With the hydration drink battle heating up, Clif has reconfigured and relaunched its line of electrolyte drinks, with a focus on lower carbohydrates and better fluid absorption.
The California company also has a new Sierra Trail Mix Clif Bar out, with a seasonal Pecan Pie flavor on the way in September. A new Recovery drink uses both whey and milk proteins, with the target of a delicious taste you'd want regardless of the physiological benefits.
In replacing the old Clif Shot Electrolyte, the company is moving to a formula similar to that of Osmo or Skratch. "Our old formula is based on old science with an 8 percent carbohydrate solution," said Clif Shot brand manager Chris Randall. "That mix gives you energy and hydrates you, but not as well as our new formula, which is 4 percent carbohydrate. That provides some energy, but primarily it assists in the absorption of fluid."
Clif isn't about to walk away from the drink mix game
The new Clif Shot Electrolyte Hydration comes in Cranberry Razz and Lemon/Limeade, both of which are 90 percent organic and very lightly flavored.
Available in the US in early August, the drink mix will be $19.99 for a big pouch and $1.99 for a single serving. It is not currently set for UK distribution.
The new hydration drink mixes are lighter in taste and carbohydrate than the previous generation
The new Clif Shot Protein Recovery drink has 10g of protein in an 8oz serving. It uses both whey protein isolate and milk protein, as the two digest at different rates. The flavors are Orange/Mango and Chocolate. "We wanted to make them truly delicious – something you feel like you're rewarding yourself with after you've just done intervals or a long hot ride," Randall said.
The big pouch will be $24.99 and single servings will be $3.29. Clif will only sell the drinks to specialty retailers for the first year, Randall said.
On the energy bar front, the GORP-inspired Sierra Trail Mix is out now with a suggested price of $1.39. In a first for Clif, it is made with "Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa", meaning the farmers involved are treated fairly, paid a living wage and farm under environmentally friendly conditions.
Peanuts, chocolate, raisins, oats and more in the new Sierra Trail Mix
Finally, there is a new $2.69 Builder's Max bar, which features 30g of protein from whey, milk and soy. The current Builder's protein bar has 20g of soy protein, and the snack size has 10g.
Builder's Max packs 30g of protein into each bar
