fresh. This was R2’s favorite bar.
3.5 out of 4 Stars
Cranberry & Almond
R1: VERY STICKY. Puckery/tangy in a good way. Aftertaste of oils (similar to inexpensive canned variety nuts). had to wash hands after handling my piece. Not sure how I feel about this one…
R2: The macadamia nuts work well with the almonds.
I had to cut the package open with scissors to get the bar out in one piece. The honey content in the bar was pink (from cranberries?) and could be seen all over the clear portions of the wrapper. This bar was the decision on why to not test these bars out in real-world situations. While the wholesome ingredients are a plus, what could only be assumed as the honey left this bar a mess to eat.
2.5 out of 4 Stars
Fruit & Nut Delight
R1: Not a lot to say about this bar. It is like… a chewy peanut brittle, or something similar to that.
R2: Very much a nut bar with light fruit flavor.
This bar is simple. Nothing elaborate, yet nothing bland in it. The flavors are all pretty subtle, and work well together.
3 out of 4 Stars
Summary
So are these the bars that should be in your rear pocket while on a brevet or century ride this weekend? Are they worth the cost? Should I buy them? What was the best flavor out of the four? What was sets the Kind Snack bars apart from other bars?
Kind takes a lot of time to create a product that is well refined, mature, and provokes you to think about what you are eating. These are not Corn Syrup bars with some oats and flavors added in; no, these are quality, whole products that place them texturally apart from a Powerbar, or Clif bar in terms of the way they feel when eating them. Unfortunately, both reviewers and I came to terms that this is not a bar to attempt eating WHILE MOVING. If you plan on stopping and gnawing on one of these, there would be no problem. I think they would be better for a mid-day snack in terms of caloric content, and satisfaction received from the flavors, etc. They just aren’t as easy to eat as an energy gel/Jelly Belly Sports Beans/Clif bar. but this does not make them a bad product. Out of the four bars reviewed, Mango Macadamia, and Almond & Apricot tied for the best snack bar when not talking about a numbered, unbiased rating. All reviewers say that the quality of the product is something that is desired, but the cost is prohibitive of purchasing these at full retail price. Similar bars, like Larabar also suffer from the issue over quality versus cost. I guess price is all depending on what you like, and cannot be an objective answer of Yes or No.
I still say that the flavors of the bars are worth trying. if you see these at a local store for a price you are willing to pay, don’t hesitate.
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