Clif Bar - Blueberry
Crisp Bar
TEST SERIES BY KEVIN
HOLLINGSWORTH
June 15, 2007
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Tester
Information
Name:
Kevin Hollingsworth
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Height: 6’ 1” (1.9 m)
Weight: 195 lb (88 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, with 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, Korea, Egypt,
and most recently the Eastern part of the United States.
INITIAL
REPORT
May 4, 2007
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Clif Bar
Year of Manufacture: 2007
URL: www.clifbar.com
Listed
Specifications:
Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g)
Shelf
Life: 11 months
Note: All measurements are mine (unless otherwise specified)
Weight (Packaged): 2.8 oz (78 g)
Weight
(Bar): 2.7 oz (76 g)
Flavor:
Blueberry Crisp
MSRP: Not available
Manufacturer's
Description:
- Wholesome
and hearty flavor that tastes homemade
- Bursting
with organic oats and organic nuts
- Certified
organic by QAI
- 23
vitamins and minerals
- Entirely
natural — no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives
- No
trans fats, hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup
- Good
source of Protein
- Rich
in anti-oxidants
- Baked
with real blueberries and organic almonds
Clif bars are
marketed as natural energy bars that are “a great-tasting, convenient
source of energy for any activities”.
They are a mixture of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber and listed by the manufacturers as a moderate glycemic index food. They are made from 70% organic ingredients,
certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and contain no genetically
modified ingredients. There are 14 other flavors, to include: Apricot, Black
Cherry Almond, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Almond Fudge, Chocolate Brownie,
Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, Cookies 'N Cream, Cool Mint
Chocolate, Cranberry Apple Cherry, Crunchy Peanut Butter, Lemon Poppyseed, Oatmeal
Raisin Walnut, and Peanut Toffee Buzz. In addition, there are three seasonal
flavors offered: Spiced Pumpkin Pie, Caramel Apple Cobbler, and Iced
Gingerbread.
The
Blueberry Crisp contains the following ingredients and vitamins/minerals:
Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro™ (Soy
Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Organic Roasted
Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Blueberry Fruit Pieces (Organic Evaporated Cane
Juice, Blueberry Puree Concentrate, Brown Rice Syrup, Pectin, Citric Acid,
Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Dry Roasted
Almonds, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats,
Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), ClifCrunch™ (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory
Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Blueberries
(Blueberries, Apple Juice Concentrate), Organic Date Paste, Almond Butter,
Organic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Citric Acid.
Vitamins & Minerals: Dicalcium Phosphate,
Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid (Vit. C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit. E), Ferric
Orthophosphate (Iron), Beta Carotene (Vit. A), Zinc Citrate, Phytonadione (Vit.
K1), Biotin, Niacinamide (Vit. B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vit. B5), Potassium
Iodide, Manganese Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Selenite, Thiamin (Vit.
B1), Chromium Chloride, Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12), Sodium Molybdate, Folic Acid
(Vit. B9), Riboflavin (Vit. B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit. B6).
Clif Bars also give
the following allergy warning:
“Allergen statement: Contains soy and almonds. May contain traces of dairy, peanuts, and other
tree nuts. We source ingredients that are not made using wheat, dairy, and are
not genetically engineered. May contain nutshell fragments”
According to the website, you should eat a bar 1 to 2 hours
before physical activities to prevent the “sugar high and crash associated with
refined ingredients and sweeteners.”
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
When I receive the Clif Bars, they came in a
caddie box of twelve
bars. Also in the box were two Fact Sheets, one listing all of the Clif
Bar flavors with the
ingredient list for each, and the other on the Blueberry Crisp
Clif Bar. The outside of the caddie box lists the ingredients,
Nutrition Facts, and information on the manufacturers, Clif Bars &
Co. This
information is also listed on each individual wrapper.
Each bar was individually wrapped in a foil like pouch. The
pouch is approximately 5.5 x 3 in (14.0 x 7.6 cm). The bars themselves
are 3.4
x 1.9 in (8.6 x 4.8 cm). They are about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) thick. Being
name Blueberry Crisp, I thought that they would be somewhat hard,
but they are
actually soft and flexible. They are also a little bit sticky to the
touch, but does not leave my fingers with that sticky feeling.
To me, the bars look like a bunch of oats, nuts and some blueberries
mixed together in a paste. They smell sort of like a candy bar.
The bars actually tasted pretty good. They are not too sweet,
salty or dry
tasting. They taste like blue berries, nuts and roasted oats. I am
looking forward to see how well they taste after days on the trail, and
to
see if they actually work as an energy source.
SUMMARY
I
would like to thank both, BackpackGearTest and Clif Bar, for the opportunity to
test the Blueberry Crisp Bar. This
concludes my Initial Report. The Field Report will be amended to this report in
approximately two months from the date of this report. Please check back then
for further information.
LONG TERM REPORT
June 15, 2007
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I
took a multi-day trip to Shenandoah National Park. The terrain was mountainous
with the elevation around 3000 to 4000 ft (900 to 1200 m). The weather was
initially cloudy with some scattered showers. The weather cleared at midday on
the second day and the rest of the trip was sunny. The average daytime
temperature was 60 to 75 F (15 to 24 C), dropping to approximately 55 F (13 C)
after sunset.
I
also took a multi-day trip to the Smokey Mountains National Park. The terrain
was mountainous with the elevation around 2000 to 3000 ft (609 to 900 m). The
weather was cloudy with scattered showers, mostly in the late afternoon or
evening. The normal daytime temperature was 75 to 85 F (24 to 29 C), with a
drop to approximately 65 F (18 C) after sunset.
In addition to the multi-day trips, I completed three day hikes. The weather was normally clear
or with a slight cloud cover. The temperatures were around 70 to 85 F (21 to 29
C). The elevation was at sea level and the terrain was wooded.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
This is my first occasion to try the Clif Bar line, and I
was not disappointed.
One of the most important aspects of food that I take with
me on a trip is the taste. The Blueberry Crisp bars tasted good, not just the
first time I ate one, but every time I ate them. I never got tired of eating
them. The flavor was nutty with a blueberry taste. The bars were sweet with a
slight taste of something like honey, but not too sweet that it tasted like a
candy bar. The bars were not at all salty. But after eating them, I did find
myself wanting to drink some water to wash them down with.
The consistency of the bars was sort of like a crunchy, nutty
paste. They were firm and they were kind of sticky. At higher temperatures,
over approximately 80 F (27 C), the bars became flimsy and stickier. To see how the bars would react to the cold, I
put bars in the freezer, 9 F (-12 C), and refrigerator, 33 F (1 C). In both
cases, the bars became harder, with the one in the freezer becoming rock solid
and pretty much inedible. After warming the bars up, they returned to their
normal consistency, without any noticeable difference in taste.
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. I
never had a problem ripping open the package and then using the package to hold
the bar while I was eating. This help with keeping the stickiness off my
fingers.
One purpose of the bars is to provide energy. The makers
suggested eating the bars one to two hours before exercise. I normally don’t
eat much on the trail. So I would normally eat 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. The bars kept me full, and
provided me with the energy I needed for a few hours.
SUMMARY
I
am overall pleased with the Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp bars. They tasted good, were
a quick source of energy and were overall a good snack during those long hikes.
I look forward to tasting the other Clif Bar flavors.
I would like to thank both, BackpackGearTest and Clif Bars,
for the opportunity to test the Blueberry Crisp bars.
Read more gear reviews by Kevin Hollingsworth
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