I can’t help but nudge this one back up. I was happily using my vanilla and it’s shake-like consistency but my unflavoured just doesn’t mix properly. Same weight to water ratio, but it just doesn’t “bond” and the powder settles on the bottom, and whatever amount of shaking it always feels like you’re drinking water with bits in it.
I’ve ordered more vanilla but I can’t believe that there isn’t some reason vanilla thickens up and stays mixed and unflavoured really doesn’t
During my brief experience of using Unflavoured, I noticed that it was much thinner in consistency. Must be something in the vanilla flavour system that does it. Could it be the sucralose? Using strawberry flavour pack (which uses stevia instead) with unflavoured didn’t make it thicker.
Agreed, banana flavour doesn’t help the consistency or longevity. I don’t mind so much, I’ll just go half-and-half with vanilla until it’s gone, but if the formula needs a rethink, then I’m happy to feedback for the greater good
I can confirm that the unsweetened mixes much thinner and the seeds etc… settle to the bottom of the container quicker, especially if left overnight in the fridge, to the point that a vigourous shake doesn’t dislodge this mix from the bottom of the container. This is very noticeable visually before even having a mouthful. Then the difference in texture is noticeable.
If you add one of the flavour pouch flavours which has a bit of colour like mocha or chocolate this settling is even more obvious.
The vanilla version definitely holds the ingredients together in suspension better and for longer and the settling of ingredients with the unsweetened made me adapt the way I prepare my Huel. Now I don’t fully prepare it the night before at all and leave it in the fridge. Instead I just measure out a quantity of water in the shaker and chill that in the fridge and then throw everything in the blender at the time I actually want to eat.
I think I probably do make it with quite a lot of water anyway so maybe that helps to highlight the difference between the two. I use 600ml of water to about 115g of powder. I’ve got a pack of each types so I’ll do a side-by-side comparison if I remember.
Mixing unsweetened and sweetened together 50/50 does help somewhat, but there’s still a noticeable difference.
Actually, I wonder if soft or hard water makes any difference? I use water from a distiller, btw.
Okay, I’ve done a side-by-side comparison of vanilla and unsweetened using exactly equal amounts of powder and water, with Huel chocolate flavouring added to each. I used room temperature water in this case.
Immediately after making, the unsweetened has a very thin layer of darker material (flaxseed?) on the surface. The vanilla is a thicker consistency. In the unsweetened, you can see that straight away, there is obvious difference in consistency between top and bottom of the glass:
About 30-40 minutes later the separation of ingredients becomes obvious and a very watery layer is near the top, thick layer at the bottom:
Unsweetened separating:
Vanilla remains as good as when first poured with hardly any separation at all:
The thick layer that settles to the bottom can be seen in the unsweetened. It’s actually much thicker and sludgy than it looks in the photo and it sticks to the bottom. You end up wasting that because it doesn’t pour out - which creates a little extra washing-up:
With the unsweetened, everything is fine if you drink immediately after making, but if you plan to have it later, then it’s a bit of a pain and the bottom sludgy bit never unsticks no matter how hard you shake. The vanilla remains pretty consistent, even overnight in the fridge with a gentle shake.
Is this what other people are seeing?
That describes it well Harry. The photos don’t do it justice there. I make mine using fairly hard tap water but I doubt water can make a difference. I mix mine in a Nutribullet but I tried a shaker too.
The first time I had all U/U I essentially drank some disappointing white water and then a not-unpleasent sludge that tasted like cereal, but it wasn’t worth the 80% water to get the sludge.
Does vanilla have a thickener in it? The volume of liquid is important (to me) for making me feel full, and I fear reducing the amount of liquid in a U/U mix wouldn’t make a difference anyway.
Something for the guys to investigate and improve upon.
I’m “eating” both U&U and Vanilla, and sorry guys, I don’t have noticed what is described here.
OK, there is a little separation with the U&U powder after 2 or 3 hours in the fridge, but after a vigourous twirl, it’s homogenous again.
Almost all powder I’m using (Bertrand and Joylent especially) have such a little separation, but nothing serious, and I really don’t understand the psycho-drama about that. What do you prefer? A good shake after a llittle separation, or a lovely chemical emulsifier?…
The only thing I have noticed is that the U&U is thinner than Vanilla, and needs less water (for the same quantity of powder of course).
This is what is strange… “A good shake” doesn’t remix what I’m seeing after a night in the fridge - it really does become like ap7663 describes. “disappointing white water and then a not-unpleasent sludge that tasted like cereal, but it wasn’t worth the 80% water to get the sludge” 
That’s actually a perfect description! I’'d be fine if a good shake did remix it properly.
A really vigorous full minute of shaking doesn’t remix it - which means you’re wasting powder (it’s probably a good tablespoon’s worth that ends up going down the drain) and therefore changing the actual nutrition you’re actually getting. It turns a pleasant drink into something drinkable, but not what I would describe as enjoyable (hence I don’t keep it overnight anymore) and instead drink it straight away after preparation, which doesn’t bother me at all, but I can see how it would affect other people who want to prepare and keep.
Something to do with the vanilla/sucralose flavour is obviously having a greater than expected effect on the product (in seemingly differing degrees for different people). Apart from vanilla flavour and the sucralose there is apparently absolutely no difference in ingredients so there is an emulsifying effect coming from somewhere that seems to be totally unexpected. This emulsifying effect doesn’t happen at all with the stevia based flavours.
As Julian tried his own experiment and didn’t notice any difference in consistency, I’m merely posting my findings here to demonstrate what other people have also noticed and to help the people at Huel see what people are actually experiencing so they can improve their product and create something more consistent and enjoyable for everyone. 
We recently added extra emulsifier (gum arabic) to U&U, so hopefully the problems you discribe above will be gone.
Finally, and thanks to all separation-maniacs, we now have some nice and palatable E414 in our U&U Huel! Nom nom nom…
I’ll take that as sarcasm. I guess I just have separation anxiety. There are plenty of E numbers in Huel, I can only recognise E300 and E307 (vits C and E).
I’m of the opinion that food that everybody can actually drink, and sell, is better, and that the formula should be under constant revision as new alternatives and evidence arrives.
That’s a little off-topic, but still…
That is the point… U&U needs much less water than Vanilla!!! There is too much water in your U&U!
U&U and Vanilla are not the same products, why would they need the same amount of water? That is the first thing I have noticed, when I have drunk my first U&U meal!
See my review of U&U here: Google Workspace Updates: New community features for Google Chat and an update on Currents
Here are the amounts I’ve found to be correct, for the same thickness:
For 690-700 Kcal:
Huel U&U: 165 g (+650 ml)
Huel Vanilla: 160 g (+900 ml)
Yes, for the same thickness, 650 ml water on one hand, 900 ml on the other hand! And no separation in both cases…
So, don’t be surprised, if you use so much water in U&U, to have such a separation in the shake!
Just a tip, if you like your Huel really thick, try adding a frozen banana to the mix and blend in a Nutri-Bullet. The banana compliments the vanilla flavor really well, it’s like having an ice-cream desert.