LONOLIFE Bone Broths
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Tester
Information
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| Name:
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David
Wilkes |
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E-Mail:
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amatbrewer@yahoo.com
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Age:
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52 |
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Location:
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Yakima
Washington USA |
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Gender:
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M |
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Height:
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5'11"
(1.80 m) |
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Weight:
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210 lb (90.7 kg) |
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Biography:
I started
backpacking
in 1995 when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have
backpacked in all seasons and conditions the Northwest has to
offer. I prefer trips on
rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously
strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me.
I have finally managed to get my basic cold weather pack weight, not
including consumables, to under 30 lb (14 kg).
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Product
Information
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Manufacturer:
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LONOLIFE |
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Year
of Manufacture:
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2019 |
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Manufacturer’s
Website:
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www.lonolife.com |
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MSRP:
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$19.99 USD
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Size:
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Available in single serve packages, single serve cups, or bulk 8oz (227g) container
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Product
Description:For
this test I received four, 10 serving packages, one of each flavor:
Protein coffee, Beef Bone Broth, Chicken Bone Broth, Thai Curry Beef
Bone Broth. Each package contains 10 (single serving "stick packs").
The coffee packages are 0.46oz (13g), the Thai Curry 0.49oz (14g), Beef
0.53oz (15g), and the Chicken 0.56oz (16g). I weighed one of each
and found them to be 1g heaver than the listed weight which would be
attributed to the packaging. Each contains 10g of protein. All flavors
contain 0g sugars, and all but the beef have 0g saturated fat, the beef
has 1g. The beef and Thai curry, contain 50cal the chicken 48cal and
the coffee 45cal.
These products are targeted for a high protein (e.g. "Paleo") diet.
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Initial
Report
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February 25 2019
To put my use of this product into better perspective I would
mention that my meal of choice while on the trail consist of some type
of broth/bouillon, with vegetables and/or pasta. My favorite is thin
soup made with broth, dried vegetables and tortellini. I like that this
sort of meal is satisfying, warming, and an additional source of
hydration which is important to me as I often struggle to keep hydrated
especially in cold weather. This sort of meal is also quick and easy to
prepare, and the ingredients are lightweight and require minimal
cooking. I would also mention an oddity with my food preferences. As
much as I like big bold flavorful food and really like hot spicy food,
I find when I am on the trail I prefer mild and even bland food.
Finally, I am an admitted coffee snob. Aside for one particular brand I
refuse to drink instant coffee. Even on the trail I will choose tea or
just go without rather than drink bad coffee. "Life is too short to
drink bad coffee or bad beer."
I will start off with the
'elephant in the room' protein coffee?!?! I admit I was more than a
little skeptical when I heard of it. So when I received the
products I could not help but try the coffee immediately. First thing I
noticed is that it quickly dissolved in the water, and to my surprise
tasted like coffee...nothing else. As far as coffee goes, to my
admittedly spoiled palate it is drinkable but I would not go so far as
to say it is good. Which for me could be taken as high praise for an
instant coffee.
Regarding the beef and chicken broths, upon
being selected for this test I found a local store carries these two
flavors of LonoLife and I have already been taking it to work with me
for lunch or afternoon snack. I found the chicken to be very flavorful
and I like it a lot. The beef is surprisingly subtle in its taste and
it was not until the second serving that I began to appreciate just how
good it is. Now I am having trouble deciding which I like better. I
will mention here that I have found the powder to be a bit hydrophobic
and so I have had some difficulty getting it to fully dissolve. My
first serving of the chicken broth only about 2/3 of the mix dissolved
into the water. When I got to the bottom of the mug and realized this I
tasted the remaining sludge of concentrated mix...that was a mistake.
It was very unpleasant and I won't be doing that again. To be fair I
sometimes have also had trouble with getting bullion cubes to fully
dissolve and they are also very unpleasant to taste in their
concentrated form. I will report later on what I experience with
getting this to mix while on the trail.
Finally the Thai Curry,
which is a version of the beef broth. I opened the packet and
immediately noticed an overwhelming smell of lemon grass. I am not a
big fan of lemon grass as I find it can easily overpower a dish and be
unpleasant unless it is used very sparingly. So I was pleasantly
surprised to find the lemon grass flavor is not overpowering and the
broth having only a little bit of heat(spice). In fact it is kind of
good. It will be interesting to see if I still like it on the trail or
find the flavor/spice too much.
Likes/Dislikes:
I appreciate
the convenience of the single serving packaging. No measuring or
for that matter even thinking is involved. But I have found it
necessary to cut open the packages, and would prefer if they were
easier to tear open. Another thing I noticed is that compared to the
bullion cubes I normally use these are a little bulkier, but do not
seem to weigh more.
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Long
Term Report |
| June 3 2019 | USE:
- Nordic skiing – x6 days (see notes)
- Snowshoeing – Washington Cascades, ~4 mi/6.5 km just below freezing temps, clear calm weather
- Day hikes – x2 intermittent rain, light wind, temps around 50F / 10C
- Backpacking 1 night
- Daily use (home & office)
Most
of my use has been to drink it as a snack or a warming drink on cold
days while Nordic skiing. Weather ranged from just above freezing to
well below with snow. A typical day involved skiing for about 3-4hrs as
well as some assorted other duties outdoors and in. A couple of times
while skiing I drank some as part of my lunch. I managed a short spring
'shake down' backpacking trip with my dog. Weather was warm during the
day and got down close to freezing at night. For my dinner I simmered
cheese tortellini in two packets of the chicken broth. I have also had
a few packets at home and at the office as a snack or as part of my
lunch.
I found drinking the broth as a welcome change to plain
water both as a snack or as part of my lunch. Broth with pasta is kind
of my go-to dinner while hiking and I found the chicken broth perfect
for this. When consuming it as a drink the chicken was good, but I found the beef more
satisfying. While I won't say I don't like the Thai Curry, given the
choice between it and the other two flavors, it was my last choice.
I
also drank the coffee for all but the day hikes. Not sure I can add to
what I have already said about the coffee, in my opinion it is fairly
average as far as instant coffee goes. The protein may or may not be
beneficial, I would like to think it is, but have no way to tell either
way.
Overall I like the product and plan to get more of the beef
and chicken broths, but doubt I would purchase any more of the coffee
or Thai Curry.
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This
concludes
my Report. I would like to thank the folks at LONOLIFE and BackpackGearTest.org
for the opportunity to test this product.
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