That tar sounds like a chain that hasn't been cleaned in a long while. The best cleaner I've use has been the White Lightning Clean Streak, man it gets my chains cleaned fast, I don't know if it's the best but it works plenty well enough for me.
I'm just now experimenting with Dumonde Tech Lite so not sure how well it will work, I was using Rock N Roll Ultimate dry and it's a very good lube, but for touring I don't want to be cleaning the chain out on the road, and supposedly the Dumonde stuff all you do is wipe the chain off, and when the chain starts to make noise you reapply the lube, which means I won't have to carry cleaning solvents, seems like a lot of hype to me but I'm going to try it.