Raw Rev Vegan Bars

Update Review 2019

I was pleasantly surprised (ok, shocked) when I tried my first Glo bar from Raw Rev, the Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, & Sea Salt version, as I wrote about in my first review of the brand.  These are healthy bars, no question, not decadent, not what I normally go for, and certainly still not anything I'd ever crave.  But the pockets of chocolate were good, and the very healthy base did make me feel like a good person eating it.

So I tried another, more simple kind of Glo bar.  And one from their other product line.  I'm still inspired by them, so next, I want to get my hands on a cookie dough one ...

Glo Bars

"Glo bars are high in protein with lots of fiber and only 2-5 g of sugar per bar! Glo and look your best with plant based, health supportive ingredients! Always 100% vegan, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher and free from preservatives, soy protein isolates, whey, grains, and sugar alcohols."

Glo bars are certainly the more fun sounding product line, the one that drew me in to the brand, with flavors like Cookie Dough, and those featuring chocolate, mint, and caramel.  They all have a fairly simple ingredient list with a base of the "Raw Rev Superfood Blend" of peanuts, pea protein, brown rice protein, hemp proteindidn' virgin coconut oil, chia seeds, sprouted flax seeds, most raw and organic.  I am pleased they don't have whey protein, as that causes me issues.

Crunchy Peanut Butter & Sea Salt.

"Clean wholesome peanut butter with that whole peanut crunch. A moist and delicious treat loaded with protein, fiber and only 2 g of sugar per bar!"

This bar looked as awful as the first kind I tried, but I pressed on, not deterred by the strange mushy texture, the shiny exterior, or the fact that it was half the size of its wrapper.

It was essentially the exact same bar, just, minus the dark chocolate.  Same "Superfood Blend" base.  The chia and flax seeds added a bit of crunch, as did the actual chunks of peanuts, which I appreciated.  And besides that, the only other ingredients?  Sea salt and ... "Isomalto-Oligosaccharides".  Not so sure about that last one, but otherwise quite simple.

It didn't have a strange bitter taste, it didn't have a bad taste, and it was vaguely peanut buttery.  It was also boring, and I needed to pair it with chocolate.  And the texture is strange, mushy, and shiny.  It still isn't appealing, it isn't something I want, but, it doesn't taste bad, and, it really is a good option for post-workout, with 11 grams of protein, only 2 grams of sugar, and 190 calories.  Not a meal replacement, but plenty of protein without the junk.  So if that is what your life needs, try these.

Organic Bars

"Enjoy Organic decadence with our fruit, nut, and seed bars that are moist and chewy with a crunch. Ohh so tasty, hard to believe it’s good for you! Always vegan and free from preservatives, soy protein isolates, whey, grains, and sugar alcohols."

Inspired by the near success of Glo Bars, I decided to try the other product line from Raw Rev, organic bars.  This line is far less fun sounding, in both flavors available and ingredients.  It doesn't use the Superfood Blend base, rather, just nuts, seeds, and dates.  Meh.

Organic Spirulina Dream.

"Spirulina never disappoints with its high nutrition profile and sweet taste. Be a green goddess! An organic raw nutty nutrient packed bar that is moist and delicious with a crunch of almonds and cashews. Spirulina has so many scientific researched health benefits such as: loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients and B vitamins, protein and trace minerals. No wonder so many people and cultures have hailed spirulina for being a true superfood!"

This base of the bar is just nuts and seeds (cashews, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds), and it is sweetened with dates and agave.  Besides the namesake spirulina powder, there aren't any other ingredients.

And, well, it tastes exactly as the ingredients read.

Way, way too strong on the cashew for me.  And I hate dates.  So, not for me, not at all.

Original Review May 2017

I'm going to admit something from the start.  I had no intention of liking these bars.  I went into trying one assuming I'd hate it.  Yet of course I still tried it, because someone gave me one, and I figured if nothing else it would make a good review, and my blog regularly features assorted nutrition bars.

