Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > LARABAR Jocalat Bars > Test Report by Larry Kirschner

LÄRABAR Jŏcolat Bars


TEST SERIES BY LARRY KIRSCHNER


INITIAL REPORT - December 23, 2007
LONG TERM REPORT - April 22, 2008

TESTER INFORMATION

I've been an intermittent camper/paddler since my teens, but now that my kids are avid Boy Scouts, I've caught the backpacking bug. I typically do a few weekend hikes per year, although now that my sons are older, I have had the pleasure of 2 weeks backpacking at the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmarron, New Mexico and 2 weeks of canoeing in the Canadian wilderness. I like to travel "in comfort", so I often pack a little heavier than needed, but I'm trying to cut down. With all of my investment into this trip, I expect my wife and I will continue to trek long after the kids are gone…

INITIAL REPORT
December 23, 2007

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: : Humm Foods, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Manufacturer's Website: www.larabar.com
MSRP: US $32.00 (per box of 16)
Listed Weight: 1.7 oz (48 g) per bar
Measured Weight: 1.5 oz (42 g) per bar on analog scale
Dimensions: 3 x 1.4 x 0.7 in (8 x 3.4 x 1.8 cm)


INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The LÄRABARs come packed as a box of 16 bars of a single flavor, and there are four different flavors: chocolate, chocolate coffee, chocolate mint, and and chocolate orange. The different flavors share their main features, although each has a distinct taste, which I will address under the heading of "Trying it out"

First of all, LÄRABAR strongly emphasizes the fact that their products are organic and fair trade certified. These bars are suitable for any type of diet (aside from those allergic to cocoa), as they are vegan and kosher, and contain no soy, dairy, or gluten products. They also have no added sugar.

What they do contain is large amounts of dates, which provides much of the bulk of the bars, as well as many of the nutritional characteristics. In addition to the dates, each bar contains almonds, cocoa, and organic flavors. The cocoa is comprised both of cocoa power and "organic cocoa mass", which is apparently ground up cocoa beans. Although 90% of the ingredients are raw, the cocoa beans are roasted before being ground.

What does this combination produce? First of all, these bars are high in fiber, and I can attest to the fact eating 1 bar per day is sufficient to keep me regular. The fruit, along with the nuts and cocoa, also provides (according to the product literature) significant quantities of antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids, 13 essential vitamins and minerals, and phytonutrients. All of this is provided for a modest 190 calories per bar. The bars also provide modest amounts of caffeine, in the range of 5-7 mg/bar. The exception is the chocolate coffee flavor, which has 32 mg/ bar (about as much as half a cup of coffee)

In terms of storage and carrying on the trail, the Jocolat bars are made to tolerate extremes of both hot and cold, although they may become softer or harder depending on ambient temperature. It is worth noting that the bars have a shelf life of about 1 year, so they are not made to last "forever".


TRYING IT OUT

To date, I have sampled each of the four varieties of LÄRABAR Jŏcolats for the test. These were eaten at work or at home instead of lunch. They all have the same consistency, which is well-formed but slightly mushy. There are large chunks of almonds in the bars, which give them a nice texture. The first bar I tried was the chocolate-coffee flavor, and about 10 minutes after I had eaten it, I felt a sort of rush, which I initially thought may have been due to the caffeine. However, I have had the same feeling with all of the flavors, so I think it may actually be due to the fruit sugar, but I'm not sure. For me, I feel it like an energy rush, and it seems to last for an hour or so. There seems to be a long-lasting effect as well, as I usually don't feel like eating anything for at least 4-5 hours after I eat a LÄRABAR.


Now to the flavors (and I will discuss them in the order that I tried them):

Chocolate coffee: I will confess that I am not a coffee drinker, so I found the taste of this flavor very bitter. It has a very heavy chocolate taste coupled with the coffee, which I found not unpleasant. This is the type of flavor which I could get used to and like a lot more after having a few, or I might burn out on the bitterness. I will see as I make my way through the box of 16 bars.

Chocolate Mint: The mint flavor is not strong, but it comes as a good complement to the cocoa flavor that is present in the bar. I liked this flavor.

Chocolate Orange: This flavor is rather unusual. It reminds me a lot of the chocolate-covered orange peels that my parents used to eat when I was a kid. It also has a taste somewhat similar to the liquor Grand Marnier (although my wife commented that it smelled like cough syrup). I don't really care for either of those tastes myself, and I'm not a big fan of this either (at least not yet). I would rank this one below the coffee flavor as a preference at this time, but I will also see if my taste changes as I eat a few of them.

Chocolate: The plain chocolate flavor does NOT taste much like a chocolate bar, as it is much less sweet than that. It has a taste similar to a carob bar, which are also usually made without added sugar. I found the flavor good, and I would certainly not mind having one of these on the trail.



TEST PLAN

For the Field test, I will taking some LÄRABARs with me on my various hiking and camping trips over the next few months. For day hikes, I expect to use this as my main source of food to see if I still get that rush of energy on the trail, and how long it lasts. I also want to see if my taste preferences change after having a couple more of them, or even if eating while I am actually on the trail changes my perception of the taste of any of the bars.


This concludes my Initial Report on the LÄRABAR Jŏcolat Bars. Please check back in 3 months for my Final Report on this item.


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