"New and Improved" - not a fan. Here's why!

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Hi all,

I don’t usually do this, but I just thought I’d make a quick note about the taste of the New and Improved vanilla flavour I’ve just received. I was a big fan of the normal vanilla flavour. It wasn’t too sweet, went down easily and didn’t leave much of an after taste. I have had one shake of the new flavour, and it’s not my cup of tea at all. It tastes so… fake? It doesn’t taste like anything I would call is Vanilla (though obviously ymmv), leaves a taste in my mouth for quite a while and it’s just a bit of a let down. I know there are a couple of others who have voiced the same thing on here (though some more angry than others).

I know I can send back the unopened bag, which is fine, but it still leaves me with a bag of a flavour I hate, almost completely full. But I just have a few thoughts about how to solve this.

Firstly, the name. Having 2 products called Vanilla, and having one saying “New and Improved” is pretty confusing. Yes, it’s a new taste, but it’s the same formula, right? Other threads I’ve seen about this have assumed that the old vanilla flavour is the old 2.2, but both versions are the same v2.3 formula but with different flavour profiles, right?

Then when you’re saying “improved” you’re claiming something that is completely subjective, and in my case it feels misleading. When I’ve gone from a taste that is perfectly fine, to a taste that makes me grimace and think “what have they done?!” that’s absolutely not improved. I work in marketing and I know how hard it is to sum up something subjective like this in a nice blue roundel, but your wording has resulted in a wasted purchase and frustration.

Finally, your returns policy is equally frustrating. I know you guys are just a relatively small business that are doing a great job overall, and probably can’t process loads of frivolous returns, the fact you won’t take back an opened bag because you can’t resell it (by the way, the bag that I have opened won’t re-seal, because the seal was covered in the powder in transit before it was delivered, which wasn’t my fault) is so annoying as now I’m left with a bag of powder that I won’t drink. I also assume that I need to pay for postage myself as there’s no prepaid label to download? Will this be reimbursed into my account? Why should it be upon myself to pay more money to send back something that’s been falsely advertised? Would it really impact your bottom line that much to give a customer (who intends on staying a customer, just with the old taste next time) free returns? If I’m wrong about this, please let me know. As that’s what your returns page is implying.

Anyways, I thought I’d give my thoughts as I genuinely love (most of) your product, and it’s really helped me with watching what I’m putting into my body.

Tom

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Thanks for sharing Tom, I can see you went to great lengths to give a fair review even though you obviously feel a bit cheated. What it comes down to though is that for the vast majority of people, this flavour really is new and improved. Perhaps it could be made more clear on the website that the “Original” in “Original Vanilla” refers to the flavour and not the formula.

On the returns policy, I can’t think of many places where you can take your food/drinks/groceries back because you thought you’d like the flavour but turns out you don’t. Advertise the open bag for sale on the forum, you might find someone willing to take it off your hands in your area. Hope you’re not too put off and decide to keep going with the original vanilla flavour

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Yeah honestly the inability to return the open bag isn’t really a concern (though the inability to actually close the bag kind of is, as is having to arrange and pay for my own return rather than printing out a prepaid label and chucking it on a box), my main frustration is just how different the taste is. perhaps I have overly sensitive taste buds but the difference is huge, and shouldn’t really have the same name.

I have seen other threads saying it’s more of a toffee taste than vanilla, and I somewhat agree. I’m aware it’s all Semantics at this point, but when the flavour is so different, there needs to be more information as to what to expect for customers.

Calling the old vanilla “Classic Vanilla” and this one “Vanilla Plus” or similar would definitely help, and adding a few lines to the product description to better describe the difference would go a ways to prevent other people from getting the same experience. I love that there’s choice - but Huel need to lean more into the differences and be more specific about what the 2 versions offer.

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If you are local Tom … I would gladly take the unused and unwanted huel off your hands :wink:

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Hey… you actually nailed it! The new vanilla is very very different from the old one, it’s true. Gotta give credit to Huel though, it’s great they are continuing to make the old style so that people who aren’t as impressed by the new one can still get their fix

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It is simple call original ‘Vanilla’ and new vanilla ‘Toffee’

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I personally much prefer the vanilla flavour of the new one to the old one. But it’s a rough ride of you actually dislike it because a bag is a lot of powder.

Maybe use it to get a friend hooked, then get the £10 when they have to order a refill?

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I much prefer the new and improved. I gave the original vanilla a try a few weeks ago…was so disgusting, I had to chuck it out. I must say, it’s funny how much our tastes differ - I often see the debate between the old and new on here, opinions seem to be very split. :slight_smile:

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That’s not bad, perhaps when the New Vanilla doens’t become ‘New’ per se anymore!

We do describe it currently so that past customers can determine the difference. We could include flavour notes but I have no doubt that many here wouldn’t agree with the flavour notes we gave!

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I’m with you - I hate the new version, and ‘fake’ is a great way to describe it. I’m happy there’s choice, and I’m pleased some do like it - each to their own, and all that. I just say - at every opportunity - that the Huel guys and gals should never, ever discontinue the original vanilla flavour. They say there are no plans to.

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Just opened a bag of the “New and Improved” and find it terrible. Unfortunately I’m stuck with it now… Any tips on making it taste less like a bag of artificial sweetener?

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You can run a knife or a fork through the seal to get all the powder out. This should let you reseal the bag.

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Agree that new Vanilla not as hood as original. Pleased to still be able to order original. Did anybody else find that new vanilla didn’t dissolve So easily?

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Yes me. Clump city with new vanilla

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For me it is very frustrating they don’t offer samples. I am coming to order for the first time in a while and worry about being left in the same situation with unusable bags. When they are changing the formula so frequently, and offering multiple different options of the same thing (ie vanilla flavored powder), surely having sample packs available is important so people can try to see which one they like.

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I don’t think you understand the consequence of this. Imagine I put anything not safe to be consumed and returned it. And then you pick that batch. What happens then? Can you imagine Huel having to perform expensive tests on returned items that were opened to ensure they are safe?