The New LUNA Tea Cake: A Review

A long-time fan of the LUNA Bar, a women's nutrition granola bar, as well as the same company's LUNA Sunrise Bar, the yogurt breakfast bar, I was intrigued by LUNA's newest offering when I saw LUNA Tea Cakes on the grocery store shelf for the first time. My attention caught by the colorful packaging broadcasting the product's description as a USDA-certified organic tea-infused baked snack, I wasn't sure what exactly to make of it. Was it a granola bar? A cookie? Something in between? Curiosity piqued, I selected an Orange Blossom Tea Cake and proceeded to discover what this new LUNA invention is all about.

What is a LUNA Tea Cake?

A LUNA Tea Cake is a snack bar made with tea from The Republic of Tea in addition to dried fruit, whole grains, vitamins, minerals, and other organic products. Unlike the LUNA Bar and the Sunrise Bar, the Tea Cake is more reminiscent of a scone, packaged in two smaller pieces instead of one large bar. Intended by the folks at LUNA to be enjoyed as a snack with tea or coffee, the Tea Cakes are available in four flavors, each with its own unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants geared toward promoting a specific health benefit or component of female wellness. My Orange Blossom Tea Cake, for example, is intended to support healthy skin. Vanilla Macadamia focuses on mood balance, Mint Chocolate on heart health, and Berry Pomegranate enhances longevity.

Why a LUNA Tea Cake instead of a LUNA Bar or Sunrise Bar?

One of the first questions I had upon discovering this new LUNA product was -- why? What does the Tea Cake offer that the original LUNA Bar or Sunrise Bar do not? For one, the completely unique use of tea infusions and the resulting antioxidizing agents set the Tea Cakes apart. Also, given the specific health focuses of each flavor, the Tea Cakes seem to be more of a mind-and-body, holistic product while the LUNA Bar provides a general supplement in female nutrition, and the Sunrise Bar an emphasis on serving women's morning nutritional needs. The LUNA Tea Cakes are a lighter snack than both the original and Sunrise Bars, with fewer calories and lower fat content. At the same time, this less nutritionally dense product also provides less protein than its predecessors. My Orange Blossom Tea Cakes contained 130 calories, with 15 calories from fat (1.5 grams of fat, with 0.5 grams of saturated fat), as well as 220 mg of potassium, 140 mg of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Blossoming Impressions

From all appearances, the LUNA Tea Cake seemed to me to make a nutritionally sound snack, perhaps even best nibbled at along with a steaming mug of tea just as the LUNA advertising encourages. There was nothing else for it. I paired the Orange Blossom Tea Cake with my daily latte the following morning and removed the beautifully designed wrapper. My first vision of the Tea Cake left something to be desired. A small square of mish-mashed grains, dried fruits, and other organic ingredients decorated with yogurt swirls, it did not look all that appealing. Looks can deceive, however, so the less than pristine appearance of the Tea Cake did not lend any additional reservations. Without hesitation, I took my first bite.

My initial impression was that the LUNA Tea Cake was incredibly dense. Instead of being composed of mostly grains with a yogurt icing like its sisters, the LUNA Bar and the Sunrise Bar, the base of the Tea Cake is very reminiscent of dates. In fact, the bar even tasted mostly of dates rather than the Orange Blossom of its advertised flavor. It turns out that a major ingredient of the Tea Cake is fig, explaining both the texture and taste.

Although I not feel bothered by the densely packed consistency of the Tea Cake, the overt fig taste did not impress me. The Tea Cake didn't taste terrible, but I had trouble discerning very much, if any, orange flavors. I did detect a hint of the unique infusion of white tea, but it added little to the Tea Cake's all-around taste. In the end, while I did not find myself repulsed or disgusted by the Tea Cake, it was also not a particularly delicious encounter. I would recommend this bar to anyone who enjoys dried dates and figs.

The new LUNA Tea Cake is a fairly strong product. Its inclusion of antioxidizing teas make it stand out among the vast array of health and nutrition bars that are currently on the market. The most recent creation from the trusted LUNA name, the LUNA Tea Cake makes for an excellent and nutrient-packed snack without being weighed down with excessive calories or unhealthy fats. However, tea ingredients aside, I did not find much about the LUNA Tea Cake that makes it more appealing to me than its sister LUNA products. Due to the Tea Cake's unremarkable flavor, I would make the original LUNA Bar my primary choice over the LUNA Tea Cake any time.