Tuesday 7 July 2015

Rawcha

Out of the blue, an old uni friend and I recently got back in contact for a catch-up chat. We'd gone our separate ways 4 years ago so had a lot to talk about. Turns out the dark horse had only gone and set up his own business. Impressive stuff! I'd seen things posted about it on Facebook and Twitter but had no idea it was his own doing. After finding out more about the aptly named Pretty Smart Food Company, I was intrigued to sample some of the products for myself. 

With the philosophy "Pure, Mindful Eating", the Pretty Smart Food Company pride themselves on the fact that all their products are free from gluten, wheat, dairy, grains, GMO and soy. Not only this, they are totally organic, vegan and, as the name suggests, raw too. Now... I get it. On paper, this may make you want to run and get your hands on the nearest Mars bar but, having tried them myself, I would strongly encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone. 


Introducing: Rawcha. These healthy little bars are based on the use of Japanese Matcha Green Tea, an ingredient with a ridiculous concentration of antioxidants in. Green tea is often attributed to it's ability to boost metabolism and increase energy so, if you like the sound of that but aren't a fan of drinking the green stuff, then you should definitely give Rawcha a try!

I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of samples: Cacao Bliss and Acai Goji. There is also a Citrus Zen flavour available. To avoid being totally biased, I gave them to a couple of all-too-willing friends in order to get their feedback as well.

First up, the Acai Goji flavour. As with all the Rawcha products, the ingredients label is a breath of fresh air. You may not have necessarily heard of some of the ingredients, but the point is that they are pure, unadulterated, unprocessed and natural - quite hard to come by these days! Both acai berries and goji berries have had a surge in popularity in the past few years, often being referred to as a new "superfood". Both are credited for their antioxidant properties and acai berries are commonly linked to weight-loss diets (I'll leave it up to you whether you buy into that or not...). Either way, with a zingy taste, they make this Rawcha bar almost citrusy in flavour and pleasing on the eye thanks to the vibrant colour of the goji berries. This bar is quite similar to the energy bars I made last year in that they are sticky due to being berry based (and having no cereal content) but are also deliciously sweet. The raisins and dates in this more than make up for having no added sugar. It was an even split in popularity between the two bars. Some liked this for the gooey texture and tangy taste. I, on the other hand....




...am all about the Cacao Bliss. For saying I'm not a huge chocolate fan, I was fully expecting to prefer the fruit based bar. But I fell in love with this one instantly. Again, the ingredients list is so easy to read, with no chemistry books required to figure out what everything is. As you can probably guess from the name, cacao is chocolate in it's rawest form. With practically no processing, cacao is high in antioxidants but also thought to be one of the highest sources of magnesium available to the human diet. Perhaps it is the lack of 
processing and therefore lack of sugar that appeals to me as you get the chocolatey flavour without the sickly sweetness. Lovers of dark chocolate will be a fan of this, I'm sure. With the addition of chia seeds, coconut oil and, of course, matcha green tea, this is one chocolate bar I can quite happily sink my teeth into. 












Currently based down in Brighton, the Pretty Smart Food Company have gained a lot of local recognition and can be found in 10 different stores across the area and even one in Hackney (see website for details). Not only this, but Rawcha bars were part of the May edition of LifeBox which I recently reviewed.

So keep your eye out for the Pretty Smart Food Company. I'm sensing big things for them. Just don't forget us little ones when you get to the top!

Nic
 X

No comments:

Post a Comment