Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Review: CLIF Kit's Organic Coconut + Sesame Seeds Fruit + Seed Bar


I mentioned in my last CLIF review that I binged on some bars at Earth Fare that I don't ordinarily see in my typical run-of-the-mill grocery stores and today's review is part of that same binge.  I don't know why CLIF doesn't include these in the normal stores with the rest of their products, but for some reason they are exclusive to the exclusive grocery stores.  I just don't get it.  Anyway, I picked up this CLIF Kit's Organic Coconut + Sesame Seeds Fruit + Seed Bar at the aforementioned Earth Fare for $1.49 and the bar is 1.7 ounces with 200 calories and a very minimal two grams of protein.  It's also gluten free, soy free, dairy free and made with a minimal eight ingredients.  Here's to hoping that it's not flavor free.





The very first thing I noticed as I took this out of the wrapper was that there were A LOT of sesame seeds stuck to the outside of this bar, but they oddly were only on one side.  So strange.  Outside of that plethora of sesame seeds, the rest of this looks like any ordinary CLIF bar.  It's soft and the bulk of the bar is made up of the classic date puree mixed with shards of coconut, dried apples (?!) and a few other oils and seasonings.  In terms of smell, the bar smells so overwhelmingly of sesame seeds  that it was difficult, if not impossible, to discern any other smells.

From a texture perspective, this bar was no different than any other CLIF bar.  It was soft and chewy with a grainy assortment of ingredients to break up that softness.  In this case, the sesame seeds were the major player in that graininess and also in the initial flavor.  After my first bite and a few chews, all I could taste was sesame seeds and I started to get a bit disappointed by the lack of coconut flavor as promised in the product name.  Fortunately, I took some time between my first and second bite and that ended up saving the day because the coconut flavor came on late and lingered.  It was a mild, but sweet coconut flavor punctuated by a bit of tartness from the dried apples that were also included in the mix.  After bite two, I let it linger a little longer and the longer I let the flavor linger, the stronger it got.  As someone who has transitioned into a coconut person over time, I appreciated that.  It was a nice balance to the saltiness of the sesame seeds and also the sea salt that was included in the mix of the bar.

Buy It or Fly By It?  There was no dispute that this mix of ingredients was a bit strange.  It was sweet and salty, but it was different than just about everything I've experienced.  Fortunately, it was not too sweet or salty in either direction and after a few bites, I found myself growing to appreciate this bar after being initially turned off.  With that said, I'll give this a BUY IT rating.  It's pretty tame flavor, but it's different enough to make it appealing and worth trying.

BUY IT!!

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