Snack Review: Bumble Bar
Confession: I’m a die-hard Burt’s Bees fan. I know this probably makes me a yuppie-in-training, but I just can’t resist their folksy packaging and quality balm product.
So when I saw Bumble Bars in the organic aisle of my grocery store, I knew I had to try them. It’s genius, really. Imitate the look of a product that your target demographic already loves, and watch your latest vegan creation fly off the health food shelves. I swear, even the words “Gluten Free” could not dissuade me from buying this snack.
But, as the sages have taught us, thou shalt not judge a snack by its wrapper. Just because something LOOKS like it will be folksy and traditional, does not necessarily mean it will be. Had I remembered this credo, I probably wouldn’t have gasped (literally, gasped) upon freeing my Bumble Bar from its sleeve.
What, you ask, could possibly have produced such a guttural reaction in a hardened snack reviewer? Well, instead of finding a standard “nuts and fruit” granola bar beneath the yellow foil, I found… bird seed.
Yep, birdseed. Hundreds and hundreds of sesame seeds, flaxseeds, and peanut chunks - compacted into a single, portable bar, and held together by brown rice syrup and cane juice (what?).
I definitely should have been less surprised by this revelation. After all, we’re dealing with an organic VEGAN product, which means no eggs, butter, milk, or “dairy byproducts” (which, honestly, are in everything). Conventional snacks use these ingredients more often than John McCain talks about his veteran experience, so excluding them is clearly going to make your product look and taste differently. You gotta get creative when working outside the snack norm.
Anyway, this snack sufficiently piqued my curiosity and that’s all it takes to get me to eat something. So, with “Feed the Birds” running through my head, I took a bite. And hey! For a bunch of seeds, the Bumble Bar was surprisingly non-bland! By infusing their product with cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, the manufacturers managed to make me forget that I was eating a pile of bird chow. Kudos, Bumble Bar makers. Kudos.
Perhaps most important is the fact that, about halfway through eating the bar, I began to feel full, which I’m guessing is a relatively rare sensation among les vegans. Therefore, if you subscribe to the non-animal school of eating, you should give this snack a whirl.
Personally, I doubt I’ll buy it again. Although I enjoyed the Bumble Bar’s taste and high satisfaction, I have trouble loving a food that resembles Nickelodeon Floam so closely:
Buy Bumble Bars Online:
- at Amazon.com
12 Comments
Linda on October 7th, 2008
That looks frighteningly like one of those seed stick treats for
birds.
I was going to ask why there was a bee on the label when honey is not
vegan, but I find by a little Googling that this is a whole
controversy, which life is too short to get involved with.
Jim on October 7th, 2008
Allissa, you’re such a “maverick” doncha know (ok, do a shot). A good
friend of mine is gluten intolerant, so he’d probably like these.
By the way, what’s a “diary byproduct?” Sounds confessional.
jimmer on October 7th, 2008
Half the appeal of having a good snack bar is taste for the mouth. The other half, in my opinion, is for the eyes - does it look appealing enough to make me want to shove this into my cakehole? In this case, yuck , it does not. Me thinks it would be better suited if it twas marketed as suet. But thanks for the review /warning - I’ll steer clear of these.
snackgirl on October 7th, 2008
I tried one of these a while ago and thought it was a good idea but did not find myself enjoying this bar. It was just too bird-seedy for me.
KV on October 12th, 2008
Do you realize how many vegan products you have reviewed favorably? You just didn’t know that they were vegan. Newman’s Os, for instance. So please stop knocking the vegans. You liked this even, right? So why make such a big deal out of the fact that it is vegan? Like chips and salsa? OMG THAT’S VEGAN it must be grooooooooss!
Linda - honey isn’t in these bars despite the bee theme.
Jim - dairy by-products are things like whey and milkfat.
Candy Addict » Snackerrific Roundup: The Skinny on Free Food, an Unexpected Nutritional Treat, and Something Even Your Mom Would Approve Of on October 24th, 2008
[...] an amazing yogurt on the market worth your money (who would have thought?) and a perfect snack bar for my vegetarian diet that’s [...]
Snackerrific Snack Review Bumble Bar | Shed Kits on May 26th, 2009
[...] Snackerrific Snack Review Bumble Bar Posted by root 21 hours ago (http://snackerrific.com) Jim dairy by products are things like whey and milkfat your comment may take some time to appear powered by wordpress design by woo themes Discuss | Bury | News | snackerrific snack review bumble bar [...]
Snackerrific Snack Review Bumble Bar | bird baths on June 14th, 2009
[...] Snackerrific Snack Review Bumble Bar Posted by root 15 minutes ago (http://snackerrific.com) It was just too bird seedy for me candy addict snackerrific roundup the skinny on free food an unexpected nutritional like whey and milkfat your comment may take some time to appear powered by wordpress design by woo themes Discuss | Bury | News | Snackerrific Snack Review Bumble Bar [...]
Marcio Rocon on July 2nd, 2009
Have heard of several, more sure that the majority does not. The ideal is to research well before buying any drugs.
rh on August 25th, 2009
I tried the Bumble Bar Chai w/Almonds flavour today and loved it…so much so that I am sending some to my nephews.
nahm on November 13th, 2009
??????????…….??????????????????????! ?????????? ???????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????? ????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????? ???????????????????????????? ?? ?.?.????? ??????? ?????????????????????????? ???
amy on October 7th, 2008
if only it was blue like floam…