A taste test of energy bars for hikers who want a quick, healthy, flavorful boost to get them up the next hill.
By Michele Morris, July 2001
In the days of yore (that would be the 1980s), energy bars tasted like something you'd feed your gerbil.
Today's pocket-friendly fuel, however, not only resembles real food, but often comes packed with enough vitamins, minerals, and designer proteins to make even your mother happy. But no matter how good it looks, or how good it is for you, the question remains: Will it make your taste buds do a two-step at the top of a long, dusty switchback?
Energy bars now run the gamut from soft and chewy to hard and crunchy to soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Some taste like cereal, candy, carrot cake, or fine coffee from the espresso shop.
To help you choose from the ever-growing energy-bar selections, BACKPACKER'S staff is field-testing every bar we can wrap our lips around. We threw in two of our favorite candies, M&M's and Snickers, for comparison. Check back here for ongoing updates. E-mail the name of your favorite bar to snewquist@backpacker.com and we'll put it to the taste test.
Flavor Ratings:
3-Move over, Snickers!
2-It's good, but are the extra vitamins worth the price?
1-Gimme a 50-cent candy bar.
| Brand Price* | Flavor tested | BP taste rating | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) | |
|
Balance
1-800-678-4246 www.balance.com $1.59; $22.35 for a box of 15 
|
Comments: Balance Bars have a sweet coating on the outside and are soft, dense, and cakelike on the inside. Each bar adheres to a 40:30:30 ratio of carbs, protein, and fat for sustained energy and contains 21 vitamins and minerals. | ||||||
| Chocolate | 1. This flavor is dry and grainy, like cocoa eaten straight from the can. | 200 | 22 | 14 | |||
| Yogurt Honey Peanut | 2. The tangy yogurt flavor and crunchy nuts are good, but the dry texture demands a big gulp of water to wash it down with. | 200 | 22 | 14 | |||
|
Balance Gold
1-800-678-4246 www.balance.com $1.65; $22.35 for a box of 15 |
Comments: You get 21 essential vitamins and minerals in this bar. | ||||||
| Carmel Nut Blast | 3. The three layers of this bar-caramel, peanuts, and a chocolate coating-make it taste like a more healthful Baby Ruth bar. | 210 | 23 | 15 | |||
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Balance Plus
1-800-678-4246 www.balance.com $1.59; $22.35 for a box of 15 |
Comments: With a coating on the outside and a moist, granular inside, this bar has the same nutrient ratio as the original Balance Bar, plus added herbs (like ginseng), antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins A, E, and beta-carotene. | ||||||
| Honey Peanut Plus Ginseng | 3. Like a candy bar made with natural peanut butter, this flavor has a yummy peanut taste. | 210 | 22 | 14 | |||
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Bear Valley Pemmican
(800) 969-6199 www.bearvalleybars.com $1.49 each; $13.50 for a box of 12 
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Comments: This is a very dense, somewhat dry, cakelike concentrated food bar that provides all eight essential amino acids. | ||||||
| Fruit 'N Nut | 3. Eating this bar is like eating a really dense piece of cake. The nuts add substantial crunchiness. Testers reported getting a huge energy boost from it. | 420 | 13 | 59 | 17 | ||
|
Clif Bar
(800) 884-5254 www.clifbar.com $1.69 each; $14.25 for a box of 12 |
Comments: Crunchy and chewy, with pieces of identifiable "real food," Clif Bars are wheat- and dairy-free, contain no genetically modified soy protein, and supply you with 23 vitamins and minerals They remain chewable when frozen. | ||||||
| Carrot Cake | 2.5. This bar's a not-so-sweet treat | 240 | 43 | 10 | |||
| Chocolate Brownie | 3. Mmmmm, it's rich and gooey | 240 | 41 | 10 | |||
| Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch | 2. This flavor reminds me of crunchy Skippy peanut butter with semisweet chocolate chips. | 240 | 39 | 12 | |||
| Cookies 'n Cream | 2. This bar version lacks the richness and deep chocolate flavor of the real thing. | 230 | 3.5 | 39 | 10 | ||
| Cranberry Apple Cherry | 2. This is a fruity and chewy bar. | 220 | 44 | ||||
| Ginger Snap | 1. The taste is bland and doesn't have the snappy flavor I expected. | 230 | 3.5 | 42 | 10 | ||
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Clif Bar Ice Series
(800) 421-1223 www.clifbar.com $1.69 each; $14.25 for a box of 12$1.19 |
Comments: The bars in this line are like the original Clif Bars, but have a splash of icing across the top and are supplemented with caffeine. | ||||||
| Chocolate Java Avalanche | 3. I love the bits of chocolate chip and coffee bean in this bar. | 250 | 43 | 10 | |||
| Cool Mint Chocolate | 3. It tastes like a peppermint patty. | 250 | 43 | 10 | |||
| Orange Chocolate Chill | 2. This bar tastes like a dessert you'd get in a cappucino shop. | 250 | 43 | 10 | |||
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Gatorade Energy Bar
(800) 884-2867 www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#home $1.20 each; $15.99 for a box of 15 |
