Product Review: Bumble Bars – organic energy bars – gluten free/ vegan

Posted on | February 22, 2009 | 2 Comments

These gluten free and vegan snack/energy bars from Bumble Bars are quite interesting. All of them look quite similar with sesame seeds galore. These bars come in a whopping 12 flavors, so there is something for everyone. Each 1.6 ounce bar sells for around $1.75.

Bumble Bars are like a flat, chewy granola bar, minus the oats. In fact, When I first looked at one unwrapped, I thought it looked little like the birdseed that my neighbor fed her bird when I was growing up. (I know, kinda weird. ) These gluten free energy bars are mostly sesame and flax seeds bound with brown rice syrup. Bottom line, if you don’t like sesame seeds, don’t bother trying this bar. I would suggest a Kind or Pure bar instead.

These bars are also fairly thin and light, making them great for a snack to tide you over until mealtime, especially the flavors with added nuts. However, these bars are high in fat – 12 to 16 grams of fat per bar. (just something to keep in mind.) Because there are so many flavors, I will group this review in categories:

Nut based flavors: (cashew, mixed nuts, almond): These Bumble Bar flavors were my least favorite from the variety pack I sampled. I wished there was more nuts, because especially with the cashew flavor, then nuts were sparse from what I could tell. Also, the nut flavors have a strong cinnamon smell and taste , which turned me off. Now, I like cinnamon just as much as the next person, but I felt it overpowered any nut flavor that was there. Also, with these gluten free flavors I sometimes felt like I had a mouthful of seeds in my mouth vs. snacking on an energy bar. Rating: 2 stars

Fruit flavors (cherry chocolate, apricot, chunky cherry, tasty tropical, lemon): I really enjoyed the fruit flavors – I didn’t feel like I was snacking on a mouthful of seeds this time! The fruit flavors are a little sweeter and boast chunks of actual fruit that tie the whole bar together. I did notice a strange aftertaste when I ate the lemon flavor, but it went away after a few bites. The chocolate cherry was my picky daughters favorite since it had a nice cocoa flavor with her favorite fruit. Rating: 4 stars

Everything else (original, chocolate crisp, chai with almonds): All three of these are actually pretty good. My picky daughter loved the chai with almonds- she opened the package and exclaimed “mmmmm, vanilla!” The chocolate crisp is alittle sweeter with a nice cocoa flavor and great if you want to satisfy a sweet tooth. Rating: 3 stars

Pros: nice flavor, great portable snack, perfectly chewy

Cons: higher in fat, some flavors aren’t that great

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Please visit the Bumble Bar website for ingredient lists and additional nutrition

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Want to try Bumble Bars? Check your local grocery store or visit the link below:

Comments

2 Responses to “Product Review: Bumble Bars – organic energy bars – gluten free/ vegan”

gfe--gluten free easily
February 22nd, 2009 @ 5:07 pm

I agree with the birdseed desription and to me they taste like that, too. People who LOVE sesame seeds and Mary’s Gone Crackers, seem to love Bumble Bars. Personally, I can’t get past the birdseed taste, but I am sure many will appreciate your reviews.

Thanks,
Shirley
Kitchen Units
December 1st, 2010 @ 11:07 am

some energy bars are just too sweet for my own taste. is there a sugar free energy bar? “:’