During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 26 Aug 2026
Honey Stinger Organic Energy Gel 37
A seven-ingredient, USDA-organic gel built on honey and tapioca syrup rather than maltodextrin, at a little over the SiS price per gram with 32 mg of caffeine from green tea baked in.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other gel we've reviewed.
37
Mixed
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.26
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.6
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).60
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.57
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.073/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 | Honey Stinger Honey Stinger Organic Energy Gel | 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. | 23 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. | 60 mg | 20 mg | 30 mg | not declared | 200 mg | 60 mg |
| CaffeineA preference, not a quality, so it is not scored. | 32 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. | $1.67 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.12 | $3.50 | $2.00 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across sachet sizes. | $0.073 | $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. | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- Organic-certified, short ingredient list with no maltodextrin, gums, or artificial preservatives.
- 32 mg of caffeine included at no extra step, useful late in a race.
- $0.072 a gram, close to the cheapest gels here despite the organic sourcing.
What it costs you
- No glucose-to-fructose ratio stated; honey and tapioca syrup have different, uncontrolled ratios batch to batch.
- 60 mg of sodium is present but not enough to matter on its own.
- Caffeine is fixed into every sachet, no non-caffeinated version of this specific flavor.
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
- You want an organic, short-label option and don't need a stated ratio.
- You want caffeine built in rather than carried separately.
Look elsewhere if
- You're caffeine-sensitive or racing late in the day.
- You want a verified absorption ratio, not a honey-based blend.