Why is BE So Sweet?

I’m on my first week with my first three bags of Black addition. I bought chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. The plan was fairly typical, I gather: to replace breakfast and lunch with Huel while continuing to eat a sensible meal with the family at night.

This is just my fifth morning on the plan and I’m having issues because the product is SO cloyingly sweet that I’m having trouble drinking it in the mornings. I am currently staring at the full Huel shaker on my desk with dread. I think it’s too sweet in general, but that big face full of lingering stevia is a particularly difficult way to start the day. Lunch with the exact same products is much, much easier.

Of course, I understand that unflavored/unsweetened is available, and I plan to try that as my next order. However, in the meantime I’ve got three bags of this stuff to power through until then.

So I have to ask: Why are these things so sweet to begin with? I understand why people want flavored and sweetened drinks - I bought them myself for those same reasons. But these products strike me as sweeter than anybody would ever want ANYTHING to be. Considering the adage that we can always add more, but can’t take away, why the choice to go all the way to MAX sweetness from the bag? If they started half as sweet, it would surely give everyone lots more options.

Hi George! Oh no, I am so sorry to hear it is too sweet. Unfortunately, it is a tricky balance for us to get meet everyone’s preferences when it comes to taste, and while we definitely aim to please as many people as we can, we know that we may not always get it exactly right for everyone. This is why we value hearing feedback as we can then make adjustments going forward so thank you for writing about your experience and providing this feedback.

I am going to message further regarding an option for you with Unflavored and Unsweetened Huel Black Edition, but something that I recommend if you find the flavored version is too sweet is to do one scoop of unflavored and unsweetened and one scoop of a flavored version!

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I second the plan to mix UU to tone down the sweetness.

Don’t wait to order UU; order it now and you’ll enjoy the 3 bags you have now so much more.

As your palate adjusts to less sweetness you might get to UU only with maybe half a scoop of hot cocoa powder or a tablespoon of peanut butter. I like 100ml of apple juice with 300ml water for two scoops of UU.

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Charlotte was kind enough to send me some UU, so I’m looking forward to trying the half and half.

I’m also intrigued to try some savory mixes like tomato juice in the mornings.

I’ll get back to you.

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I use U/U to stretch out my bags of the other flavors. I’ve yet to try it by itself. You get more mileage out of your other products, and it tones the sweetness down nicely.

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I’ve mixed the two for years. Mixing also allows you to add fruit for variety without making the shake way too sweet. You can change the ratio of UU/BE depending on what you feel like adding.

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Half and Half this morning is SO much better!

Looking forward to trying some savory stuff with full UU soon.

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Two scoops of UU with 2 cups of non-fat, low sodium chicken broth is FANTASTIC for lunch. Warmed up a bit in the microwave to about 90F. Only ads 20 Calories, too.