Honey Stinger Energy Bars Test Report by Andrew Henrichs

Biographical Information

Name: Andy Henrichs
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 6’ 2” (1.88 m)
Weight: 185 lb (83.9 kg)

Email address: a_henrichs@yahoo.com
City, State, Country: Carbondale, Colorado, USA

Backpacking Background

Most of my backpacking has been in the mountains of Colorado and the deserts in the southwestern US. I’ve gone winter camping several times, but I still prefer backpacking in the warmer months. Most of my trips are 2-3 days, but I have taken several trips of 5-6 days. In the summer of 2004, I was fortunate enough to have thru-hiked the 476 mile Colorado Trail over 35 days. Recently, I have been leaning towards the lightweight side of the spectrum.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Honey Stinger, Inc. (www.honeystinger.com)

Year of Manufacture: 2007

Energy Bar MSRP: $1.69 US

Protein Bar MSRP: $2.25 US

Manufacturers Listed Weights

Energy Bars (all flavors): 1.75 oz (50 g)

Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro Protein Bars: 3.2 oz (90 g)

Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Pro Protein Bars: 3.0 oz (86 g)

Peanut Butta Pro Protein Bars: 2.85 oz (81 g)

Testers Measured Weights

Energy Bars (all flavors): 1.75 oz (50 g)

Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro Protein Bars: 3.25 oz (92 g)

Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Pro Protein Bars: 3.0 oz (86 g)

Peanut Butta Pro Protein Bars: 2.9 oz (82 g)

According to the manufacturer, Honey Stinger Energy Bars “are made with over 30% honey, 20% of the daily recommended allowance of protein, 23 vitamins and minerals, calcium, antioxidants, natural flavors and all the benefits of our energy gel.” The Energy Bars come in four different flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Berry Banana Buzz, Rocket Chocolate, and Peanut Butter ‘n Honey. The following is the nutritional breakdown of the Energy Bars.

Calories	180		Calories	180
Fat Calories	30 g		Fat Calories	30 g
Total Fat	3 g	5%	Total Fat	3.5 g	5%
Saturated Fat	1.5 g	8%	Saturated Fat	1.5 g	8%
Trans Fat	0 g		Monounsaturated Fat	1 g
Monounsaturated Fat	0.5 g		Sodium	160 mg	7%
Sodium	160 mg	7%	Potassium	150 mg	4%
Potassium	130 mg	4%	Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%	Total Carbs	28 g	9%
Total Carbs	28 g	9%	Fiber	2 g	6%
Fiber	1 g	6%	Insol Fiber	1 g
Sugars	20 g		Sugars	20 g
Other Carbs	7 g		Other Carbs	7 g
Protein	10 g	20%	Protein	10 g	20%

Calories	190		Calories	190
Fat Calories	40 g		Fat Calories	50 g
Total Fat	4.5 g	7%	Total Fat	5 g	8%
Saturated Fat	2.5 g	12%	Saturated Fat	2 g	10%
Monounsaturated Fat	1.5 g		Monounsaturated Fat	2 g
Sodium	170 mg	7%	Sodium	140 mg	6%
Potassium	160 mg	5%	Potassium	170 mg	5%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%	Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Total Carbs	28 g	9%	Total Carbs	27 g	9%
Fiber	2 g	7%	Fiber	2 g	8%
Insol Fiber	1 g		Insol Fiber	1 g
Sugars	18 g		Sugars	17 g
Other Carbs	7 g		Other Carbs	10 g
Protein	10 g	20%	Protein	10 g	20%

Also according to the manufacturer, Honey Stinger Protein Bars “are gluten free and contain no trans fats. Our protein bar is truly unique as we include over 30% USDA certified organic honey, 20 grams of whey protein - 20% of the daily recommended allowance, 23 vitamins and minerals, calcium and antioxidants.” The Protein Bars come in three different flavors: Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro, Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Pro, and Peanut Butta Pro Bar. The following is the nutritional breakdown of the Protein Bars.

Calories	390		Calories	390
Fat Calories	150 g		Fat Calories	180 g
Total Fat	17 g	26%	Total Fat	20 g	30%
Saturated Fat	6 g	30%	Saturated Fat	9 g	44%
Trans Fat	0 g		Trans Fat	0 g
Monounsaturated Fat	9 g		Monounsaturated Fat	9 g
Sodium	55 mg	2%	Sodium	55 mg	2%
Potassium	170 mg	5%	Potassium	190 mg	5%
Cholesterol	10 mg	3%	Cholesterol	10 mg	3%
Total Carbs	41 g	14%	Total Carbs	36 g	12%
Fiber	3 g	14%	Fiber	3 g	13%
Sugars	35 g		Sugars	30 g
Other Carbs	3 g		Other Carbs	3 g
Protein	20 g	41%	Protein	20 g	39%

