During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 26 Aug 2026
Hammer Gel Espresso 22
Hammer's proprietary rice-syrup-and-grape-juice blend keeps sugars down to 3 g out of 21 g carbohydrate, the lowest sugar content of any gel here, at the cheapest box price in the category after SiS.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other gel we've reviewed.
22
Weak
Based on 4 of 5 measures ?A dimension a product doesn't declare is left out of its average rather than counted against it -- so this score reflects fewer measures than a product with a full panel.
Carb density ?How much fuel one sachet carries. 90 g is the ceiling here, matching the top of the range cited for multi-transportable-carb intake.23
Sodium ?Sodium carried by the gel itself, on a scale topping out at 1000 mg — the upper end of what's typically lost to sweat in an hour.4
Value (cost/gram) ?Price of one gram of carbohydrate. Not physiological -- a market-based scale from $0.15/g (0) to $0.02/g (100).62
Gut comfort ?A proxy, not a taste or tolerance test: shorter ingredient lists score higher, from 15 ingredients (0) to 1 (100). Nobody has actually run these through anyone's gut for this score.0
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.070/g
Glucose : fructose · not disclosed
n/d
Comparison
6 of 22 gels heldPrices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.
| Measure | Hammer Nutrition Hammer Gel Espresso | Maurten Maurten Gel 100 | Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel Gel | Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel | NEVERSECOND NEVERSECOND C30 Gel | GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarbohydrateHow much fuel one sachet carries. | 21 g | 25 g | 40 g | 30 g | 30 g | 22 g |
| Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling. | n/d | 1 : 0.8 | 1 : 0.77 | 1 : 0.5 | 1 : 0.5 | ~ 1 : 0.47 |
| SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat. | 40 mg | 20 mg | 30 mg | not declared | 200 mg | 60 mg |
| CaffeineA preference, not a quality, so it is not scored. | 50 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Not disclosed | Stated | Derived | Stated | Stated | Estimated |
| Price per sachetWhat one costs. Not comparable across sachet sizes. | $1.46 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.12 | $3.50 | $2.00 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across sachet sizes. | $0.070 | $0.150 | $0.063 | $0.104 | $0.117 | $0.091 |
| Sachets for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target. | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- $0.069 a gram, second-cheapest here.
- Only 3 g of sugars per sachet, the lowest of any gel reviewed.
- 50 mg of caffeine and a genuine espresso flavor, not a vague 'coffee' note.
What it costs you
- No glucose-to-fructose ratio: Hammer's EnergySmart blend is proprietary and not broken out into a declared carb ratio.
- Caffeine is fixed into this flavor; Hammer's non-caffeinated flavors are separate SKUs.
- 40 mg of sodium is on the low end, similar to Maurten's.
Where to buy
Prices and links as last checked.
Who this is for
the numbers, appliedThe field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.
Worth the money if
- Low sugar content matters to you specifically.
- You want caffeine and a low price in the same sachet.
Look elsewhere if
- You need a non-caffeinated option in this exact flavor.
- You want a stated, verifiable carb ratio.