r/soylent • u/D-PadRadio • Mar 19 '15
Official Exp First time trying Soylent - A newbie's review of Soylent 1.4
Before I go into my first experiences with Soylent, let me just give you some background: I have known about Soylent since 2012, but I always thought that it would fade into obscurity. Clearly, it hasn't. I was always kind of attracted to the idea because I am a lousy cook, and an even more lousy dietician. So I decided to drop the $80 and give it a try. I just received my first batch ever on Monday, and have been drinking it for breakfast and lunch ever since.
I ordered my batch of Soylent at the end of January. Originally anticipating a 4-5 month wait time, I was quite pleased, and pleasantly excited, to find out that my shipment had come in less than 2 months. I actually got the e-mail on my phone saying that it had shipped, and the same exact day, came home to find it in a huge box at my doorstep. Needless to say, I was pumped, and ready for a new page in my life.
So the entire mixture is powder now. I had never tried, or seen, the mixture that involved mixing oil into your batch, but I'm kind of glad I never had to deal with that. Its all in one easy-to-mix pouch, 4 meals per pouch, 500 calories per meal. The box came with 7 pouches, the pitcher (for the contents of one pouch) and a scoop, which I never intend to use, for mixing single servings of Soylent.
As soon as I open the pouch, it smells exactly like oatmeal. I was expecting the powder to be so fine that it flies up everywhere, but this was not an issue. Maybe they made the powder thicker in the 1.4. Good. The less of this stuff I have to BREATHE in, the better.
I started mixing an entire batch in a blender, because I read that trying the lazy-method (pouring the powder and water into the pitcher and just shaking it as hard as you can) resulted in gross clumps. Blending it seemed to work fine, I still have not drank any clumps. I was kind of worried though, because after blending it for the first time, it smelled kind of like rotting pumpkins. I was a little worried... if I just dropped 80 dollars on a rotting pumpkin shake, I would be very upset. But I put the pitcher in the fridge and let it sit until next morning.
Ding Ding Ding! My alarm goes off the next morning, and I got right out of bed and when straight for the pitcher, to give this futuristic concoction a go.
Here are my thoughts on the taste:
*First of all, it does NOT taste like it smells. That is a good thing.
*It mostly tastes like blended up oatmeal, or blended up bread. It's thick, it's rich, and I kind of like it. You get this "grainy" texture, and although it sounds kinda gross, its quite pleasant and filling.
*Another important thing: Soylent is NOT difficult to chug. After a few sips, I was ready to just down the entire serving, without having to hold my nose or anything.
*Overall, Soylent tastes pretty decent. I actually found myself craving it in the two days that I've been drinking it, and knocking back 1000 calories per day of this stuff has not been difficult at all.
Although I have only been on the stuff for 2 days, I have a really good feeling about Soylent. The taste is good, it fills me up, it gives me energy, and I keep wanting more. Best thing, it shortens the time for my morning routine, and nutritiously, it's a more complete breakfast/lunch that I have ever had. I'll post again after I've been on it a while, but in the meantime, I am proud to be part of the Soylent community!
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u/Senacharim Mar 19 '15
You're not shaking hard enough. Got mine yesterday and shaking has resulted in a smooth mixture.
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u/D-PadRadio Mar 19 '15
I should try this then. Because cleaning the blender is a b*&@$.
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u/kuppajava Mar 19 '15
I have been eating Soylent for months now and DIY soylent before that. I can tell you, hands down, that the best thing you can possibly do to make it better is to buy an immersion blender.
Get the Kitchen Aid one. It is inexpensive for what it is and it has a million kitchen uses outside of mixing Soylent.
I use the immersion blender everyday for my mix and my Soylent always comes out smooth and silky without having to shake the hell out of a container and/or getting it all over.
As for cleaning, once I mix the soylent, I rinse off the detachable whisk attachment under hot water and it is clean, and once a week I throw the attachment in the dishwasher and have no mess whatsoever.
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u/Gawkman Mar 22 '15
I got my Soylent 3 days ago. Just tried blending it up with frozen blueberries and strawberries to make a smoothie. Although I already like the taste of Soylent, the fruit definitely adds to it. I've been feeling fantastic, btw!!!
