First impressions

Experiences
1

So, just tried my first serving of Huel.
Take aways:
Packaging: wow, that box is bigger than expected, and the packages are huge!

Extra goodies: Shirt fits, though I wish they had offered a ladies cut. Oh well, it will make a shirt to wear when I’m out walking/hiking. Blender bottle is about what I would expect, though I was kinda hoping for one of those whisk balls…do you think this grid thing is as effective? The cover for the spout is annoying, kind tried to poke you in the eye while you are drinking.

Taste: It’s better than some protein powders and diet shakes that I have had, mostly because it’s not sickly sweet. I tried mixing some of my cold brew coffee in place of water, but I don’t think I noticed an effect on the flavor. I think I will stick to having my coffee separate. Shame, I was hoping to loose the extra calories from the almond milk and maple syrup that I usually add to coffee.

Texture: gritty. Way different than any shake I have ever had before. I tried blending it with my stick blender, but it didn’t change much. I’ll try mixing a batch up before bed tonight and see if it’s better after sitting, maybe the oats need to soften (like overnight oats).

After taste: way better than a lot of shakes, but definitely taste the artificial sweeteners. Will drink a large glass of water. it’s better than the after taste of stevia. I would love feedback from those drinking the unsweetened version.

Cleanup: not bad, everything rinsed really easily. I was afraid it would leave a residue, but I barely had to touch it with the sponge. That will make lunch cleanup at work easier.

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2

Grid works for me. I find tipping my coffee/tea into the shaker after I’m done with the huel, lets me get all of the huel.

3

Hey guys, hope you’re doing well. I don’t know if anyone mentioned this, but the screen is just for ice. You don’t need it when you’re blending the shake. It’s just there if you want to add ice to your drink. Cheers.

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4

I usually let mine sit for 5 minutes or so and it’s a little less gritty, though it’s not undrinkable when it is. Just a better, smoother texture.

I also find it tastes better at room temperature - tried it iced, and like it better when it’s not so cold.

I tossed the screen when I got my shaker - I now have 3 of them. One at home, one at work, and one as a spare that I may use when traveling.

5

The brand printed on the bottle is Buchsteiner MixMaster. They don’t have much for copy on their website, but a lot of the sellers of their bottles have similar text about the strainer ensuring smoothness and consistency. I know I have definitely had it brake ups some clumps before, as evidenced by clumps just big enough to fit through.

I have not used a ball-shaker with Huel before, but I have on a couple of occasions heard from people dissatisfied with them with other powders: that they didn’t really make a difference and were then something needing to be cleaned, but they can’t really speak for all shaker ball shakers. YMMV.

Right now my leading indicator for whether I will end up with clumps is how long it takes to me measure the scoops and get to the shaking. If I get it shaken quickly enough I am not observing issues. As water soaks into the powder before I shake it becomes more likely that clumps will form. The good news is that if you do have significant clumps the strainer will stop them at least.

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6

Thanks for sharing! I just ordered eight bags, sounds like I’ll need to make some room to store these :smile:

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7

I got rid of the strainer after my first shake. It ended up flipping sideways on me. I have had great success with a wire shaker ball. I salvaged one from another shaker and have not had any issue with clumps, regardless of how long it takes to measure out the Huel.