Raw Rev is another maker of healthy nutrition bars, gluten-free, non-GMO.  But their products go even further, in that they are raw and they are vegan.  Not that I have anything against raw and vegan, but, the results aren't usually very tasty to me.  Oh, and some of the bars are high protein too.  They just didn't sound possibly good.

Let me back up and talk about Raw Rev a bit though.  The company was started by a nurse who cared about nutrition.  She makes two product lines: organic bars and Glo bars.

Organic bars are available in 6 flavors (Chocolate Crave, Chunky Peanut Butter Chocolate, Chocolate Coconut Bliss, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Golden Cashew, and Spirulina Dream).  These are standard size bars, made up of fruits, nuts, and seeds, dubbed "superfood bars".  They have a moderate amount of protein (4-7grams) and moderate amount of calories (~230).  The ingredients are things like peanuts and cashews, chia, flax, and sunflower seeds, plus dates and agave for sweetness.   Nothing really scary in the ingredients list.

Glo bars are available in 7, far more tempting, flavors: Dark Chocolate Espresso Crunch, Mixed Nuts, Caramel & Sea Salt, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Cashew & Mint, Crunchy Peanut Butter & Sea Salt, Creamy Peanut Butter & Sea Salt, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  The bars are a bit smaller, and are also the protein packed bars, ranging from 10-15 grams.  Of course, this means the ingredients list is a bit less pure, and the base of each is the "Raw Rev Basic Superfood Blend", made of cashews, pea protein, brown rice protein, hemp protein, coconut oil, chia seeds, and flax seeds.  Yes, still raw vegan ingredients, but not quite as wholesome.  They tend to be high fiber and low sugar.

My biggest issue with most nutrition bars, particularly protein bars, is that they usually use soy or whey protein isolate.  Not only do I think whey protein isolate tastes gross, but it also always makes my stomach feel bad.  Like, really bad.  I no longer eat products with it, and I was happy to see that Raw Rev does not use whey protein.

So I tried a Glo bar, and, uh, I liked it?

Glo Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, & Sea Salt.

"A creamy, delicious taste with rich dark chocolate includes nutritious raw ingredients with omega-rich superfoods to keep you glowing from the inside out!"

Sure, the name of this product sounded great:  Peanut Butter!  Dark Chocolate!  Sea Salt!  I like those things.  But, how many nutrition bars ever live up to the promise their dessert-worthy names imply? (Yes, I'm looking at you Clif and LUNA bars!)  Very, very few.

I opened the wrapper, and extracted the bar.  It looked just as awful as I assumed it would.  Yup, strange looking texture, no chocolate coating.  Strangely shiny.  Broken in half (ok, that was probably my fault).  I took my requisite bite.  And then I was confused.

I tasted lots of peanut butter, and a creamy pocket of chocolate.  I almost tasted a peanut butter cup.  I immediately took another bite.  This was not awful.  I turned the wrapper over to read the ingredients: yup, rice protein, hemp protein, chia seeds, flax seeds ... all things I don't usually like.  Where were they?  Honestly, I didn't taste the bitterness nor the funk usually associated with those ingredients.  I did taste the peanuts, and, it really was decent peanut butter flavor.  The strange texture of the bar kinda worked if you think about it as eating slightly firmer peanut butter.  Peanut butter, with pockets of chocolate that is.  I was really shocked by the chocolate, it wasn't chocolate chips as I assumed it would be, but instead, creamy, soft, areas of "organic Italian dark chocolate".  The chocolate was good, and, um, chocolate and peanut butter is always a good combination.  I did taste the pea protein, but I actually like pea protein (I know, a bit odd, but it really is tasty.  Have you tried Ripple Milk?  I really like it!)

So, yes, this was actually pretty good.  Was it as good as a peanut butter cup?  Obviously not.  As good as a fresh baked good?  Obviously not.  But far better than your average nutrition bar.  Strange texture, but, good flavor.  And really, quite amazing for the protein content, and in particular, one without whey protein isolate.  I'd have another.