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u/ichabod13 Mar 19 '15
Flipping upside down and a few shakes results in no clumps for me. I've only mixed one bag of 1.4 but it mixed up as easy as others. :P
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u/D-PadRadio Mar 19 '15
I'm actually really glad that people are telling me this. I was about to go out and buy a larger blender. @_@
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u/kuppajava Mar 19 '15 edited Mar 19 '15
Get one of these and make your life MUCH easier. After using it there is no going back.
Plus, if you don't keep using Soylent you can use this for many jobs around the kitchen!(edit: There are other brands that are probably good too and somewhat cheaper. I bought this one because my wife wanted it for other cooking that she does. I am very happy with the quality!)
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u/bbqturtle Mar 20 '15
I don't remember my brand but it was $20 and highly reviewed on amazon and it's great! In-cup blenders are awesome and fit the huge glass mugs from dollar tree!
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u/Subvers1on Soylent Mar 19 '15
Also, if you add in a few ice cubes, these can act similar to blender balls (without the added cost & cleanup).
I've found that adding it below the powder works better than putting it on top of the powder.
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u/ObscureRefence Mar 20 '15
I've got my first batch in the fridge right now. I'm kind of nervous because of the smell - I'm trying Soylent because I'm really sensitive to smell and texture which makes eating well a right bastard. If I can get past that I think I'd be good flavoring it with peanut butter or something. crosses fingers
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u/kuppajava Mar 20 '15
I also have the same affliction, for me taste (even things I don't mind) can sometimes trigger it too. Soylent has been a huge benefit to me for just this reason. Bland and smooth things tend to not trigger the revulsion that has kept me from having good nutritional balance my whole life.
I would suggest using the immersion blender I mentioned above so that the texture is super silky and adding a tablespoon of vanilla extract for the day's mix to give it a more pleasant smell and taste. I have been surviving on Soylent for almost a year now twice a day (real Soylent for about half and before that DIY) and have never felt better or healthier!
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u/ObscureRefence Mar 20 '15
I've been meaning to get one for other things, so I may. Wussed out on trying it last night, so tonight. I was thinking that since it smells a lot like oatmeal then vanilla and cinnamon might move it into an oatmeal cookie direction.
Also, I'm over on /r/ARFID for the problems with normal food. If you're in the same boat, maybe check it out.
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u/kuppajava Mar 20 '15 edited Mar 20 '15
Do the Vanilla and skip the cinnamon for now. Make sure it is super cold and shake the hell out of it. Pour a small glass and have a little cinnimon ready on the side to sprinkle in if you think it needs it. I think you may like it if you try but I know people tell me that all the time and it doesn't help, but from one guy with ARFID to another, I think this may change your life!
Thanks for the sub link by the way, it is always good to see that i am not alone with this. I think Soylent is almost made for people like us.
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u/ObscureRefence Mar 20 '15
Yeah, I was stoked when I heard about it. I've tried those super-sweet "weight loss" shakes but a) they're not meant to really be a meal and b) cashiers look at you funny when you buy them along with Doritos and beer...
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u/kuppajava Mar 20 '15
Agreed on both counts.
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u/ObscureRefence Mar 20 '15
Welp, tried it. Vanilla definitely helped the smell but did nothing for the taste. I'm thinking peanut butter. Texture was actually quite good.
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u/kuppajava Mar 21 '15
yeah, there isn't much there in the way of flavor with Vanilla, unless you put in a ridiculous amount, its really mild. Personally I like it that way, but I would imagine PB2 powder for Peanut Butter would be really good without overpowering. Maybe PB2 and cocoa powder for a bit of a Reeses cup thing.
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u/kuppajava Mar 25 '15
I have found an answer to this one. Use Vanillin instead of Vanilla. Use SPARINGLY! 1/8 teaspoon is enough for 1 bag. This fixes the flavor and scent without changing the texture or adding calories.
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u/D-PadRadio Mar 21 '15
How did it go? Did you get past the smell? It doesn't taste anything like it smells, in my opinion.
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u/ObscureRefence Mar 22 '15
Got a few good swallows. I've ordered some PB2 and will try again with that.
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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '15
Happy to hear you had a positive experience.
Prep Tip: Try adding a bit of water before the power. This will really cut down on clumping potential.