Calories	350
Fat Calories	140 g
Total Fat	15 g	24%
Saturated Fat	6 g	30%
Trans Fat	0 g
Monounsaturated Fat	7 g
Sodium	160 mg	7%
Potassium	230 mg	7%
Cholesterol	10 mg	3%
Total Carbs	36 g	12%
Fiber	2 g	7%
Sugars	33 g
Other Carbs	1 g
Protein	20 g	40%

First off, I haven't tried any of the bars yet. I'm saving them for the backcountry when I'll truly need energy. Because of this, I don't have much to say about the bars yet. The bars feel fairly firm, but have a slight "give" to them. I'm a big fan of chewy energy bars, so this is a plus for me right off the bat. Based on the nutrition information on the packages, they pack quite a bit more energy than the generic granola bars that I typically eat on trips. Based on the nutrition labels, I like the breakdown of these bars. I try to get approximately 60% of my energy from carbohydrates, and the Energy Bars provide that. The Protein Bars provide a smaller percentage of carbs, but that's to be expected with a true protein bar. I'm looking forward to getting out in the backcountry taste testing these bars over the next few months.

My testing took place on the Western Slope of Colorado as well as in southeastern Utah. Elevations ranged from 4500 ft (1400 m) to just over 14,000 ft (4300 m). My trip locales ranged from alpine tundra to pine and aspen forests to desert slot canyons. I ate these bars while backcountry skiing, hiking, canyoneering, and mountain biking. My ski tours ranged from 4 to 20 miles (6 to 32 km). My hikes ranged from 8 to 16 miles (13 to 26 km), and my cycling trips ranged from 20 to 50 miles (32 to 80 km). Temperatures on these trips ranged from lows of 0° F (-18° C) to highs of 80° F (27° C). On my travels, I encountered a variety of weather, including sun, clouds, snow, and strong winds.

I like these bars a lot. They have become my new favorite energy and protein bars. First, the energy bars. All of these bars are fairly dense. They also pack more of a calorie punch than my typical 90-calorie snack bar. My favorite flavor was Peanut Butter 'n Honey. I thought this bar had the strongest honey flavor to it. It tasted more like a candy bar than an energy bar. My second favorite flavor was Berry Banana Buzz. This bar also had a strong honey taste, but it tasted less like a candy bar. The "yogurty soy coated bottom" added quite a bit of sweetness, but it never seemed too sweet. The Apple Cinnamon flavor was my third favorite. It tasted the least candy bar-like. It had a very strong cinnamon taste with a hint of honey. It seemed a little more "grainy" than some of the other bars, but the variety was very appealing. The Rocket Chocolate seemed to be the most candy-bar like. It has a very strong chocolate taste, and I found it had the least honey taste to it. It was my fourth favorite Honey Stinger energy bar, but still ranked among my most favorite energy bars overall. These energy bars have roughly twice the calories of my typical snack bars. Under most circumstances, I can eat an entire Honey Stinger energy bar and feel just fine. The only exception seems to be when I'm nearing maximal exertion. When I ate an entire energy bar in this circumstance, it was just too much for my stomach. Eating 1/3 to 1/2 of a bar has seemed like a good amount when I've been near maximal exertion.

Now on to the protein bars. These are also very dense bars. They have three to four times more calories than my typical snack bar. This became very apparent the first time I ate one. I was skinning up a ridge, stopped midway for a break, and chose a Peanut Butta Pro Protein Bar. I ate the whole things, drank some water and started back up the ridge. Before long, I was miserable. My stomach just wasn't used to having so much to digest while active. I quickly learned that I only need to eat half if I will be active immediately after consuming the bar. My favorite protein bar is the Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro. It (understandably) has a very "chocolate covered cherry" taste to it. My second favorite protein bar was the Peanut Butta Pro. This bar is very candy bar-like. It had the most honey taste of the protein bars. My third favorite bar was the Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Pro. This bar had a definite honey taste with a slight coconut flavor. I couldn't taste much almond in the bar. I was actually a little nervous about this bar, as I don't care for coconut too much. This was just the right amount of coconut for me. It was there, but not too overpowering.

Again, these are delicious bars. Both the energy and protein bars are quite dense, physically as well as calorically. I found that it's best for me to consume the energy bars while I'm active and consume the protein bars after activity. This way I get the caloric and nutritional benefits of the bars without overworking my blood-deprived stomach during exercise. I was very impressed by the durability of these bars. They never seemed to get crushed in my pack. They also seemed fairly resilient to temperature. Despite eating the bars in very cold temperatures, I never had a bar freeze on me. Likewise, I never had a bar melt on warm weather. They actually remained in a fairly consistent state despite the temperature. I liked the taste of all the bars. While I had some favorites, I found that switching flavors prevented me from overindulging and therefore getting burnt out on a certain flavor. I will definitely consume Honey Stinger energy and protein bars in the future.

Thank you to Honey Stinger, Inc. and BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the opportunity to test these energy and protein bars.

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Honey Stinger Energy Bars > Test Report by Andrew Henrichs

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Honey Stinger Energy Bars > Test Report by Andrew Henrichs