I only jumped on board the Huel train very recently - just enough time to consume 4 bags of Huel ( 2 vanilla and 2 chocolate) before the changeover to V3.0. I have been using the new V3.0 for a few days now and am just a little disappointed.
I’ve seen at least one comment from someone else, that for the same amount of powder and water, V3.0 is a little less thick. I’ve noticed that too, but it’s not a problem, as I can just adjust the ratio of powder to water. Like another member here, I noticed a slightly greater tendency for the powder to clump. For some reason, I am noticing it mainly with the berry flavor. However, that is the only flavor that I tried preparing the powder in the shaker and drinking immediately. My normal practice is to prepare it in the shaker and chill it in the fridge overnight. The reason I haven’t noticed the slight clumping with the chocolate and vanilla flavors could be that I chilled both those flavors, so they were both a little more viscous at the time of consumption, helping to cover up any clumps. The other member who noted this, seemed to be having a big problem with it when preparing it in a blender. I can see how that method of preparation would exacerbate the clumping issue.
V3.0 is a little less granular and gritty - that’s no surprise, as we had already been told that. I had found that preparing V1.1 in the shaker at a ratio of 2 scoops to 12 fl oz of water, and chilling it overnight, resulted in the perfect consistency for me. I would eat it with a spoon this way, and it had the consistency of a dessert, though not the savory taste, of course. This consistency, combined with the extra granularity, was quite pleasing to me. I find the slightly smoother texture of V3.0 less appealing.
The berry flavor is just a little too strong for me, with an aftertaste that seems to hang around for quite a long time. If I continue to order in the future, it will just be chocolate and vanilla. The new chocolate flavor tastes more “chocolatey”. It’s bordering on being too strong, but I think I can handle it! The vanilla’s OK. I don’t know how to describe it, but I preferred the V1.1 flavor.
Quite honestly, overall, I preferred V1.1. The only way I am going to make any future purchases, is if I can buy 16 bags at a time on subscription. This gets the price down to the ballpark where I can consider it for regular consumption. Unfortunately, V1.1 is no longer available on subscription. I will be waiting to see if Huel decide to manufacture more V1.1 and make it available on a subscription basis again. I have not yet decided whether to continue my subscription. I take occasional trips in my campervan, and was looking at Huel as the perfect product to keep a stock of, in case I am camping out in the boonies, without easy access to decent food. As long as I have drinking water, I can eat. I like this! It’s like a 21st century version of the MRE.
I just don’t know about keeping up my subscription to V3.0 though - am still deciding on that one. I think I’ll feel a bit better once I’ve consumed my 5 bags of berry flavor, as I’m really not keen on that particular flavor. I just want it out of the way.
When Huel were considering all the customer feedback while figuring out the formulation for V3.0, I hope they didn’t give too much weight to the criticisms. People are usually far more ready to say something when they’re dissatisfied. In the meantime, there could have been many happy V1.1 customers who were silently (and happily) consuming their Huel.
EDIT - I made 4 “meals” of the berry flavor last night and put them in the fridge to chill. The plan was to consume the berry faster than the other flavors, in order to get it out of the way first. This morning, it seemed a lot more palatable. Perhaps all I needed was a little time to adjust to the new flavors and textures. As for the chocolate flavor coming across as a little strong, I may try one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of chocolate. We’ll see how this goes. I really want this to work out - it’s a good product.
