A review of CLIF Builders Crispy Protein Bars, including flavors Crispy Almond Salted Caramel and Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate.
Review
At the time of this writing, there are only two flavors: Crispy Almond Salted Caramel and Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate. Both say “Reduced Sugar” on their packaging, but while the sugar content is low, the fiber and protein-to-calorie ratio aren’t great. They’re primarily made of soy protein isolate, their respective nutty flavor (almond and peanut in this case), cane sugar, and other ingredients. Surprisingly, they only contain vegan-based ingredients.
In terms of size, they’re a little larger than your average protein bar and the same size as their non-crispy counterparts. The two flavors here also look similar, with a nutty, granola-like makeup and a chocolatey bottom layer.
Like their appearance, they do taste similar. More or less, they taste just like those trail mix or granola-type bars you find in the cereal section at the store. Except, these are a little thicker and feel more premium as they sport authetic flavors with no sense of “cheapness.” Rather, I can definitely see these competing with the more expensive trail-mix or granola-based bars on the shelves, albeit unlike some of those, these aren’t organic or earthy-tasting. Lastly, they’re fairly sweet but not overbearingly so.
Both accurately portray their flavors, and I was surprised to find a honey-ish taste accompanying them both. This was especially true with the Crispy Almond Salted Caramel, but perhaps that was the advertised caramel flavor I mistook it for. Nonetheless, this bar is nuanced, providing a nutty almond taste, honey (or caramel), and a milder milk chocolate. All of these flavors taste well together and make for a good bar overall.
Lastly, the Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate was, for the most part, your regular ol’ peanutty chocolate bar. Both flavors were equally represented, and like the Crispy Almond Salted Caramel, I couldn’t help but get a sense of a honey-like flavor (although it wasn’t as strong in this bar).
Overall, they’re both simply good trail-mix/granola-like bars. And lastly, they’re moderately sweet, have authetic flavors with nothing artificial or “protein-like,” and don’t come across as earthy or organic.
