Energy's Crunch Bars seem to be a takeoff on the popular Nature Valley Crunchy Granola bars. (Some of which are available here in Israel.)
Energy has 2 Baked Crunch Bars to choose from; Chocolate Flavor and Honey Flavor. I tasted the Chocolate Flavor Bar.
A friend in the US mentioned that there's a Chocolate Nature Valley Crunchy Granola bar available there; since I have not seen that here in Israel I sent her some of these Energy Crunch Chocolate Granola bars so she can give me a good comparison.
After tasting it she agreed with me that Energy's Crunch Bar was quite a "solid" bar. She said it is a much "harder" bar, yet she liked that is was less "crumbly" than Nature Valley's Crunchy Granola Bar.
She pointed out that Nature Valley's Crunchy Bars are sold 2 bars per wrapper whereas the Energy version is just one per wrapper. Nature Valley bars are a little longer and thinner than the Energy ones, so all in all each individual bar ends up being about the same size.
We both thought that Energy's Chocolate Crunch Bar has a slightly complex taste. It has a sweet yet bitter cocoa taste which makes it an interesting treat.
I thought it was a little too dry and had too strong of a cocoa flavor. My friend agreed, she said its a little more "cocoa-y" than Nature Valley's version but she actually liked that the cocoa taste "lingers" in your mouth.
She had the great idea of pairing it with a cold glass of milk. The milk would taste somewhat like chocolate milk because of the overly cocoa taste of the bar. It would also make it slightly easier to eat since it is quite a "hard" baked granola bar. I thought that a glass of milk, with this crunchy chocolaty bar, was a wonderful idea.
Then again most cereal bars and even many cookies, on the market here in Israel, are dairy but these Energy Crunch Bars are not, they are Parve, I see that as a huge plus for those who are sensitive to dairy or for times when you can't have a dairy snack, so in those cases I guess a soy, rice or almond milk would be just as wonderful
Bottom line: My friend liked this Energy Crunch Bar but she much prefers Nature Vally's Oats & Dark Chocolate Bar, but since I don't have access to the the Nature Vally bar I would say for a 94 calorie granola bar, I thought Energy's version would make a great snack, if it was eaten with a cold glass of milk or possibly crumbled into a favorite yogurt. Alone I thought it was too dry and difficult to eat. I might even consider making an ice cream sandwich and feeling less guilty knowing the "cookie" part is lower in calories.
Box of 6 Bars – 17.90 NIS
Kosher –Parve Rabbinate, Nazareth-Illit
Update: Not even an hour after I posted this review I happened to be at Rami Levy supermarket, low and behold they had a big display of Nature Valley Granola bars INCLUDING THE OATS 'N DARK CHOCOLATE CRUNCHY GRANOLA BAR, what a pleasant surprise J
I have to say I completely agree with my friend's review;
The Nature Valley bar is much easier to eat because it's not as hard as Energy's bar, yes it's more crumbly, but I found the texture much more enjoyable.
As my friend said The Nature Valley version is much tastier. It actually had bits of bittersweet-dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), mixed in, which adds a wonderful chocolaty flavor, seeing as bittersweet chocolate is my favorite ,that's a MAJOR plus in my book!
So Bottom Line : My friend is absolutely correct Nature Valley's Oats 'N Dark Chocolate Crunchy Granola Bar is WAY better than Energy's Crunch Chocolate Granola Bar. I'm thrilled that Nature Valley's version is now available here in Israel. I can't imagine buying Energy's bar now that I have a much tastier and better option in the Nature Valley bar.
Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me or my friend for this review. All opinions are mine or my friends.
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