Soylent (is not people) - A review of the meal replacement drink, Soylent 1.6

Soylent. The stuff of dreams. 

A few weeks ago I decided to order Soylent, which is a meal replacement drink that has been popping up in my facebook ads like crazy. Soylent is designed to meet all of the nutritional requirements of an average adult. That's what enticed me. Really healthy thing that is fast and requires no effort. And is relatively cheap. And the packaging looks like it was done by the Dharma Initiative. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love cooking and eating fancy meals. But sometimes I realize that it's already 10:30 PM and I haven't eaten dinner yet. My options are: 

1. Spend time cooking a real meal and eat super late

2. Order Chinese food

3. Eat Mac n Cheese with cut up hot dog bits in it. 

But now I have...

4. Eat (drink?) soylent. 

So I got the powdered version (soylent 1.6) rather than the premade drink version (2.0) because it's cheaper and I don't want to waste all of those bottles because environment. 

Apparently previous versions of soylent powder (like 1.2 and 1.3) gave people horrendous gas. You should check out some of the reviews on reddit. They're filled with amazing descriptors like "gas from a rancorous demon in the deepest pits of hell," or something like that. Really bad farts. 

Anyway! No gas for me with 1.6. Well, I shouldn't say none. My usual amount.  

Preparation: Mix with water. Shake it up in a water bottle or in the  pitcher that they give you for free (which is pretty nice btw). Shake out all the chunks. I put some ice cubes in because Arizona tap water right now is about 90 degrees and they say this stuff is best consumed cold. Whatever I don't drink right away goes in the fridge. 

Taste: My first sip ever was like " meeehhhhh...... I just bought a month's supply of this..... "  I was nervous. But it's really grown on me. I actually crave it now. Ok I'll say it. I really dig the taste. It might not be for everyone though. It's designed to be pretty neutral so that you can add flavors or blend fruit in it or whatever. To me it's like oats with toasted marshmallow. It's somewhat sweet, such that I'm worried that I might be developing a bit of a sweet tooth. But oh well. 

Consistency: Pretty smooth. Like a smoothie but no chunks (unless you suck at shaking it up) and not gritty. Overall pleasing. 

The aftermath: Does it keep me full? Yeah for a while. I find that I kind of snack on it throughout the day, unless I'm having normal meals. Overall, I've been feeling pretty good lately. Not sure if that's from the Soylent, but it could be. 

This stuff definitely isn't for everyone. If you're immediately repulsed by the thought of a white milky drink, don't get it. If you're already outraged over the idea of having to reduce the number of home-cooked meals (or McDonalds?) you consume, then don't buy it. 

I don't think I'll consume it at this rate forever. It's just good for my lifestyle at this point. And I still love real food too. If I want to grill a steak, I'll grill a steak. But at least this has given me a way to cut out a bunch of the half-assed meals I would normally have in a given week. 

Finally, they just released a coffee version of soylent 2.0. I've ordered a case and can post a review once it arrives. 

Also, I'm in now way related to Soylent. I'm not being paid for this review. Or maybe I will be soon...?

-Andy