Skratch Labs Energy Bars

These Skratch Lab Anytime Energy Bars are really satisfying to eat and easy on the stomach thanks to the focus on natural whole foods. The only thing less easy to stomach is the price. They come in a selection of quite different flavours from what else is on the market, too.

• Pros: Very tasty, satisfying mouthfeel, easy to digest, no synthetic ingredients
• Cons: They are fairly expensive

Like all Skratch Labs products, there's a real focus on natural ingredients and compatibility with many diets in these products. Skratch explains on its website the importance it gives to incorporating minimal ingredients, and all whole foods. There are no synthetic ingredients in the bars, with oats, nut butter, and quinoa flakes (yes, quinoa flakes – Skratch is based in the very hip Boulder after all) being the main ingredients. The bars are suitable for vegans, and gluten, dairy and GM-free, so they work for everyone.

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Highly synthetic sports food can cause stomach issues for some on long rides, and so the Skratch bars offer a good solution. Having tested them on a few hot and long (4-5hr) rides, they sit in the stomach really well, with no complaints or feel of bloating. They tread the balance between some more naturally focused bars, such as Clif, which can feel slightly 'heavy' in the mouth and stomach, and the lighter-feeling, more artificial alternatives of some brands, making you feel satiated but not weighed down.

I approached the highly unusual Miso and Ginger flavour bar with a mixture of fascination and trepidation. I'm a big fan of salty food on rides, particularly longer or hotter outings. The bar's main ingredients are candied ginger, red pepper flakes and soy sauce, with added berries, sesame seeds and almond butter. As a fan of Japanese type-flavours, I think it really works.

Initially, I found it really hard to adapt my palette to, as I'm so used to something sweet going into my mouth when riding. However, by the second bite, I was sold. It's very hard to describe it, but a soy taste comes through strongly, with a nice zing from the ginger. It's salty, but not too much. One minor issue is that the saltiness lingers in the mouth and leaves you craving more, like nuts at the bar or chips at the restaurant – making it hard to moderate intake.

The chocolate and almond and cherry and pistachio varieties are a little more traditional in that they are sweet, although it's quite a subtle sweetness, with the nuts in each bar tempering the sweet ingredients nicely. I was a particular fan of the cherry; a flavour often overlooked by nutrition brands.

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The texture and mouthfeel is excellent, with a crispness in the initial bite, but juiciness once in the mouth. The crispness makes it satisfying to bite, not feeling like the plasticine of some bars, but it doesn't feel harsh or at all sharp, instead feeling full of moisture, which is really easy to eat.

Nutritionally, the bars offer around 200 calories, 30g carbohydrate, and a small dose of fat and protein (8g and 4g respectively). The fat and protein is a welcome addition, particularly for long rides as these are slower burning fuels that will keep you riding over long periods. The 200 calories and 30g carb content is pretty much on-par with the competition, so the bars stack up well on that front.

Some bars on the market lack protein and fat, and personally I think these additions are a benefit. This protein and fat is a product of the nut content of the bars, not anything artificial.

On the long rides that I tested the bars on I felt well fuelled throughout, and although it's impossible to isolate this to being due to Skratch Lab's product alone, there must be some link there.

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In terms of other products on the market, Veloforte also focuses on natural whole foods, and were extremely well reviewed, and OTE's Duo bars are another top-rated choice.

The only sting in the tail with these bars is the price. At £2.50 a go, they're a touch more than the competition, with other brands tending to keep to around £2 per bar. However, for me, the great taste, texture and focus on whole food makes them worth it.

Verdict

Excellent range of bars, well worth paying more for if you prefer a less sweet, less artificial option