Huma Chia Energy Gels

So I have finally gone through all the Huma Chia Energy Gels that I got.  Sorry I'm a bonk runner who loves to run on an empty tank, it hard for me to eat on junk mile runs.  

Let me start by saying that being on an empty tank and bonking is not a worry with Huma.

Chia is a real super fuel and Huma does a great job of packing that power into portable packets.

Much easier to eat than this...

Or this

Great long lasting energy that also gives you an initial bump too. Fast and long acting energy!   Power up!

Goes down easy, and doesn't want to come back up on a run.  What more could you want? Superior to GU in that it tastes like a human could have made it, not some Terminator machine

So question? Do you like fig Newtons?

Me too!  Love em! Have you tried all their flavors?

No?  Because they all taste the same...fig is just a super distinct flavor and texture that you can't overcome.  

This is my one grip I can make about Huma.  The Chocolate is the only one that really tastes different.  The rest are like flavored raisins. I love raisins but I don't need different flavors.  They really should just make a Chia Fresca flavor, just lemon or lime and simple syrup.

That would be the perfect Chia gel flavor for me.  

Final thoughts are easy…

Buy and try Huma Chia Gels!!!

They are great. Find a gel with a Chia accent flavor you like and enjoy the miles.  It's the propane of energy gels. Clean burning and efficient.

It will be a permanent addition to my fuel tackle box.  GU for the little ones, Huma for the long runs!

Thanks for reading everyone.  I really appreciate it. Would love to tell you more about how awesome Huma is but I gotta run!

Huma Chia Energy Gel: Apple Cinnamon Review

Apple Cinnamon Chia Energy Gel?  I like all those words! So just like the other Huma gels they have that nice real food nutrition profile.

This one has not fat or caffeine.  So let's start the Apple Cinnamon Challenge!

This one really tastes like…

And I love apple pie, a lot, maybe too much.

Apple pie shame…

No shame with these gels!  Tastes like homemade apple pie filling.  The apple has a cooked apple puree flavor with sharp cinnamon notes.  Most apple gels taste about as natural as this

This is where the fig Newtons flavor of the Chia seeds becomes an asset to the flavor rather than something that detracts from the experience.

It fueled the run great.  No crash. No belly issues.  I did notice the lack of caffeine this time but I think I'm becoming an addict so I need help…

Where does this one stand up in the rankings for the other flavors?

Number one is Chocolate, but Apple Cinnamon is the current second with Cafe Mocha taking up the rear.

Many flavors left!  Who will be the Victor?  The question isn't should you use Huma Chia Energy Gel, the question is which flavor!

Keep checking back for more flavors!

Gotta run...

Huma Chia Energy Gel: Cafe Mocha Review

Ch-ch-ch-chia!  I am an unabashed Chia seed fan.  And we are right in the beginning of the Huma Chia energy Gel taste test off!

I also love mochas!

So what's not to love about cafe mocha energy gels?  And with double caffeine!!

I love their nutrition profile.  Carbs, fat, and protein it's almost real food that you can eat on the go.  And again the Chia Magic really does give you that nice long lasting energy, no crash and burn.  

So as an energy gel product this stuff is awesome as an endurance nutrition product.  But how does it stack up tastewise to the chocolate?

Chia can impart a weird kind of fig taste.  Like fig Newtons.

I love fig Newtons.  But I don't want chocolate fig Newtons.  The cafe mocha doesn't have enough chocolate to overcome that figgy taste for me.  Now would I still grab one of these over a non Chia containing gel?  Most likely.  But would I grab a chocolate flavor over mocha?  Yes!

But the question is what order should you grab the flavors?  Stay tuned to find out!

Gotta run!

Huma Chia Energy Gel: Chocolate Review

So the fine folks at Huma sent me a sampling of their Chia gels.  This video is.from their site.  Watch it!  It's actually funny.

https://youtu.be/XCXyx2hKOec

So everyone who knows me knows that I love Chia seeds.  I’ve been on the Chia band wagon since Born to Run.  Chiahead  life!

And Bob Ross is awesome!  No mistakes only happy accidents.

So the packaging looks like every other gel. With caffeine!

Fat, protein, and fiber!  Almost sounds like real food.  So my biggest wonder was what was it going to look like inside.  Seeds and jelly?  Nope...

Looks and tastes like really good chocolate frosting!  

Can I lick the spoon?  

So seriously.  This stuff is really good.  I can taste the Chia-ness faintly in the background but only because I eat Chia all the time and you can't slip it past me.  But in general I think you could pass this off as organic frosting.  

