Drinking tea or a herbal blend in its natural state can be unappealing for some. Sugar is the most common additive, but we all know sugar isn’t the best for you. And if we are starting the year with a ‘New Year, New Me’ attitude, this post is for you. If you don’t like ‘plain’ teas, there are far better substitutes for refined sugar. These substitutes are healthier, lower in calories, and may just be the enhancement you desire.
6 Natural Ways to Sweeten Tea
Honey
Who doesn’t love honey? It’s a versatile natural sweetener produced by bees and is created by the nectar bees extract from plants. Honey contains naturally occurring sugar as well as several types of amino acids, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Maple Syrup
Made from the sap of a sugar maple tree. It is boiled down to create the sugar concentrate that becomes maple syrup. The lighter the maple syrup, the milder the sweetness. Dark maple syrups have a caramel-like, robust flavor.
Stevia
Extracted from a plant, this low-calorie sweetener is sweeter than sugar. The leaves can be used fresh, dried, or ground as a sugar substitute to sweeten desserts, fruit, and drinks. Often used in its powder form, stevia can come in a variety of flavors.
*Dried stevia can be found in With Love.
Licorice Root
This natural alternative has a strong licorice flavor which makes it popular for sweets, medicines, and teas.
*Licorice root can be found in Call Me Ms. Lou, S.H.E. Dances, All That Jazz, Jamaica, Jamaica.
Agave Syrup
Agave syrup is derived from the sap of the Mexican agave plant, which is then filtered and concentrated into liquid, syrupy goodness. It’s thinner than honey, but is also much sweeter, and has a flavor very close to that of sugar.
Monkfruit
A melon native to China, its sweet taste is approximately 150 -200 times as sweet as sugar. It does not contain calories or carbohydrates.
No matter the sweetener you choose, what is most important is that you enjoy good tea. The trick is not to over-sweeten your beverage but to enhance it. No one wants to drink hot sugar water.
What alternate sweetener have you used?