Comments: Gatorade's Energy Bars are crunchy and chewy. They're said to include a "blend of high- and low-glycemic carbohydrates," plus essential vitamins and minerals (including antioxidants). | ||||||
| Chocolate | 2.5. This is a sweet bar, but it lacks chocolaty depth. | 260 | 47 | ||||
| Oatmeal Raisin | 2.5. It's sweet, like a sticky bun in bar form. | 260 | 47 | ||||
| Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip | 2. Since the peanut butter flavor is barely detectable, these bars taste like cocoa-flavor Rice Krispies Treats. | 260 | 46 | ||||
| Peanut Butter | 2. We like the Rice Krispies-like texture and not-too-sweet taste, but the peanut butter flavor is too subtle. | 260 | 46 | ||||
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Innovation
(800) 806-5777 www.musclemass.com/bodybuilding_supplements_health_guide.html $2.40 each; $28.95 for a box of 12 |
Comments: There's a sweet coating on the outside, and the contents inside are dense and smooth. Each bar contains 20 vitamins and minerals and digestive enzymes for quicker absorption, but no glycerine. | ||||||
| Chocolate | 1. The taste is okay, but inside, the bar's chalky. | 190 | 24 | 20 | |||
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Kashi GoLean Bars
(858) 274-8870, extension 221 www.kashi.com $1.89 each; $20 for a box of 12 
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Comments: These bars' outside coatings are sweet and their insides, cakelike. Soy protein and flax make them high in fiber and protein, and they contain four essential vitamins and minerals. | ||||||
| Chocolate Peanut Butter | 1.5. The peanut butter taste is too weak. | 290 | 50 | 13 | |||
| Malted Chocolate Crisp | 2.5. This bar is light and chocolaty. | 280 | 51 | 13 | |||
| Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt | 2.5. The taste is reminiscent of strawberry shortcake. | 280 | 53 | 11 | |||
| Vanilla Spice Cake | 2.5. There's a little zing in this mildly sweet flavor. | 280 | 47 | 14 | |||
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Luna
(800) 884-5254 www.clifbar.com $1.79 each; $18.75 for a box of 15 
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Comments: None of these crispy bars will melt in hot conditions, and all are hard but edible when frozen. The brand is marketed to women, contains no genetically modified soy protein, and has 22 vitamins and minerals (including iron and calcium). | ||||||
| Chocolate Pecan Pie | 2.5. The taste is rich, but not cloying. | 180 | 4.5 | 24 | 10 | ||
| LemonZest | 3. As its name implies, the flavor is zesty and light. | 180 | 26 | 10 | |||
| Nutz Over Chocolate | 2. This is a crispy bar with a nutty flavor. | 180 | 4.5 | 24 | 10 | ||
| S'mores | 1.5. The bar pales in comparison with the real thing. | 180 | 4.5 | 26 | 10 | ||
| Toast d Nuts 'n Cranberry | 2.5. The flavor is a nice blend of nutty, sweet, and tart flavors. | 170 | 26 | 10 | |||
| Key Lime Pie | 3. Tangy, sweet, and filling, this flavor reminds us of Mom's lemon bar cookies. It's best when eaten on the trail with lots of water. | 180 | 4.5 | 27 | 10 | ||
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M&M's candies
www.m-ms.com/us/ $0.50 each |
Plain | 3. Chocolate rules! | 220 | 32 | |||
|
PowerBar Harvest
(800) 587-6937 www.powerbar.com $1.35 each |
Comments: A crunchy, "real food" alternative to the smooth, extruded PowerBar Performance bars, PowerBar Harvest bars contain whole grains and natural sweeteners and 16 essential vitamins and minerals. | ||||||
| Blueberry | 1.5. More crunch than berry comes with this flavor. | 240 | 45 | ||||
| Banana Nut Dipped In Yogurt | 1. This bar's grainy texture is similar to dry banana bread. | 260 | 45 | ||||
| Chocolate | 2. Here you get crunchy chocolate, but it's no brownie. | 240 | 45 | ||||
| Toffee Chocolate Chip | 3. This bar's flavor is like a Heath candy bar, though not so sickeningly sweet. Thumbs-up for the chocolate coating. | 260 | 45 | ||||
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PowerBar ProteinPlus
(800) 587-6937 www.powerbar.com $1.95 each |
Comments: These smooth, extruded bars provide 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of 10 vitamins, plus 7 minerals and 24 grams of protein. | ||||||
| Cookies & Cream | 2.5. Grab this for its candy-bar flavor and (almost) texture, which is a bit chewy and hard to swallow without a lot of water. | 290 | 38 | 24 | |||
| Chocolate Peanut Butter | 1. With this bar, you get a slight taste of peanut butter and chocolate and a nasty plastic texture. | 280 | 14 | 35 | |||
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Snickers Candy Bar
www.snickers.com/default.htm $0.50 each 
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3. With caramel, peanuts, and chocolate, what other recommendation does it need? | 280 | 14 | 35 | |||
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Power Bar Performance
(800)587-6937 www.powerbar.com |
Comments: You get 17 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates from brown rice and oat bran with these smooth, pliable bars. | ||||||
| Vanilla Crisp | 2. This sweet, chewy, quick-energy bar is more functional than flavorful. | ||||||
3-Move over, Snickers!
2-It's good, but are the extra vitamins worth the price?
1-Gimme a 50-cent candy bar.