Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Review: Go Raw Cookies, Snax, Granola, Pumpkin Seeds, Bars and Chocolate

I contacted Go Raw and received a package from them a couple of weeks ago with some goodies to review. I was not expecting to get as much as I did and am very excited to share with you some of what Go Raw has to offer.

If you haven't heard of a Go Raw before, they are a company that specializes in making raw foods which means none of their products have been heated at a temperature above 118 degrees Fahrenheit in order to preserve all of the natural enzymes in the ingredients. Go Raw products are 100% organic, vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, sugar free, soy free, nut free and kosher. They produce all of their products in a raw-vegan, gluten-free, wheat free, nut free and dairy free food manufacturing facility located in Mountain View, CA. When I received an email from Go Raw they sent me the process in how they create their products:

Sortex:
We start with the highest quality confectionery grade 100% organic seeds
(local/fair trade when available) but even then there is still a chance
that impure seeds, rocks, glass and other foreign particles have slipped
into the mix.  Our State of the art Sorting machine determines the purity
of our seeds with exceptional accuracy within a split second. On the basis
of color, shape or other optical properties, defective items and foreign
material are identified and separated from the product stream. Leaving
only the best seeds to make their way to the next step.

X-Ray Machine:
We have implemented an X-Ray machine to scan for any foreign particles
that may have tried to sneak in. We want our final product to be of the
upmost highest quality possible and are taking every precaution to achieve
this. This X-Ray machine has been approved by our Organic Certifiers and
is completely safe.

Washing of the Seeds:
Washing of the seeds is taken very seriously here. Seeds are from the
ground thus very dirty. We want to ensure that they are completely clean,
so we have a special seed washing machine that thoroughly washes them 3
times in purified water.

Sprouting: While all raw foods contain enzymes, sprouts are the most
enzyme dense food on the planet. The most rapid part of growth of a plant
is during its initial stages as a sprout, dehydrating the seeds at this
stage of their cycle preserves this precious state and passes along these
vital enzymes.

Mixing:
Once our seeds have been sorted, washed, and sprouted, we mix in the other
Organic ingredients.

Hand Spread Products:
Products are shown with the utmost respect and carefully spread out onto
trays by hand.

Custom Dehydration System:
We were unable to find a dehydration system that lived up to our standards
so we custom designed our own. Our Dehydration system is fully regulated
and controlled to maintain the proper humidity, temperature and water
activity levels to achieve a superior product. Our Dehydration system
maintains an average temperature of 97 degrees, ensuring that our sprouted
seeds are still alive and well. If you plant them they will grow!

Packaging:
All of our products are packaged in house by our dedicated staff.

Refrigerated Storage:
All of our ingredients and finished products are kept in refrigerated
storage to ensure the highest level of quality is maintained.


The first products I tried were the cookies, chips and snax. I received lemon, masala chai, carrot cake, ginger snap, super chips, spicy and pizza flax snax. One thing all of these had in common were how fresh they tasted right out of the bag, I have never eaten a packaged food that tasted as fresh as these.

Lemon Super Cookies: This one was one of my favorites, the lemon taste was so strong and tasty I kept reaching in the bag for more! The lemon oil that it contains gives it a burst of flavor in each bite.

Masala Chai Super Cookies: I have never tasted chai tea before but my mom who is a chai tea fanatic said these reminded her of a cup of chai tea in a crunchy cookie form. It had a nice spiciness to it with a coconut undertone.

Carrot Cake: These had a nice subtle sweetness with spice from the nutmeg but I wish it had some cinnamon in it to give it more of a flavor.

Ginger Snap: Anyone who has dealt with gi problems knows ginger is a big thing to have to help nausea. I am a ginger addict, I have ginger candy, chews, tea, mints and have even made my own gingerbread biscotti to nibble on, on those difficult days. I was most excited to try this flavor and it didn't let me down. It has a strong ginger flavor and tasted like a healthier much better ginger snap cookie. Eating a few of these has helped settle my stomach.

Spirulina Super Chips: This was my second favorite flavor out of the bunch. It has a strong banana flavor that pairs nicely with the coconut that it also contains.





Spicy Flax Snax: I was unable to try these because I'm sensitive to spice so I gave them to my parents to try and they said they were crunchy, savory, salty with a nice amount of spice in each bite. They especially enjoyed the flavor of the lime juice and cilantro.

Pizza Flax Snax: Similar to the spicy flax snax I was unable to try these so again I gave them to my parents who said it smelled exactly like pizza and had the same flavor of it as well. The oregano and tomato powder really stood out in each bite.


 Original Granola: When I first saw the bag of granola I expected it to have honey or agave as most typical granolas have so I was really surprised to see that it had neither and was naturally sweetened with dates and raisins. I wasn't expecting it to taste very good since it didn't have any sweetener but I was pleasantly surprised that it had a sweet taste in each bite and had a nutty taste to it even though it is nut free. I eat this mixed in with my cereal or oatmeal, yogurt with fruit or just plain. It makes a great filling breakfast or snack.

Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds: These pumpkin seeds are crunchy, salty and addicting! I love pumpkin seeds and these had a distinct taste to it due to the celtic sea salt. I made raw pumpkin seed butter with these in my food processor and also ate them as a snack by the handful.


 Live Pumpkin Bar: This was one of my favorites, it was sweet and salty with a nutty taste of the pumpkin seeds. Just like the other bars it had a firm touch to it and it was thin but it was chewy. The ingredients were also visible to the eye so you know exactly what you're eating.

Apricot Bar: This was sweet, sticky and had a strong taste of apricot.

Live Granola Bar: This is very similar to the granola except in a portable form. It had a subtle sweet flavor that went well with the nutty taste of the granola.

Banana Bread Flax Bar: I love bananas! This was my favorite bar and it reminded me of a chewy, nutty slice of banana bread. It had a great sweet taste of banana that went well with the flax.

Spirulina Energy Bar: This tasted exactly like the spirulina super chips, if you don't like the overpowering taste of banana you'll enjoy this better than the banana bread one because it tastes very similar but the banana is more subtle.



Oh chocolate! Yum! My favorite part of the package. This chocolate only contains two ingredients, cacao and agave nectar. I tried this along with my family and the first thing that they said was "this is real chocolate!", unlike the super processed chocolates such as Hershey's this has a true chocolate taste from the cacao. It sweetness wasn't overpowering and just one piece satisfied me. If you're used to eating Hershey's or other chocolate that has a ton of sugar this might not excite your taste buds at first.

Overall I would highly recommend Go Raw Products. They produce fresh, superior and raw foods that everyone in the family can enjoy. If you visit their website you will find more products that I didn't review and you will be sure to find something you like.


*I did not pay for these products and it was sent to me for review purposes. This review is strictly my opinion and I was not paid or influenced in any way.