Voom Energy Taster Pack

The Voom Taster Pack consists of four bars, aimed at before, during and after exercise. The bars have a taste that is not overly strong, and a texture that makes them easy to eat. The packets are also very easy to open while riding, which is very welcome – especially in the winter.

The taster pack consists of each of the four bars Voom produces: the pre-workout Beta Blast, two for during exercise – the Electro Energy and the Caffeine Kick, with a serious 175mg kick – and the RecoverFudge designed for post-workout recovery.

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Each bar is shaped as four blocks that are easy to bite off individually, making it easy to manage intake.

Although each bar is a different flavour, there's only one option for each area of nutrition, which might limit your choice if you don't like the taste. Generally, the flavours aren't overly strong.

The texture makes them really easy to consume, too, as they aren't too chewy. I would have no issues using them in races or high-intensity training sessions.

I found the foil wrapping with serrated edges really easy to open while riding, which is a big plus for winter riding when wearing gloves, although almost every time a small corner came off separately, which made it a little harder to ensure the whole packet was safely stowed away after eating.

> How to eat right for sportives and long rides

The sugar content in each bar is a mix of raw cane sugar and glucose syrup. Both of these are simple sugars and and might not provide as much energy uptake within the body as others such as maltodextrin, which is a long-chain format of glucose, or products with fructose, which can increase absorption. Unless you are racing, or require the maximum absorption possible, this may not be the most important factor though. I found the type and amount of energy provided by the bar designed for consuming while exercising sufficient for moderate intensity rides of up to four hours.

All the bars are gluten free, and all except the RecoverFudge are suitable for vegans.

Voom Pocket Rocket Beta Blast

The Beta Blast is designed for consuming before rides – around 15-30 minutes before exercise is the suggestion. Key ingredients are 150mg of caffeine, which is a significant amount, and also 2g of beta alanine which is a non-essential amino acid that has been shown in studies to improve performance and endurance. As a non-essential amino acid it is already created by the body, but it is used alongside an essential amino acid, L-histidine, to create carnosine which helps regulate acidity levels within the blood – reducing lactic acid being the main likely benefit. Studies claim that it improves performance specifically within cycling, with possible benefits such as improved repetitions when training or increased maximum output.

Beta alanine doesn't have a taste to it, but it can potentially give you a slightly tingling feeling, something I did find myself. Shortly after eating a block I experienced a tinging around my mouth and then my head more generally. This is considered normal and not something to worry about, although it may feel strange the first time it happens.

The caffeine content is quite high – 150mg is about the same amount as two cans of Red Bull, four 330ml cans of Coca-Cola or about two espressos. With this high content in mind, it will be important to consider what you consume following it during exercise.

The bar also delivers a total of 40g of carbohydrate and 150kcal across the four blocks.

The Beta Blast bar has an orange flavour but it's quite subtle and not at all overpowering. The texture is similar to the others in the tester pack, with the exception of the RecoverFudge, and is quite 'chalky', but not chewy at all; assuming you like the flavour, it's quite easy to consume.

Voom Pocket Rocket Electro Energy

Designed for eating during exercise, the Electro Energy bar has 40g of carbohydrate, 36g of which is sugars, delivers 160kcal in total, and also has a 100mg mix of electrolytes.

The bar has a mild citrus taste and isn't overly sweet. I found it very tasty and a flavour I was happy to eat throughout a longer ride without getting sick of the flavour.

Just like the pre-workout Pocket Rocket, the texture is a little chalky and not at all chewy, making it easy and quick to consume on the go.

The pack suggests taking one block per 15 minutes of exercise, so 40kcal and 10g of pure sugar, with the whole bar providing suitable energy uptake over an hour, although studies have shown that people can take on board more, either as pure glucose, or even more with a glucose/fructose mix.

Voom Pocket Rocket Caffeine Kick

The Pocket Rocket is designed to give a boost during exercise, and with a huge 175g caffeine content and 100mg taurine it will certainly do that. This is higher than every other energy bar or gel I have used previously.

The bar has the same easy-to-eat texture as the Electro Energy and Pocket Rocket bars.

I found the berry flavour very pleasant; there is a little aftertaste because of the caffeine, though not as much as I would have expected given the high content, and it's not as strong as in other products I've tried, even those with lower amounts of caffeine.

Voom Protein RecoverFudge

As the name suggests, this is designed for post-exercise recovery. It has a mix of carbohydrate and protein at a 3:1 ratio, with the 50g bar still providing a significant 208kcal energy total from the raw cane sugar and glucose mix. Other ingredients include whey protein isolate for the main protein element, and also coconut oil, full cream and butter, so it isn't suitable for a vegan diet, unlike the others in the range.

It doesn't have quite the same chalky texture as the other bars, although slightly more than a normal bar of confectionary fudge, and does have a slightly chewy fudge feel. It has a slightly more crumbly feel than the others in the box, but as it's designed to be eaten after you've finished riding, I don't think this is a concern.

If you like fudge then I am confident you will like this. I found it very moreish – and worth putting in a big ride if this was the reward afterwards.

Value

All three of the energy bars cost £1.50 each, while the RecoverFudge bar is £2.50, so the taster box is more about convenience than cost saving. If you like the bars and want more then a box of 20 is £27 (£1.35 each), with the RecoverFudge £33 for a box of 15 (£2.20 each).

That makes the energy bars pretty good value in comparison with others. The RecoverFudge is more expensive either as a single bar or box of 15, although this is typical for protein bars compared to energy bars.

Torq Energy Bars are slightly smaller (45g) and deliver 32g of carbs, but cost £29.25 for a box of 15 (though the ingredients are organic), while OTE's Duo Bars are bigger (65g) but deliver a similar carbohydrate content (40g), and cost £2 each.

OTE Protein bars (David tested the OTE Milk Chocolate Peanut Protein Bar back in 2018) are also £2.50 (or £27 for a box of 12), though they're bigger than the Voom RecoverFudge at 62g.

Note: New customers of Voom can get a box for 'free' and just pay the shipping at £4.80.

Verdict

Tasty but not overpowering flavours, easy to open and with a texture that is easy to consume