Update: it actually tastes like instant mushroom soup. I am certain the taste was not anything close to this before.
Update 2: After a day or so of drinking it I got used to the salty, mushroom-y taste. It no longer comes across as offensive any more, though I still have not opened more than one bag to check if this only happens with one of them or if it’s an actual change in taste on this batch. Having tasted the “original version” again that I still had at work I found it less appealing as I remembered it was in comparison to the new taste.
So I just got my latest delivery and I’m a bit concerned with the significant change in flavour in comparison to my last order. You mentioned that a slight variation is due to be expected as you may switch sources for ingredients, but this is a change in such a degree at which point I’m unable to tell if this batch missed quality checking, someone puked into it, or just something that is expected.
Edit: I would describe the taste as less lively, less oaty. More in the direction of a food or drink that has gone off. There is also a borderline offensive taste of bicarbonate. First thing I thought was if the water coming from my tap was fizzy (of course it’s not). The smell is the exact same as it was though.
I am not saying that it’s so bad it’s undrinkable, but the degree of change in comparison to the last pouch is akin to it being an entirely different product. I think it is a fair expectation that when you purchase something you had before, you want it to have more or less the same taste. If the taste of said thing changes radically, you should at least be informed of this change so that you don’t end up feeling scammed - being sold something you did not really want.
Please allow me to suggest that you either keep a change log on your website, raising attention to such changes, or just try to stick to a formula that produces consistent results.
A change of similar degree has happened with the sweetened version before, so while it’s sort of within the bounds of what I expected, it was still harsh enough to motivate me writing this here.
Another thing that you may want to look out for is the way you place your product into the boxes. This got a lot worse in the past few months. You can tell that the pouches has been chucked into the box from a distance by someone who clearly does not care if they get damaged or not.
Same here, this is also labelled as version 1.1, just as the version number on the label of the pouch I am referring to as the Huel with the “original taste”. The taste can change and the version number remains the same. This is what I suggested here to stop doing as it gives the impression of inconsistency due to inadequate attention or outright misleading. (I am not saying that I’m sure either of these is happening.)
The formula for the unsweetened hasn’t changed. I’ve checked with the supplier too.
We do use natural ingredients in general which vary with the season, the weather condition when harvested, the field that batch was from, the part of the country the product is from, etc. That is the only thing I can think of.
Thanks for looking into it Julian. I actually got used to the taste after like a day. Now when tasting the “original version” - the one with the taste that was consistent from the start up until my last order - I note it had a more paper-like taste and I actually missed the more salty, mushroom-y taste of the new version.
I have not opened more than one pouch yet, so I can’t tell for sure if this is an anomaly or an actual change in the overall taste. I still uphold my stance though that this change was a bit too steep to simply write it off as the result of the changing variables you say it may relate to.
I have just received an order, unflavored, batch 2061 and fully agree that it tastes off. Instead of the oaty taste which I quite like, this one has a disgusting aftertaste of peas and mushrooms, and it has been difficult to even finish a serving and keep it down. Big enough of a difference to make me wonder if there is something wrong with it. I’ve only tried one bag so far, I’ll probably open another bag for the next serving just to see, but I am pretty disappointed so far. I totally agree with the OP that this variation is beyond minor ingredient tweaks, IMHO it simply tastes bad.
Thanks Julian. After a few more servings I’m getting used to it and it’s not so bad now actually. My initial reaction was strong and quite negative, maybe with 100% Huel I got very sensitive to the change in taste. In any event the last few servings were nothing to complain about at all.
I’ve been having the exact same trouble with that batch (it’s second one I’ve had). I’ve been using huel occaisionally, for when I’m not able to get other food. I’ve found myself doing anything to avoid eating this batch though, and I liked the one before.
