Torq Energy Gel Caramel Latte (With Guarana)

Torq's gel is not just coffee-flavoured, but made with actual coffee from what Torq describes as 'an exceptionally large cafetiere'. Served as a drink you'd send it straight back, but as an inevitably sweet and synthetic gel, it's tasty, palatable and gives mind and body a good boost.

• Pros: Easy on tastebuds and stomachs, good late-ride caffeine hit
• Cons: Need alternatives for the rest of the ride, no bulk discount

While it's pleasantly coffee-ish, it's primarily a malty flavour. That's unsurprising given that maltodextrin (44 per cent) is the first ingredient listed, followed by real coffee (34 per cent) and fructose (19 per cent). It's sweet but not as sickly as some gels, and seems kind to the stomach.

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In truth, the 'real coffee' part is actually just flavouring after all, as Torq uses a decaffeinated bean. It has to in order to precisely regulate the caffeine content, which is provided by extract of guarana (0.9 per cent), an Amazonian plant with beans twice as potent as coffee beans. It's a stimulant found in many energy drinks.

With 89mg of caffeine per 45g tube, the Caramel Latte sits at the high end of the 'single shot' range. I found it gave a hit that, if not quite instant, comes on smoothly and quickly for a useful mental boost. You wouldn't want to rely on these for the recommended 90g of carbohydrate per hour – with a relatively high 28.6g per tube, that's one every 20 minutes – for fear of wigging out on stimulant, but they combine neatly with other (uncaffeinated) products.

The packet's neatly designed too – it's easy to tear the top off (but not completely off) with your teeth and not get your hands covered in goo because the opening's quite small. And as the tear-off bit doesn't come off completely, you're not in danger of littering the road.

The price is reasonable against the competition at £1.85 per tube, but with an RRP of £27.75, there's zero discount for buying them by the box (15 gels), which seems a shame.

Verdict

Pleasant flavour and caffeine boost make this an ideal late-ride emergency kick