Kitchen

[JeanLouiseFinch]

On 10/13/2014 feline groovy said:

On 10/13/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

I bought the Trader Joe's Liquid Stevia and find that if you use too much, it will go bitter. Rather than use an full dropper, back off and go by actual drops. Start out with around 4-5 drops and see if you need to adjust by adding another drop or two. Stevia isn't going to make things taste exactly like sugar would, and there will be a slightly fake taste, but for me Stevia is the best option out there rather than Aspartame or Sucralose. I have a big bottle from Vitacost that I haven't tried yet, but I'd suspect it will work the same way as the TJ's brand.

Most people get used to it.

Oh yeah, and it's not a deal breaker for me either.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

On 10/13/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:

I buy the flavored liquid stevia, that comes in bottles with eye droppers, available at Whole Foods.

Right now, I have Chocolate, English Toffee, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon and Vanilla Cream which I alternate for sweetening my morning coffee. I have one large mug in the morning (16 oz) and I use 7 drops to sweeten it.

Hope this helps.

I found some of these on the Vitacost site - maybe handful of flavors. I don't know that I'd like a chocolate flavored waters, but it might be good in a cup of coffee.

[Buck-i-Nana]

As others have already posted, a dropper full is way too much.

I've tried so many different brands. My favorite so far is Pure Via, followed by Stevia in the Raw. In my research I found that there are 2 methods for extracting the sweetness from the Stevia leaf and the portion of the leaf used in the extraction. One method and portion of the leaf is cheaper because it is more bitter.

[debic]

Maybe we have sensitivities to the taste or something?

While I've never seen the flavored I've tried the packets of in the raw and truvia, I'm not sure what brand of liquid I tried, but it's too expensive to keep trying only to toss it out.

I noticed even sodastream has a few stevia flavored drinks now. That'll be good for some.

I will pass on the flavored info to a friend of mine that is pre diabetic and trying to cut out sugar. Maybe he'll like it.

[BOYINTX]

I have enjoyed the packets w/out bitterness. Maybe the liquid is different ?

[chickenbutt]

I've used the liquid version of Splenda for many years and it's very nice - not at all bitter.

I know some folks don't care for Splenda, though. But I think, like most things, it's fine for most people in moderation. I say 'most people' because I know that some might be caused some digestive upset from it.

The stuff I use is called 'Sweetzfree' and it's available online. IIRC, 1 drop = 1.5 tsp.

I like that choice for some things that would be more difficult to integrate the powdered or crystally version into.

[Moonlady]

On 10/13/2014 oceantown said:

I use packets of stevia powder. NuNaturals, NuStevia brand. It is not bitter. I use about 1/2 of a packet in my Greek plain yogurt.

You should use just a little. I was surprised when you said you used a dropperful. Does the pkg say how much to use? I thought it should be maybe 3 or 4 drops, not a whole dropperful.

I just looked up a chart for SteviaClear Liquid Stevia and it lists 4 to 6 drops equals the sweetness of 2 teaspooon sugar. That would be the maximum I would add to your iced tea. When you add too much, it is not good.

I also have some stevia extract powder that is very concentrated. 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon equals the sweetness of 1 cup sugar.

I've used the NuStevia, too, right from the start, and love it.

I don't find it bitter at all, either. It's like a fine powder, not granulated like Truvia. I find that it has a very mild, pleasant licorice flavor that I like in those teas that I prefer to drink sweetened (ie., Chai).

I hope they never discontinue NuStevia, as I don't care for Truvia (the top-seller).

[Ibby114]

Stevita liquid is great- I haven't tried the flavored ones yet. There's no aftertaste, but it's SWEET!! I use 3 drops in a big mug of coffee and that's enough!! It's very pure too- contains only stevia, distilled water and grapefruit seed extract. The powder version contains erythritol, a sugar alchohol (any ingredient with a 'itol' suffix is a sugar alchohol). Something I want to stay away from as much as possible! (tmi!)

The powdered version I have is Stevia Select- it contains ONLY stevia. WOW, it's even sweeter! It comes with a teeny tiny spoon and I only use a portion of that for my big mug of coffee. No aftertaste as well.

I buy them both from Amazon! Many commented on TJ's stevia- it contains lots of fillers. The packets generally even moreso, too. That really compromises the 'healthy aspect' of using stevia.