I Heart Sen Cha Green Tea Bars

I've found the love of my life. I saw this item initially at Garden of Eden on 14th Street and became infatuated. Eventually I met my delicious companion right in my neighborhood and upon our first kiss it was love at first bite. Ok, we didn't kiss but I did bite it. I'm talking about my new favorite bar, the Sen Cha Green Tea Bars. These bars come in three flavors: Original, Lively Lemongrass, and Delicate Pear. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with any of the choices. If I had to choose a favorite, I'd go with the Pear and they've appropriately named the bar because the flavor is quite "delicate." Each bar is a blend of roasted organic brown rice, antioxidant rich goji berries, nuts and seeds, and is equal to three cups of green tea. Additionally, the bars are gluten and wheat-free/vegan. I've found these Sen Cha bars fill me up when I'm on the go, which is another benefit. I thought I would have to stock up on these bars when I find them but I've noticed that they are now readily available at the Vitamin Shoppe, as well as some gourmet shops, coffee shops and hotels. More than likely these bars will run you a bit more than you'll pay for a Balance or Luna Bar but in my humble opinion there's no comparison. As much as I love you, Luna, we're done. We'll stay friends but I'm going steady with Sen Cha now. See ya later.

www.senchanaturals.com/

Deer Me! Caribou's Coffee Bars

Many of us on the East Coast don't know much or haven't heard of Caribou Coffee. It's a Minneapolis-based chain that has stores in 18 states, none of them close to New York City. They have a cute logo and name and I've read about them from time to time in the advertising press. I am always intrigued by smaller companies that make good coffee (Green Mountain, New England) being that I am not a big fan of Starbuck's. Too crowded, too burnt coffee-ish and too expensive. I was trolling the local Key Food and lo and behold what is that I see on the shelves nearby the coffee? Yesssss, to borrow from Marv Albert--boxes of Caribou Coffee Chocolate Mocha and Vanilla Latte granola bars. Coffee is an ingredient that seems to be popping up in foods items alot recently, with mixed results. Wrigley's had a coffee gum they were testing (um, we use gum to get the coffee taste OUT of our mouths) and considering I try to give the benefit of the doubt to the thought behind almost every product, that gum was truly awful. The Caribou Coffee bars are quite the opposite: the coffee taste--while noticeable--is not overpowering and mixes well with the chocolate or vanilla flavors. The bars are a tad sweet but they are a perfect pick-me-up for the afternoon doldrums. The company has just made available two more flavors--Caramel Highrise and Mint Condition, both of which I'll be on the lookout for. You might have a tough time finding these but trust me, they're worth tracking down. Happy hunting.


http://www.cariboucoffee.com/coffeebars/index.asp

Is There Joy In Soyville?

I've noticed these new nutrition bars in the aisle of Duane Reade for the past couple of weeks. I wasn't that interested as the word "Soy" is part of its title and heaven knows I get enough soy from all the edamame I eat. However my countless visits to Duane Reade and careful placement of the SoyJoy bars in the store forced me to take notice of the product. I grabbed a couple--Apple and Mango Coconut--and it was time to get my chew on. I was struck by the fact that the bar weighs close to nothing, almost as though there's just air in the package. Opening the wrapper I saw the most awful-looking bar I've ever seen--it's like a compressed long square .... thing. It reminds me of a squashed, old Italian cookie that was laying around Aunt Rosemarie's kitchen since 1976. You know the kind--maybe as a kid you visited your Great Aunt and Uncle and they gave you a cookie that was seriously old, probably with expired milk. (Well maybe you didn't but I did.) Back to the subject. Of course just because the bar looks terrible doesn't mean it tastes bad, I tell myself. SoyJoy has got to be the driest product I've ever eaten. There's no moisture whatsoever so it's a bit crumbly. On taste alone, it's not bad; the bars taste the way they're supposed to but it made me want a cup of iced coffee pronto. I didn't find it to be the least bit filling, even though the company is calling SoyJoy a "nutritious, portion-controlled snack." Maybe for Nicole Richie. Joy? Not for me. And at $1.59 per bar I'll spend my money on a bag of edamame.

www.soyjoy.com

A Luna Tea Cake Landing

Being the typical New Yorker who's always on the run, I try to have a nutritional or "energy" bar on hand at all times. I tend to think of bars in the following ways: a PowerBar is somewhat masculine, while Balance bars are sort of unisex. Then there's ones in the middle: Clif, Odwalla, the list goes on and on. One of my favorites is Luna, a bar especially made for women. They're more dainty than most bars and come in several tasty flavors. They may not be as temptingly delicious as they sound--Chocolate Peppermint Stick, Peanut Butter Cookie--but they don't taste like a shoe either. In addition to the usual fare, the company has come up with a product called Luna Tea Cakes. When I first read about these, I wasn't sure what to make of them as they sound like something I should eat while visiting Queen Elizabeth. The Tea Cakes are also not shaped like the usual bars; instead they are a mere 1 inch by 2.5 inches and come in a set of two with a "perforated" cut in the middle for easy snacking on the run. They are thicker and more tasty (they're infused with The Republic of Tea teas) than the bars as well but if you're like me, you'll wind up eating two of them. The flavors and claims on the packaging are interesting as well: Orange Blossom is for "healthy skin," while Berry Pomegranate gives you "longevity," and Vanilla Macadamia promotes "mood balance." So I guess if I eat enough of these I'll live a long time, have terrific skin and fly through menopause with no problem. Sounds good to me. If you do give these a try--and you should, especially Orange Blossom--make sure you "Take a Luna Moment," which is printed inside each package. I'm sure no one who's eaten this product has even noticed that someone worked very hard to come up with such positive reinforcement.

www.lunabar.com