Review: UnTapped Lime Mapleaid Hydration

Athletic nutrition is important in countless ways, but if it does not taste appealing, all that science won’t matter. While some nutrition companies continue to explore synthetic carbohydrate concoctions, Vermont-based UnTapped confidently increased their organic maple footprint to include two new liquid drink mix flavors. We were lucky to get advanced tastings of Lime Mapleaid before the official release. Happily, warm early spring days presented us a chance to test out the newest addition to the Mapleaid selections.

Let’s cover the science stuff first- UnTapped Lime Mapleaid liquid single serve sticks equal eighty calories and 250 mg of sodium, or roughly a pinch of salt. Having UnTapped sticks available for hard workouts and/ or long rides is essential. The calories provide fuel while sodium can prevent dehydration, cramps, or, in severe cases, organ failure. Using maple syrup as a low-glycemic base, it can thwart the sudden spike followed by a sugar crash while using Mapleaid. Maple syrup specifically contains essential vitamins, nutrients, and electrolytes, all necessary for endurance athletes looking to fuel for their best. UnTapped recommends using one water bottle mixed with Untapped Lime Mapleaid per hour along with other essential nutrition. 

While some carbohydrates pack their mixes with long scientific ingredients, UnTapped Lime Mapleaid features three: organic Vermont maple syrup, organic lime juice, and sea salt. (We didn’t even have to check the spelling on any of those ingredients.) Having just three simple ingredients reduces the likelihood of an upset stomach or difficulty getting the drink down. 

Warm spring days on the bike can be challenging in numerous ways. It’s always tough to dress appropriately. Everyone is eager to show off new threads from the off season, but nobody wants to be freezing. The same is roughly true for strengthening sun rays. Meanwhile the nutrition has to be brought up to speed. There’s no desire to be stranded on a training ride because of incorrect supplementation. For spring it is imperative to form hydration habits early. We loaded up our bottles of the new UnTapped Lime Mapleaid liquid drink mix and set out to see if a blend of tart citrus with the natural sweetness of maple syrup.

Spring riding tends to be easy to chart when it comes to hydration. The weather has yet to turn hot. This finds us using the one-bottle-per-hour rule. Pouring a green-hued maple syrup into a water bottle took some getting used to but the light citrus smell had us eager to try. Out onto the bike into springtime sun, and we were ready to replace electrolytes with Vermont power. Each sip was appealingly light in flavor. There was an added bonus of the avoidance of sticky buildup. We kept coming back to the bottle to get the hints of lime followed by the reliable sweetness of maple syrup. It was not the cloyingly sweet lime flavors of other sports drinks; this was a drinkable session mix that was adding fuel to the body. The light flavor was rated exceedingly appealing amongst the testers. The word ‘refreshing’ was used over and over. Since maple syrup contains amino acids to repair spent muscles, UnTapped maple products could be used to help with recovery.

We were ecstatic to have tested UnTapped Lime Mapleaid liquid hydration, especially at a time when warmer days mean required hydration. Admittedly we have skimped on hydration by other companies for various reasons, but UnTapped’s maple hydration products keep us coming back. With hot conditions coming up in a few months, the citrus tartness of Lime Mapleaid will usher in the feeling of a group ride in a beach town followed by drinks with little straw hats on them for an apres ride. When it comes to creating products that encourage athletes to hydrate, UnTapped not only harnesses the power of maple syrup for health, they infuse it with lime to create a great tasting drink to power through those long hot sessions at the height of the season.