Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > LARABARs 2006 > Matt Mauceri > Field Report

Humm Foods Larabars Field Report

Biography
Name: Matt Mauceri
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7 (170cm)
Weight: 146 (66kg)
Email address: dirtyhippieboy(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State, Country: Las Vegas NV, USA
Date: 2/13/05

Backpacking Background: I’ve been backpacking now for eleven years. I’m usually a quick escape artist who often has a pack waiting in the car for the minute I’m done work and will have a day or two off. I try to keep my pack weight to a minimum, and I’ve upgraded parts of my gear list, but I’m not yet an ultra light guy, just someone who is working to get there.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Humm Foods Inc.
Year Manufactured: 2005
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.larabar.com/
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $1.69 US for individual bars. Cases (16 bars) may be bought directly through Humm Foods for $27.00 US.
Actual Length 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
Actual Width 1.25 in (3.17 cm)
Actual Height 0.5 in (1.27 cm)

Weights and Calories

 I received my Larabars via Fed-Ex on December 7th, 2005. The assorted flavors came packed in a Pecan Pie case box and were packed inside another box to protect it during shipping. 

Product Description
The following information was obtained from the Larabar website.
LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices — energy in its purest form. Made from 100% whole, raw food, each flavor contains no more than 2 to 6 ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.
LÄRABAR is RIGHT All of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, good carbohydrates and healthy fats are derived exclusively from the whole, raw food used to make LÄRABAR. 
LÄRABAR is REAL. Sweet with no added sweeteners. Sustaining with no added fillers, supplements or flavorings. LÄRABAR is what your body needs-real, whole food loaded with nature's own minerals and vitamins. 
LÄRABAR is RAW. Never cooked. Never processed. The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state. A diet abundant in raw, unprocessed foods is important for health and longevity.
For LÄRABAR, Humm Foods sources the best possible ingredients: Uncooked, Unprocessed, No Added Sugars, Non-Irradiated, Non-GMO, Preservative-Free, Sulfite-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Corn-Free, Vegan, Kosher.

Field Experience
I've used the Humm Foods Larabars on all of my trips throughout the last two months. My first experience using the Larabar in the field was on a mountain biking trip in Red Rock Canyon, which I repeated two more times also testing the Larabars. The other trips that I used the Larabars were on a day hike of Turtlehead Peak in Red Rock Canyon, some day hikes in Death Valley National Park, and an overnight trip on the Bristlecone Trail in the Mt. Charlestown Wilderness Area, Nevada. 

The first time I used the Larabars for fuel in an activity was on a mountain biking trip through some trails in Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. I ate one of the Cashew Cookie bars on my way to meet others for a morning ride. I found the taste of the Cashew Cookie to be satisfying, the texture of the bar made it easy to eat without a beverage and did not leave any lingering tastes on my palate. That day we rode about 9 miles (14 kilometers) of single track trails over varied terrain, with a lot of steep climbs and descents. At the mid-ride break I ate one of the Ginger Snap Larabars to refuel. The Ginger Snap flavor was refreshing, and I looked forward to the next time I got to eat this flavor. After finishing this ride I was pretty exhausted, it was a strenuous workout on a warmer than usual day of 75º F (24º C) and I think that the 500 calories worth of food I had consumed might have not been enough for this type of activity. The next ride that I took I ate two bars before starting my ride, and again ate another bar about halfway through the trip, and I felt much better at the end of the ride, having the energy to finish the ride strong and not feel drained when it was over. The last two bars I ate during this testing period were on another one of these mountain bike rides. I hate them both before the trip, and skipped the mid ride snack. At the end of this trip I still felt pretty good, so I think that the energy from those bars sustained me for longer than I thought they would have. While I mainly used the Larabars on hiking trips I thought that the mountain biking trips might let me test how well they fueled me better than hiking because of the different exertion required.

The first big hiking trip I took with the Larabars was on a peak bagging trip to Turtlehead Peak in Red Rock Canyon. The summit of Turtlehead Peak sits at 6323 feet (1927 meters) with a climb of 2000 feet (610 meters) in only two miles (3.22 kilometers). On this trip I had eaten a full breakfast before departing, and ate one Larabar during the ascent and one at the summit. The bars were great for this trip because they offered some good fuel in a small package that weighs less than 4 oz (113 g). I ate another Cherry Pie and one of the Chocolate Coconut Chew flavor bars. The Chocolate Coconut Chew was not quite what I was expecting. The name had made me think that it would be a candy bar type of flavor, which it wasn't. So on this trip I learned that the Larabars were not going to satisfy my sweet tooth. 

At the end of January I did an overnight hike on the Bristlecone Trail in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness Area. This was a quick trip taken for the most part to give these bars a test in the cold. The trail conditions were snowy and the elevation ranged from 8400 feet (2560 meters) to 9500 feet (2896 meters). I ate one bar on the hike into camp, two bars for breakfast and another for a mid morning snack. The temperatures reached a low of 20º F (-7º C) and while the Larabars I ate for breakfast were cold and not as chewy, they were not frozen to solid to eat. 

On these trips I found the Larabars to be an enjoyable food bar. I looked around town and found several places that do carry the Larabars. I found them in the REI sporting goods store, and the Whole Foods Market and Smiths grocery stores. While all these stores carried Larabars, they only stocked a few flavors. I found the Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Chocolate Coconut Chew, and  Cashew Cookie flavors. I was disappointed to not find any of the stores carrying the Ginger Snap flavor, since that one had prevailed as my favorite.

What I like:
1. Ingredients I can recognize by name.
2. Good portion size for 1 serving.
3. The Gingersnap flavor tastes awesome!
4. The bars were easy to eat, they didn't crumble and were not too sticky.

What I did not like:
1. None of the bars would satisfy my sweet tooth cravings.
2. The main ingredient seems to be dates, which makes the bars all seem kind of the same.

Summary
My experience with the Humm Foods Larabars was a positive one. These bars taste great, hold up well on the trail, and give me the fuel I need to enjoy the activities I'm doing while eating these bars. These bars have found their way into my packs and pantry, and I will continue to eat these on trips in the future. The variety of flavors is broad, but retailers need to carry more flavors. Since they are available for purchase by the case direct, I'll be able to order more of the Ginger Snap flavor if I can not convince any stores to start carrying them. 

Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > LARABARs 2006 > Matt Mauceri > Field Report