Review: Untapped Salted Cocoa Infused Vermont Maple Syrup

(2023) It is rare to feature a product adorned with hyperboles but here we go: Untapped Salted Cocoa Infused Vermont Maple Syrup saved my Tour of the Catskills ride. The UnTapped gel was tapped for commission in the waning miles of the Upstate New York event. The day had so far been humid conditions and hot.

It was late in the Tour of the Catskills medium fondo when hunger pangs became hard to ignore. Initially drink mix was leaned on to carry the ride, but the weather conditions were hard to overcome. It was humid. It was warm. The sun beamed down. It was an energy-sapping environment that demanded a strong nutritional response. Late in the ride an untried UnTapped gel was employed to carry me through the hilly finish.

UnTapped is a Vermont-based maple syrup company founded in 2015 with notable owners such as Ted King, former Tour de France rider. With an effort to leave behind the synthetic gels on the market, UnTapped heavily stressed maple syrup and its nutritional values to establish a foothold in the endurance sports market. Though maple syrup convinced thousands athletes, the company continues to evolve. Eventually UnTapped produced Salted Cocoa Infused Vermont Maple Syrup, a gel I was guzzling at the top of the final climb at the Tour of the Catskills.

After having emptied both water bottles for the medium fondo of the Tour of the Catskills, and with the ending in sight, there was a desire to instantly light the fires for the finish. With warm weather hovering over the upstate New York range, the salty portion of the Untapped shot felt great. Squeezing the tube added to the enjoyment as rich cocoa complemented the 60 milligrams of sea salt. It felt like a shot of chocolate sauce with a hint of maple syrup and sea salt. It was notably delicious. So much so, I downed a second shot out of pure enjoyment. At 100 calories, three of these UnTapped units can be consumed every hour. 

Weeks later Mike (yes, that Mike) asked to ride around breakfast time. Forgoing breakfast, UnTapped was commissioned again to take its place. After rolling for a few minutes, the first gel was downed. A second followed half an hour later. This led to a successful ride full of UnTapped Salted Cocoa Infused Vermont Maple Syrup, despite having omitted a pre-ride breakfast to fuel me over some of Hunterdon County, NJ’s, hardest climbs.

The heavier I relied on UnTapped, the more the company delivers. I’ve guzzled Maple Syrup UnTapped, swigged Mapleaid hydration, and munched on their stroopwaffles with alacrity. Each time the products not only taste fantastic, but they deliver natural endurance fuel to complete an event. The Tour of the Castkills was no different, and after firing off a few shots, I felt recharged enough to finish. The heavy flavor was the icing on the “gel” to keep me coming back for more, a sign of a product that encourages nutrition in hard races. 

After the Tour of the Catskills, I found myself considering other recipes involving cocoa with maple syrup and salt. To me, this signifies a quality product: maple syrup + cocoa + salt would create a delectable hot chocolate. Until hot cocoa season, the jersey pocket will be full of this high sodium, high cocoa, high flavor sport energy gel from Untapped.