ASTISANA SUPERFOODS NUT BUTTERS
TEST SERIES BY KARA STANLEY
LONG-TERM REPORT
September 08, 2013
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME:
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Kara Stanley
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EMAIL:
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karguo (at) yahoo (dot) com
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AGE:
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30
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LOCATION:
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Phoenix, Arizona
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GENDER:
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F
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HEIGHT:
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5' 10" (1.78 m)
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WEIGHT:
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175 lb (79.40 kg)
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I have been hiking most of my life and backpacking since 2006. I have hiked mostly on the east coast, doing weekend trips in the Appalachian Mountains. Since moving to Arizona, my hikes have ranged from short desert hikes to overnight backpacking trips in the mountains. Recently I have taken up canyoneering and off-trail hiking/backpacking to spice things up. I currently use a solo non-free standing tent, canister stove, purification tabs, and lightweight trail runners, conditions permitting, to cut down on weight. My hikes are solo and range from an overnight trip to 4-5 nights on the trail.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Artisana Year of Manufacture: 2013 Manufacturer's Website: http://artisanafoods.com/ MSRP: None Listed Listed Weight: 0.5 oz (14.2 g) Measured Weight: 0.5 oz (14 g) Other details: All flavors are vegan, kosher, and organic
Each package has the following on it: "Made on machinery that processes tree nuts, but the facility is free from peanuts, gluten, dairy, and soy.
All superfood nut butters are a product of California, USA.
Blue Algae Nut Butter
Ingredients: Raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw blue algae, raw organic agave and organic lemon oil
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size - One Package Calories: 70 Total Fat: 5 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 4 mg Total Carbohydrates 4 g Protein: 3 g
Goji & Milk Thistle Nut Butter
Ingredients: Raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw organic goji berry powder, raw organic agave, raw organic milk thistle, raw organic vanilla powder
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size - One Package Calories: 58 Total Fat: 4 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 1 mg Total Carbohydrates 5 g Protein: 2 g
Acai Berry Nut Butter
Ingredients: Raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw organic acai powder, raw organic elderberry powder, raw organic agave, raw organic vanilla powder, raw organic stevia and sea salt
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size - One Package Calories: 106 Total Fat: 5 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 19 mg Total Carbohydrates 14 g Protein: 2 g
Berry AntiOxidant Nut Butter
Ingredients: Raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw organic goji berry powder, raw organic elderberry powder, raw organic agave and raw organic stevia
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size - One Package Calories: 96 Total Fat: 5 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 1 mg Total Carbohydrates 5 g Protein: 2 g
Marine Phytoplankton
Ingredients: Raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw phytoplankton, organic lemon oil, raw organic stevia and sea salt
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size - One Package Calories: 75 Total Fat: 6 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 35 mg Total Carbohydrates 4 g Protein: 3 g
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The superfoods nut butter flavors are intriguing and I can't wait to try them out. I eat a vegan diet, so I am always excited to have a new source of vegan protein to try out.
The packages have directions to "Knead it, Squeeze it, Enjoy!" While I did not enjoy a package (I'm waiting until I can hit the trail with them), I kneaded the package to test its strength and durability. The package seems sturdy and while I was initially worried about the package popping if I kneaded it too hard, it stood up to my rough kneading and I am no longer worried about it popping open.
TESTING STRATEGY
I usually take peanut butter or other nut butters with me to eat on apples, bread, or crackers for breakfast or a trail lunch, so I plan to take the superfoods butters with me in place of other nut butters. Also, I plan on trying a one or two directly from packet to see how they taste on their own.
SUMMARY
Overall these superfood nut butters sound tasty. Also their packaging seems sturdy and able to hold up to the rigors of being carried in a backpack.
Check back in about four months so see how the product did on the trail.
Thanks to Premier Organics, LCC, Inc. and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to take part in this test series. I can't wait to take these superfood nut butters on the trail!
LONG-TERM REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Grand Canyon, Arizona April 5-7, 2013 Distance: 18 miles/29 km Elevation at trailhead: 2,260 ft to 7,260 ft (689 m to 2,213 m) Weather: Sunny Temperatures: Highs 80 F/27 C Lows 50 F/10 C
Havasupai, Arizona April 25-27, 2013 Distance: 20 miles/32 km Elevation: 3,862 ft to 5,172 ft (1,177m to 1,576 m) Weather: Sunny Temperatures: Highs in the 80's F/27 C Lows in the 50's F/10 C
Havasupai, Arizona June 13-16, 2013 Distance: 20 miles/32 km Elevation: 3,862 ft/1,177m to 5,172 ft/1,576 m Weather: Sunny and hot! Temperatures: Highs around 100 F/38 C Lows around 75 F/24 C
Humphreys Peak, Arizona August 17 Distance: 21 miles/33.8 km Elevation: 8,024 ft/2,446 m to 12,637 ft/3,210 m Weather: Overcast, with thunderstorms, hail, and pouring rain at times. Temperatures: in the 50's F/10 C and 60's F/15 C
Ceredigion Coast Path, Wales, UK August 28-30 Distance: 38 miles/61 km Elevation: 0 ft /0 m to ~1,000 ft / 305 m Temperatures: High in the low 70s F/21 C to with lows around 45 F/7 C Weather: Sunny, cloudy, and misty rain depending on the day.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I usually take nut butters with me backpacking and hiking, so for this test I just tossed in a few packets of the Artisana nut butters. During this test, I ate them on apples, bread, and just right out of the packet. They were runnier in texture then most nut butter packages I've had in the past.
Overall Impression of the nut butters
Overall I found them to have a very oily mouth-taste, possibly from the added almond oil that each flavor contained. I am not a fan of the taste of stevia and I could taste it in the flavors containing it, Berry AntiOxidant, Marine Phytoplankton, and Acai Berry. My favorite flavor was the Goji and Milk Thistle, probably due to the lack of stevia.
I think that the most memorable of the flavors I tried was the Marine Phytoplankton. I ate this directly from the packet on a 21 mile day hike. I found it to be very salty, possibly from the phytoplankton. The portion is small and only provided 75 calories, so I found myself hungry shortly after consuming the packet. I was not a fan of this flavor, it was very salty to me and I just didn't really enjoy the taste.
The berry flavored packets are purplish in color and the phytoplankton and blue algae are more of a green-blue color. I did find it a bit strange to be eating greenish colored nut butter.
I found the packets to be durable; none of them exploded or sprung a leak during the testing period. This included being packed in checked baggage and flown overseas.
SUMMARY
While I like the concept on raw foods, I probably won't be purchasing these packets in the future as I was not a fan of the flavors or mouth-feel. However, if you are looking for a raw food to take on your next trip, these may be worth trying.
This completed my testing of the Artisana Nut Butters. Thank you to Premier Organics LCC and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to test out their nut butters.
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
Read more gear reviews by Kara Stanley
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