User Review: Tanka Bar

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