when I first joined huel, the bars were a feature, delicious and nourishing. that was version 2, I think. then came v.3 - ok but not quite so good. but since we’ve had these chocolate-bar lookalikes, it’s not the same item at all. instead of boasting about the new and better bars, the company would have been more honest if they said: “we’re pulling the bars you know and love; instead you’ll have to have sweeties.”
you liked them when they came out - out of curiosity, what changed your mind?
I always preferred the originals; I think the new ones are as I said, like confectionery.
The taste of cardboard, stale muesli and sadness. Each to their own I guess. I much prefer the new ones..although the ones you refer too were a step up from the previous iteration.
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Totally agree. I loved both previous ones, and they were great for travelling as they were virtually indestructable. Was gutted they stopped. The new ones are edible but a totally different product and far less useful.
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The previous bars were bricks that simply fulfilled the objective of cramming Huel into bar form. Could’ve used one as a weapon. Every person I had try one, across several years and ages 20-80, said it was horrible, barely edible or “something I’d only eat again if I was on a desert island and only had this”. Whenever I rarely bought one I always regretted it. Tough, dry, bland bricks. Constant complaints on social media, Reddit, etc and Huel’s data reflected this.
The new bars are delicious, on par with or exceeding everyday chocolate bars, that just so happen to have Huel in. In contrast, every person I’ve had try a new bar has loved it and feels like a treat rather than a survival ration. They’re soft, gooey, flavoursome, and as you say, like confectionary – how is this a bad thing? Something that most people love as a treat like Mars bars, etc are now available in a substantially healthier form.
Makes no sense and the thread’s title is melodramatic. There were always continuous complaints about the previous bars, and objectively the percentage of people who enjoy the texture, flavour, etc of the new type of bar is far beyond those who enjoy attempting to sink their teeth into a tough dry brick.
Imagine if Huel did a Celebrations-type package of mini Huel bars of each flavour – the new form I bet would be a big hit for gifts and loved by most people, while the previous form would be better suited as pellets in a BB gun.
Speaking of honesty, a more accurate title would be “The decline, fall and rising comeback of Huel bars”.
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That was the original objective. To make a solid version of Huel which is as nutritionally strong as possible (minimal sugars etc) while adhering to Huel’s now-defunct inclusive policy so it was free of sugar-alcohols (which Tim even promoted at the time as a selling point) and it was gluten-free. Gluten has a huge effect on a products texture, so it’s not fair to compare a GF product against a non-GF product and then say the GF product is terrible.
I do agree with your assessment of the taste and texture of the first version and maybe the second version of the OG bar, but by version 3, I thought they were quite decent and not dry or rock hard, although if your comparison is a Mars bar then obviously they were.
Personally I think your post highlights what is wrong with people pallet these days. If it’s not covered in chocolate, sweet or gooey and tastes like a treat they can’t handle it and reach for something that is given the overwhelming choice available.
The old version of the bar was a great travelling companion as it was immune to melting, didn’t care if it got mashed in your bag into different shapes and was accessible for people who can’t have gluten or sugar alcohol’s.
I get the business case why Huel ditched the OG bar and have pursued this glorified chocolate bar. I think the biggest annoyance from previously loyal OG bar customers is the old bar was killed entirely. I would have thought there would have been enough demand to keep the chocolate flavour only available as an online-only purchase.
Appreciate lots of mixed feelings here.
I joined the OG bars many moons ago, and they did the job. They were okay for the early phases of our exploring this range, but it’s safe to say we’ve really upped our game to bring you the best bar we possibly can.
There is a lot to take in here. Sometimes, in order to bring you the best product, we have to make way by removing something else. I’m not saying that this was the case but as mentioned recently these decisions to remove products come from lots of different elements of testing and feedback so it’s not just the case of demand in some cases.
We believe that these bars have been elevated, but we understand the desire for basic bars so it’s feedback I can pass on.
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We shall have to agree to disagree here I’m afraid Mark. Changing the rules, increasing the sugar content and covering it in chocolate has no doubt made it tastier, but I don’t want what was a staple of my daily food to be a ‘chocolate bar’ so those things are not important to me and a few clearly outnumbered others.
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And that’s fine to disagree, it’s what spaces like this are here for!
All I can tell you is I’ll take your points, pass them onto the right people so it’s always something to bear in mind 
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I tried a bar today that I got loose from H&B. My first experience with these was somewhat tainted thanks to them spoiling a little on the long haul delivery. It tasted better this time around even though the H&B stock was just weeks away from the BBE date - the chocolate hadn’t bloomed but it still left a strange feeling in the gut not long after eating it. I was going to put that down to the sugar alcohols - but I’ve also been having Grenade’s Oreo Protein Bars which have the same amount of Maltitol in them as the Huel bars and I don’t get the unsettled stomach with them.