Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Clif Bar > Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar > Owner Review by Ray Estrella

Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars
By Raymond Estrella

TESTER INFORMATION

I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over California, plus many western states and Minnesota. I hike year-round in all weather, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. I make a point of using lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. Doubting I can ever be truly UL, I try to be as near to it as I can yet still be comfortable. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring/chilling. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually with brother-in-law Dave.

The Product

Manufacturer: Clif Bar & Company
Web site: www.clifbar.com
Product: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars
Year manufactured: 2009/10
MSRP: N/A
Rough size (out of package, not uniform): 3.5 x 2.2 x 0.6 in (8.9 x 5.6 x 1.5 mm)
Weight listed: 2.4 oz (68 g) Verified accurate (out of package)

Product Description

The Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar is an all-natural energy bar that boasts 70% organic ingredients. One of the newest flavors in a large line of bars, the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar looks like a granola bar with white chocolate chips that has been drizzled with white chocolate.

The bar is quite moist and stays together well, not crumbling or breaking in the package. The texture is very chewy. They are slightly sticky and will leave some residue on my fingers if I handle them bare-handed, something I try to avoid with any food while hiking.

Here are the ingredients listed: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Soy White Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Cocoa Butter, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Macadamia Nuts, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Macadamia Nuts, Organic Date Paste, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.

Here is the nutritional information from the Clif Bar web site.

Field Data

I have used the Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars on at least 12 multi-day backpacking trips and about 8 day-hikes over a 14 month span. I have had them as far north as the Lake Tahoe area and as far south as the California/Mexican border.

They have been consumed in temps from well below freezing to over 100 F (38 C) and at elevations ranging from near sea-level to 13,000 ft (3960 m).

Most were eaten in the state of California but a couple went with me to Minnesota too.

Observations

I first saw the Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars at a farmer's market/health food store that I frequent. The Clif bars were all on sale, and while I normally take another brand of bars hiking I like to toss in the occasional other bar to keep things fresh. The White Chocolate Macadamia Nut was a new flavor to me and since white chocolate Macadamia nut cookies are my favorite cookie I decided to pick up a couple along with my regular favorites.

Well after the first try the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar became my new favorite Clif Bar flavor. I went back while the sale was still on and picked up ten more. The cashier asked me if I really like them or something. Well, duh…

All told I have purchased 26 of this flavor over the past 14 months.

They are quite moist and are very easy to chew. The flavor is not so much like a white chocolate Macadamia nut cookie as it is like the cookie dough. They are pretty sweet though, and as I do not have that much of a sweet tooth I never bring more than one bar per day on backpacking trips, and always have it at mid day, not the morning. (I usually eat four bars of some type per day, two in the morning and two during the day.)

In the summer they do not get mushy in high temps. But in the winter they do get pretty stiff when frozen. In the winter I put one in my pocket to thaw it a couple hours before I need to eat it. I started doing this after spending a tough 30 minutes trying to gnaw one while hiking through the snow on one trip.

They are quite filling. I really like the wholesome ingredients they are made of. I have pretty much stopped eating any of the "candy bar" type bars out there and want one that is more health minded. These fit the bill nicely.

I really like to find food that gives the most bang-for-the-buck. Not as in cost conscious, but weight to calorie ratios. Here the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar is just OK when compared to other bars I use, and better than many I have used and then passed on. The White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar has a ratio of 100 calories per ounce (29 g) of weight. Its fat ratio is fairly low and its carbs high, another reason I like to have it at mid-day instead of in the morning.

Looking back as I write this I realize that since I found the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar I have purchased maybe four Clif bars of another flavor. I guess they got me hooked.

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Clif Bar > Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar > Owner Review by Ray Estrella