Honey Stinger recently introduced two new products to their sports nutrition line. One is PLUS+ Performance Chews with caffeine and the other is a Protein Waffle. I took both products with on a recent 65-mile ride in 90-degree heat and about the same level of humidity.
I had my regular breakfast of oatmeal and fruit before the ride. Our first rest stop was 22 miles into the ride. There I ate the Honey Stinger Wild Berry flavored waffle. Shame on me for not reading the label or the press release until today when I realized it was designed for post-ride recovery. Oh well, it tasted good, had nutritional value and was easy to digest.
Next rest stop was at about 45 miles into the ride. The heat was oppressive and by then I was out of my electrolyte drink and needed something more. I ate the PLUS+ Performance Chews… the whole sleeve of Lemon Ginger flavored chews. I’m not one to consume caffeine, but it gave me that boost to finish the ride. I wasn’t jittery but I did perk up the last 20 miles. Hindsight, I’d have split the pack of chews between the two rest stops or nibbled a couple between during the ride. I’d also leave the Protein Waffle for post-ride consumption. But live and learn. I was tired after the ride, but I recovered well and was out on the MTB the next day, in same heat/humidity.
The new PLUS+ Performance chews are specially formulated with caffeine and electrolytes to support higher intensity and longer duration exercise. Each pack contains 75 milligrams of caffeine, 160 milligrams of sodium, 50 milligrams of potassium and 20 milligrams of calcium. According to the company “the caffeine, equivalent to a six-ounce cup of coffee, helps promote sustained energy levels, improve complex cognitive abilities and reduce the perception of pain, fatigue and perceived exertion. Additionally, the electrolytes provide an optimal mix to help athletes replenish their reserves and prevent electrolyte depletion.”
The chews come in a sleeve with seven hexagonal-shaped, bite-sized chews, available in Stingerita Lime, Mango Melon and Lemon Ginger flavors. All varieties are certified Gluten Free.
The new Protein Waffles were just launched on June 26th and are a fruit-filled recovery product. It’s made of real-food ingredients with 10 grams of protein to replenish and repair muscles immediately after a workout.
Honey Stinger Protein Waffles are available in two flavors: Wild Berry and Apple Cinnamon. I preferred the Wild Berry over the Apple Cinnamon, but everyone’s tastes are different. One waffle contains a mixture of pea protein and whey protein isolate, combined with real fruit, organic honey and other natural and organic ingredients. Each pack contains 150 calories and 10 grams of sugar, with no artificial sugars or sugar alcohols.
Both the chews and the waffles are available online at Honey Stinger and through select retail partners.
- PLUS+ Performance Chews retail for $29.99/box of 12, or $2.69/single sleeve.
- Protein Waffles retail for $1.99/single pack.
So that’s $2.69 per chew…ok, so why not get a small plastic flask (you can get reusable small plastic flask for 10 for $10), fill it with 10 cents worth of coffee, and drink your usual electrolyte drink. Or, I drink NUNN where I can get a 10 tabs for $2, so that’s 20 cents a serving and it includes electrolytes and caffeine. hmm, do I want to spend $2.69 a chew or 20 cents…man, that’s a hard decision.
$2 for a recovery waffle? wow another odd thought. I use Cytomax for recovery, it cost $23 for a 4 1/2 pound container that has 81 servings, that’s 28 cents per serving, which is on par with other recovery drinks. Again I have another tough decision, $2 vs 28 cents. And with NUNN I don’t have to buy the little flasks, but I have one just in case I want coffee to take on a ride.