NEW! Warrior Crunch Salted Caramel Bar (CNSport)

A few weeks ago I was in my favourite sports nutrition shop, CNSport, talking to owner Conor who told me about a new bar that I had to try. He said that it was the best bar he'd ever tried -given his job, he knows what he's talking about- and gave me a couple to review. Salted caramel sounded good to me, and although I had never heard of Warrior before, I was more than happy to give it a go. Lo and behold, within a few days the bar started popping up all over instagram, with plenty of positive comments. Shall we see what the fuss is about? Oh go on then...

"Warrior CRUNCH bars are the result of over 12 months of research and development, working 24 hour days to blend a high protein, low carb, healthy nutritional profile into something that gives you the true "candy bar" experience. 

CRUNCH bars are packed with 20 grams of healthy protein, encased in a layer of gorgeously gooey caramel, and wrapped in delicious chocolate."

At 64g, they're a good size bar with a low sugar content. Macro-wise they stand at:
Fat - 11g/ of which saturates - 6.1g
Carbohydrates - 24g/ of which sugars - 2.3g/ of which polyols - 20g
Protein - 20g

But lets be honest, the taste needs to be good in the ever-evolving world of protein bars! 

It looked like a standard chocolate bar, although the caramel had escaped through the bottom and seeped everywhere. I'm glad I was eating the Warrior Crunch bar at home, it would have made a right mess otherwise.

Cutting into the bar revealed the distinctive tiers of filling. Don't they look good?

It tasted damn good too. In fact I'd liken it to a Toffee Crisp! Warrior have you really unwrapped the iconic chocolate bar and repackaged it with your branding? The caramel was as gooey as my sticky hands suggested, with a good salinity to it. The chocolate casing was also fairly good too, and whilst it might not be up to Cote D'or's standards, it certainly hit the spot. The crisps that studded the outside were plentiful and added the promised crunch. As for the central protein nougat, it was chewy but soft enough to avoid the dreaded jaw-ache. 

But, could and would the bar be improved by a short blast in the microwave?

I hope that answers your question. Of course it was. If you've ever microwaved a Carb Killa (and if you haven't, why on earth not?) then you'll know what to expect. The bar becomes more like a dessert than a sports supplement -and please, lets not forget that's what this is.

Warrior, I salute you.

9/10

Thank you to Conor for the samples!

Oatein Brownies (CNSport)

I'm very fortunate, our tiny little city may miss out on many good shops, but what we lack in doughnut outlets (ahem Krispy Kreme) we make up for in Sports Nutrition. Hereford hides a little gem within its central Buttermarket and that, ladies and gentlemen, is CNSport. Owned and managed by Conor, it's a tiny but extremely well stocked haven of every feasible nutrition product. That's not even the best bit though. Really it's not. Instead the company's best asset is Conor and Dan who run the shop. I remember the first time I paid a visit, new to working out and not sure where to start, but being instantly welcomed by the duo. Conor is not only passionate about Sport but his ethos revolves around giving his customers the best service experience. As such he is happy to offer genuine advice. Isn't that all but lost in this digital age? To boot he'll always price match wherever possible too. Does it get any better? CNSport will also deliver, so it's not just Herefordians who can benefit - so please do pop on over to their Facebook and say hello.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well it was during a recent visit to the shop that Conor gave me a couple of Oatein's new brownies to review. I hadn't tried any of Oatein's products before but had read many a good comment on Instagram about their flapjacks. I've really got into making my own protein cakes recently, so I was looking forward to finding out how Oatein's brownies would taste.

Both the white chocolate chip and double chocolate chip brownies weigh 60g and contain 17g of protein, coming in at just under 255 kCals. Not too bad for a protein treat. 

White Chocolate

The square shaped bar was loaded with a decent amount of large white chocolate chunks and smelt inviting. Forgive me for being pernickety but shouldn't it be called a blondie seeing as the 'cake' itself isn't chocolatey? The packet shows the brownie with ice cream, and that sounded good to me, so I heated it slightly in the microwave and served it with Jude's new Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt. 

Ooh I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was met with a deliciously sweet flapjack-brownie hybrid. The oat flavour was prominent and well matched with the white chocolate. Texturally it was dense and moist like a brownie; can you tell I loved it? There was no horrid whey grittiness either. I could've quite happily enjoyed this cool and on the go (I nibbled the corner before serving) but it was scumdiddlyumptious warm.

Macros per brownie: kCal 254 P:17/C26.5/F8.6


9/10

Double Chocolate Chip

Given the success of the brownie & ice cream combo I thought I'd repeat it with the double chocolate flavour - this time pairing it with Oppo's Mint Chocolate Swirl.

Again the oaty flavour was strong and sweet, but the chocolate wasn't as dominant as I'd have liked. For some reason it was overshadowed by the oats. This brownie wasn't as moist either, and I was grateful for the ice cream alongside. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I did, but Oatein haven't quite nailed this flavour to the same effect that they have the white chocolate version.

Macros per brownie: kCal 248 P: 17/ C 24.2/ F8.5

7/10

I'd definitely have the white chocolate version again, but probably wouldn't bother with the double chocolate chip. Oatein have stirred my interest though, and I'm eager to know how their cookies and flapjacks compare. Are any of you Oatein fans? Is there any of their products that I simply have to try? Leave me a comment below or via Instagram/Twitter and let me know!

Thank you Conor for the samples.