Over the past year, there has been a growing influx of new and exciting power bars coming out of British Columbia. This Spring, we had a chance to test a variety of power bars from manufacturers in British Columbia and here is what we thought.
Hornby Organic Energy Bars
Out of all the bars we tasted, Hornby Organic Energy Bars were by far the ones we loved the most. Based in Comox, BC on Vancouver Island, Hornby Organics is a small company built on family values that include organic ingredients that are Canadian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. Each bar has 12 grams of protein.
During our review, we actually loved every flavour they had to offer with our favourite being the Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Expresso. The texture of these is a little more processed than most bars but found the bars easy to eat and digest during a long climbing day. On the downside for those who are trying to reduce their sugars, these bars do have approx. 15 grams of sugar per bar, which some folks may find on the high side. Nonetheless, we absolutely loved Hornby Organic Energy Bars!
12 bars -$39.48
Fuel Up Protein Bars
Fuel Up Protein Bars is a small outfit based in Vancouver, BC run by a Vancouver-based rock climber and who works at The Hive Vancouver Climbing Gym.
The thing that sets Fuel Up Protein Bars aside from the rest is that they are entirely vegan and created using black chickpeas which serve up a surprising amount of protein (20g). During our testing, we had a chance to try the Original, Expresso, and Chocolate Chip flavours. Prior to testing, the Original Fuel Up Protein Bar was described as eating raw cookie dough and our experience was the very same! These bars are dense and easy to eat. The provide a great snack when you are looking for something to fill you up and taste like cookie dough. They are a little more perishable than other bars, as they are often kept in the refrigerator and they are a little crumbly. The downside of these bars was that they do have a strong taste of stevia extract, which can sometimes leave an aftertaste on your tongue.
12 bars – $30.00
SoLo Energy Bars
Our second favourite bar from our 2019 taste test was the Solo Gi Energy Bars! With a unique texture on their own, these bars have an outer ‘shell’ and an inner bar that boasts a ton of flavour and fun. The bars themselves eat more like a chocolate bar and given this thought, our favourite flavour was the chocolate charger listed above. Important to the SoLo philosophy is their rating of each bar on a Glycemic Index that shows the quality of good carbohydrates included in each bar, finding a balance between blood glucose levels over time. During our testing of this bar, we found that it gave us great energy at the cliff and often stopped that hunger craving that we had during the day.
We also had a chance to test the new line of Plant-Based Superfood SoLo Bars. With 10 grams of protein per bar, these natural bars felt light and ready to use. We would highly recommend checking out the SoLo family. They also provide their bars on a subscription-based plan that reduces cost and keeps you going year round!
12 bars – $29.99
Coast Protein Energy Bars
We had a chance to try to Coast Energy Bars, made from cricket protein powder and a ton of other great ingredients. If one thing stands out about these bars, it is quality of the bar itself! These bars look fantastic and have a great texture that reminds you more of a homemade oat bar than the the more processed ‘clif bar’ look. These bars are dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and soy-free.
During our review we tried all three flavours including chocolate chip, peanut butter, and trail mix. Our initial taste of these bars was great. We loved the combination of flavours in every bar. However, it was very difficult for us to get over what can only be assumed to be the cricket protein powder. We found that the cricket powder had an overwhelming after taste that stuck to our tongue. Given that this is only one opinion, we tried to get as many climbers in the area that we were in to try the bars and we were pleasantly surprised that a lot of climbers enjoyed the taste, especially those who were used to supplementing with a hemp protein powder which was a go to comparison for many people trying the bar.
These bars hold 12 protein and 12 grams of sugar and they are worth giving a try! Below we have linked the video on the Coast site explaining their choice to use sustainable cricket powder. Worth a watch!
12 bars – $41.99
Elevate Me Protein Bars
One of the more unique bars that we tried during our testing was the Elevate Me Protein Bars. These bars feature 11 grams of protein from whey protein isolate followed by a number of gluten free, non-gmo ingredients and containing mostly fruits such as dates, almonds, raisins, hemp hearts, coconut nectar, and cranberries.
Elevate Me Energy bars is based on the philosophy of trying to keep the ingredients of these bars as natural as possible and it really shows in the quality of the bars themselves. Overall, these bars snacked well and tasted pretty good despite some, what we we would call, risky flavours including cranberry matcha and peanut butter and jam. Overall, we enjoyed the unique flavours of these bars and would continue to use them on a regular basis.
12 bars – $28.25
