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Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > LARABAR Pistachio and Key Lime Pie > Test Report by Kevin Hollingsworth

Lärabar Key Lime Pie And Pistachio
Test Series by Kevin Hollingsworth
May 23, 2008

LaraBar 

Initial Report (February 15, 2008)
Long Term Report (May 23, 2008)

 Tester Information:

Name: Kevin Hollingsworth
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Height: 6’ 1” (1.9 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email address: kholling55@yahoo.com
City, State, Country: Williamsburg, Virginia. USA

I started backpacking and camping when I was in the Scouts. I spent 20 years in the military, which curtailed my personal outdoors adventures. While day-hiking, I normally carry a light load, a waist pack with mostly food and water and a few other things. On three to four day trips, I will carry a pack weighing about 45 to 50 lb (21 to 23 kg). I prefer to hike in the mountains. I have been hiking in Colorado (USA), Korea, Egypt, and most recently the eastern part of the United States.


Initial Report - February 15, 2008

Product Information & Specifications:

Manufacturer:

Humm Foods, Inc

Year of Manufacture:

2008

URL:

www.larabar.com

Listed Specifications:

Weight:

1.6 oz (45 g)

Shelf Life:

1 Months

MSRP:

$27.00 USD (box of 16 bars)

Measured Specifications:

Weight :

2.0 oz (56 g)

Overall dimensions:

.63 x 1.4 x 3.2 in (15.9 x 35.1 x 80.0 mm)


Product Description:

The Lärabar is an energy bar that is made from raw fruit and nuts. According to Humm Foods, Inc, a Lärabar is a “blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices.”  They are made “100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than six ingredients.”

The bars come in a box containing 16 bars. Each bar is individually vacuumed wrapped in a foil-like wrapper. Printed on the wrapper are the product name, product description and ingredients, and nutrient facts.  It also list the company’s policy on it products. Printed on the edge of the wrapper is the expiration or “best by” date.

 According to the wrapper, each bar is equal to one serving of fruit on the USDA food guide.  The bars are also kosher and vegan “approved”. The bars are made from the following ingredients: Pistachio - dates, pistachios, and cashews; Key Lime Pie - dates, cashews, almonds, unsweetened coconut, lime juice concentrate.


Initial Impressions:
 
My initial impression of the bars was good.  The bars are shaped like a rectangle, with their edges pretty squared off. The bars feel solid and hold their shape pretty well. Even though the bars do feel quite dense, they are still soft and flexible. The bars are not sticky or do not feel really greasy to the touch. Although, when I press my finger into the bars, there is a slight oily residue left on my finger.

Pistachio key lime

When looking at the bars, the ingredients are clearly visible. Because of the dates and pistachios, I expected the pistachio flavored bar to be brown with a slight green tint.  This is exactly what it looks like. I also expected the key lime flavor to also be greenish brown color because of the name and one of the main ingredients is dates. But it actually was a very light brown color.  

As expected, the pistachio bars taste like dates with a slight pistachio flavor. The key lime pie flavored bar initially tasted like limes, but after a few seconds a coconut flavor came out. Both flavors tasted good, but I found that I liked the key lime better.

Conclusions:

I would like to thank both BackpackGearTest and Humm Foods, Inc for the opportunity to test the pistachio and key lime pie flavored Lärabars. This concludes my Initial Report. The Final Report will be added to this report in approximately three months. Please check back then for further information.

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Long Term Report - May 23, 2008

 Field Locations and Conditions:

Type of Trip:

Back Country Camping

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Location:

Shenandoah National Park

Distance (average per day):

7.5 mi (12.1 km)

8 mi (12.9 km)

5. 5 mi (8.8 km)

Total Pack Load:

45 lbs (20.4 kg)

25 lbs (11.3 kg)

45 lbs (20.4 kg)

Elevation:

3000 to 3700 ft (900 to 1128 m)

Weather Conditions:

Cloudy, with drizzle

Partly cloudy

Clear

Temperature Range (Day):

45 F (7 C)

60 F (15 C)

60 F (15 C)

Temperature Range (Night):

30 F (-1 C)

40 F (4 C)


Type of Trip:

Ski Trip

Location:

West Virginia

Length of Trip:

2 Day

Total Pack Load:

22 lbs (10.0 kg)

Elevation:

4900 ft (1500 m)

Weather Conditions:

Sunny with a slight breeze

Temperature Range (Day):

28 F (-2 C) increasing to 40 F (4 C)


Type of Trip:

Day Hiking

 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Location:

Local Hiking Area

Local Hiking Area

Local Hiking Area

Local Hiking Area

Local Hiking Area

Distance (average per day):

7 mi (11.2 km)

6 mi (9.7 km)

8 mi (12.9 km)

7 mi (11.2 km)

8 mi (12.9 km)

Total Pack Load:

15 lbs (6.8 kg)

10 lbs (4.5 kg)

15 lbs (6.8 kg)

15 lbs (6.8 kg)

13 lbs (5.9 kg)

Elevation:

Sea Level

Sea Level

Sea Level

Sea Level

Sea Level

Weather Conditions:

Clear

Clear

Clear

Clear

Clear

Temperature Range (Day):

60 F (15 C)

55 F (13 C)

65 F (18 C)

55 F (13 C)

60 F (15 C)


Performance in the Field:

In general, I liked the way both bars tasted. I found that the Pistachio bar tasted more like dates than pistachio. This is understandable, since the first ingredient of the bar is dates. The pistachio flavor does come out after a few seconds of chewing on the bars.  The Key Lime was by far my favorite of the two. It tasted like a cross of limes and coconuts. Both bars were sweet without being overbearing. I never got tired of either bar and found the taste of the bars refreshing during breaks.

I did find that during and after eating the bars, that I found myself wanting to drink something. The bars were not at all salty. The bars didn’t give me a real thirsty feeling or a bad after taste, but after eating them, I did find myself wanting to drink some water to wash them down with.

To see how the bars would react to the cold, I put the bars in the freezer, 9 F (-12 C), and refrigerator, 33 F (1 C). In both cases, the bars became harder, with the ones in the freezer becoming rock solid and pretty much inedible. After warming the bars up, around 30 min at approximately 60 F (16 C), the bars returned to their normal consistency, without any noticeable difference in taste or texture.

One purpose of the bars is to provide energy. I normally ate a bar mid-morning and maybe one mid-afternoon, and on my day hikes, I tried to eat one about an hour after I started.  On long days I needed to eat two bars in the afternoon, because one just would not do it for me. The bars did provide me with the extra energy I needed for a few hours of hiking between meals.

The bars were packaged in a foil like package. The package stayed airtight throughout, never ripping, rupturing or losing its seal.  The package was also very easy to open.

Summary:

Things I like:

  • Taste
  • Energy provided
  • Natural products used

 Things I don't like:

  • Nothing

 I would like to thank both BackpackGearTest.org and Humm Foods, Inc, for the opportunity to test the pistachio and key lime pie flavored Lärabars

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Read more gear reviews by Kevin Hollingsworth

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > LARABAR Pistachio and Key Lime Pie > Test Report by Kevin Hollingsworth



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