The chocolate is rich and smooth and wonderful.  Between the caffeine and Chia magic I had a great little run with one of these as my breakfast and coffee combined.  

Maybe it's the Chia placebo effect (or the caffeine) but I really did feel a little kick in my stride.  No crash.  No stomach issues.  

Like all chocolate gels my only complaint is that I don't ever really want to eat chocolate gels in the heat.  Hot weather and a hot running belly just don't want to play with rich coco.   

So as usual I will be reviewing every flavor that I have individually and ranking them.  So as the first flavor the chocolate is of course first place right now.

So who will win the best taste test? According to their site it's going to be strawberry which is their most popular flavor.  Stay tuned to find out!  But for now... gotta run!

The Second Day of V

Happy Dos de Mayo!

I don't always eat running gels... But when I do... I review them.

Today's pairing...

I tried the Salted Caramel Apple gel

With the Black Cherry Cola

First we will go with the Salted Caramel Apple.  I was a little scared. It sounded a little too...

But I was pleasantly surprised at the taste. Again softly muted in the best possible way is the way I would describe it.  I know that doesn't sound endorsing but I really mean that as a good thing.  

I don't want sharp sour apple flavor in a running gel.  I don't want...

I want something a little gentler on my taste buds.  The caramel factor made me a bit worried too.  Milky caramel on a hot stomach seems like a bad idea.  But it turns out that it tastes like apple pie filling!  Not too tart or crisp tasting just the right baked apple taste with a hint of cinnamon and spices.  Very nice...

So after I got deep in the woods I started drinking up the Black Cherry Cola drink.  Again I was worried about too much of a heavy cola taste. And I always associate cola with carbonation so flat cherry cola on a hot stomach just seems like a recipe for puke.  

So this was my first disappointment of the festival.  While the Cherry flavor was palatable and went down easy, I really did not taste any cola at all.  None.  Which was disappointing but I did like the flavor.  So not what I was expecting but it was fine. Kind of like if you want a beer and all they have is wine... I don't think that the cola would have been good flat anyway but I was really expecting cola.  

At least the Salted Caramel Apple was awesome...

Three more days to go til Cinco de Mayo and here is the standings for each category.

Gels:

1: Peach Cobbler

2: Salted Caramel Apple

Drinks: 

1: Tangerine Cream

2: Black Cherry Cola

It's anybody's game right now.  Gotta run!

Grape Pomegranate Carb Boom!

So as this years 6 Days of Boom! comes to a close...

We reflect on the many gifts given to us this year...

Hang your Boom! grenade on your tree with care

Hang your stocking with don't give a $hit...

And participate in the running of the beers.

So the final gel in this review was the winner as predicted.  

Grape Pomegranate was delicious!  It was smooth and fresh tasting.  I could taste the grape skins almost.  The pomegranate was a light mellow tart aftertaste.  This is the perfect gel. I can't wait to try these out on a Charleston South Carolina summer run.  I can imagine these might even be freshing on a hot day. And no gel tastes good on a super hot summer day. 

The final rankings for this Celebration of Boom! 

1st. Grape pomegranate 

2nd Cinnamon apple

3rd  Strawberry kiwi

4th  Raspberry

5th  Orange vanilla

6th  Banana peach

So thanks for helping to celebrate the 6 Days of Boom!  

Special thanks to Boom Nutrition for providing the Feast

And thanks to everyone for reading!  Now remember to hang up your compression socks on the shower bar, leave a smelly running hat on the front door knob, and leave a running gel in your running shoes at the end of your bed for the boom fairy.  And if you have been a good runner all year then you will find a reward at the bottom of your next running bottle!

Happy Boom! to all and to all a... Gotta run!

Raspberry Carb Boom!

On the fourth day of Boom! Carb Boom! Gave to me... Raspberry!

So I reached into my compression sock that I had left hanging in the laundry room to air dry hoping that the Boom! Fairy had brought me another treat.  And what did I find...

This one was simple. As far as regular gels go, this one is great.  Simple flavor.  Not too sweet, not too tart.  But when judged against the high standards of Boom! it kind of falls flat.  

Not impressed, not let down.  Just par.  This is par gel.  This is the perfect generic gel.  

So the current ranking going into day 5...

Apple Cinnamon

Strawberry Kiwi

Raspberry

Orange Vanilla

Sorry orange...

Thanks for reading... Gotta run!