Sampling the Made-from-Bison Energy Bar

During a recent trip to REI, I spied something new in the energy bar section. It was theTanka Bar. Unlike most other energy bars, this one has no maltodextrin. No high-fructose corn syrup.

What does it have? Buffalo meat and cranberry. Quite a different schtick, eh? At $2.89 a bar, I was really hesitant. But the novelty trumped my fiscal sense, though I'm still miffed that $2.89 gets a miserly 70 calories (2g, 7g protein, 7g carbs) and about 11 percent of the USRDA of sodium.

Here's what the Tanka Bar Web site says about itself and its line of products, which also includes Tanka Bites and Tanka Dogs:

Native American Natural Foods, LLC, is focused on creating a family of nationally branded food products that are delicious and that promote a Native American way of wellness that feeds mind, body, and spirit.

Beginning with its first product line, which features Tanka Bar, Tanka Bites, Tanka Dogs and Tanka Wild, Native American Natural Foods provides a category of natural healthy choices in the marketplace that currently does not exist.

Fair enough. I'll admit that's something different. I like the idea of giving people an idea of what people (relatively) indigenous to North America ate back in their heyday. I've always really wondered, myself. Native American Natural Foods, LLC, which makes the Tanka Bar, also says sustainability is part of its brand. This made me wonder about its packaging, which seemed ike regular ol' plastic. I didn't see anything on the label about being one of those cool new plastics made from corn.

Anyway, I imagine you want me to quit jerking around and get to the important part: How does it taste?

Well, pretty darn good. I could gobble a fistful of these bad boys and be pretty happy about it. I mean, I like buffalo. I like cranberries. I like spices. These were right up my alley.

I can't see myself buying them very often, even though there's a spicy version that's likely ever tastier. I keep seeing "$2.89 = 70 calories," and my inner bean counter rightly revolts. If the prices come down, I'll give it another whirl. Until then, I have to write Tanka Bar - despite its positive mission and tastiness - off as a one-time novelty.