Tanka Bar

Summary

Great tasting bar that stays with you for quite awhile. Love to take a couple with me on a hike.

I am not usually a big meat eater, but I was getting tired of the same old hiking food, like the shots, Gu packets, etc.  so I decided to try these buffalo bars. They are easy to slip into a pocket or hip belt pocket and I love the flavor. They are not too sweet and they add a needed variety to my stash of food in my pack.

I have shared them with several of my hiking buddies and now we are all buying them by the box load! I also keep a couple in my desk at work for emergency snacks.  They are always the first item I pack for a hike after my cheese and crackers.  

Summary

Useful clean protein on the go, but drippy packaging.

This bar is essentially pemmican—the native people's travel mix of ground meat, rendered fat, and a little fruit. This version is an option for people who want a high protein, evolutionarily appropriate trail food (via something like the Paleo diet), though I probably will not buy it again.

I believe the bar was 7g each of protein (bison meat) and fat (rendered bison fat) and 1.5g of sugars (ground cranberries), with a few spices like garlic and salt. I felt great immediately after eating it and had a few hours of sustained energy, but the mixture of animal protein and highly acidic fruit sugar from the cranberries left with me with a sour stomach for about the same amount of time. 

Pros:

• Interesting flavor
• Hardcore hit of protein and fat for very long-lasting energy
• Ethically produced with benefits to a Native American family
• No chemicals and not over-processed
• Paleo-diet friendly (only a pro if that's your thing)

Cons:

• Freakin' spendy—over $3 per little 15g bar
• Very greasy to the touch--definitely needs to be stored in a package
• Very greasy mouth-feel. Didn't really bother me but would gross out some people.
• Bad food combining (animal protein and sugar) can make for funky digestion
• Comes out of the package wet, and can drip meat juice on you or your pack if you're not careful--definitely a con in bear country