Newbie not enjoying the taste of artificial sweetener

Experiences
1

Brand new to try trying Huel, I’ve got one bag of vanilla and one bag of coffee. I’ve just tried vanilla (2 scoops, 500 mL water) and all I can taste is artificial sweetener. I tried adding two teaspoons of instant coffee but the taste of sweetener is still pretty strong to me and I think I’m going to pour this one away. I haven’t tried the coffee powder yet but I imagine I’ll be able to taste the sweetener in that as well.

I have a pretty good diet and have always been happy with my weight so I’ve never eaten artificial sweeteners (I don’t drink fizzy drinks either) and I think this has made me quite sensitive to the taste. I want to start using Huel for the convenience as I can be lazy when it comes to cooking and not for weight loss so I’m not too fussed about adding sugar. I think in the future I’ll try the unsweetened version and sweeten it with normal sugar or honey or whatever takes my fancy.

But in the meantime I’ve got two brand new bags I need to get through. Do you have any tips for masking the taste?
I’ve seen cocoa powder, when adding this do you mix it in to the powder before adding the water? And how much cocoa powder do you recommend adding?

The one thing I’m thinking of trying is making smoothies with one scoop of vanilla so I’m not having too many calories in one go. My go-to smoothie is banana and peanut butter but do you have any other recommendations?

2

you’ll find that the stevia aftertaste softens considerably when the shake is left in the fridge for a while before drinking. I’d recommend trying that see how it works out for you.

3

It won’t matter when you add your cocoa powder - just scoop some into the shaker after you’ve added your huel and mix normally (or into the blender and blend, whatever your preference). I usually do one heaping tablespoon for 100g of Huel.

Other add ins that may help are instant coffee, blended fruit, spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, or even nut butters. If it’ll mix, you can try it! Changing your liquid base could help too: different plant milks, half milk/half water, juice/coffee/tea.

Some good smoothie options are tropical fruit like mango, pineapples or coconut; mixed berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries; and banana and peanut butter or cocoa powder. Some yoghurt or spinach is always a nice addition to any of the above as well. Again, if you can blend it, you can try it :slight_smile: