sweet tea without sugar or honey is it possible

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  • MimiMedrano
    MimiMedrano Posts: 20
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    Nectresse is the ONLY calorie free sweetener I've found that doesn't leave a nasty after taste. It's my go to when I want sweet tea!!
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    I feel a riot amongst sotherners... sweet tea is pure sugar lol
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    Southern Sweet Tea? NO! :angry:
  • auntsammy88
    auntsammy88 Posts: 401 Member
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    I'm an Equal girl too!! Sweet N Low in a pinch. I think Splenda and Stevia taste horrible. Splenda has a bad after taste to me. Every time I drink a Stevia drink I get a headache. I know it's natural and not do that but it does. I add lemon every once in a while. I don't care for mint in my tea.

    Stevia gives me headaches too! I'm not sure what causes that?

    As far as the op is concerned, I don't really like "southern" sweet tea (aka sugar with a little tea in it), but some of the flavored herbal teas have a touch of sweetness. Maybe just slowly reduce the amount of sugar you use until you don't feel the need? Also, as others have mentioned infusing it with dried fruit or adding a little bit of citrus is a good option.

    ETA: We have the little cubes of sugar. Maybe just allowing yourself 1 cube in your cup of tea and no more might help? I'm not sure how much sugar you put in your tea to begin with.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
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    Try herbal teas or fruit flavored teas. (I second the recommendation for Celestial Seasonings' Red Zinger. Also Bigelow's Perfect Peach.) There are some really good ones.
    Also try gradually reducing the sugar in your tea. Eventually you will not like the taste of sweet tea.
  • mcwalker1126
    mcwalker1126 Posts: 12
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    I used to drink sweet tea all the time, naturally being a Southerner and all. But then, like you, wanted to cut out some calories and started drinking unsweet. It's bitter at first, but after a while you won't want the sugary sweet tea anymore. Hot tea doesn't need sugar either. Try some of the different Yogi brand flavors. If you do still need something use stevia or lemon. Enjoy!
  • Great_Mazinga
    Great_Mazinga Posts: 214 Member
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    When I was getting off sodas, I turned to tea, with various sweeteners. I then cut back, and ultimately eliminated sugar all together in my teas. Since then I can drink black, green, white....doesn't matter, and enjoy them. It took a couple weeks or more, but the longer I took the better.

    I can now barely tolerate a sugary beverage. Sweet tea in particular is actually a repulsive flavor now. Sodas are even way to sweet for me.

    I love this condition. I was just so used to everything being so heavily sugared I didn't notice it, until I made a new normal for myself. Dumping the sugar has really helped me lose so much weight.

    Also as a personal anecdote, teas have curbed my appetite, or perhaps more accurately the sugary drinks were driving my appetite.

    Also for reference I like my teas relatively weak. Without the sugars, you may find your steeping times and strength preference will also change. Brew teas too long, and heavy bitter flavors start to render out, hence why so much sugar is "needed".

    My personal favorite is a Bigelow peach green tea, and a Japanese black tea [will have to look for the brand, it is specific].
  • jessilee119
    jessilee119 Posts: 444 Member
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    I really enjoy an apple tea in a local shop close to my work place. These are the closest recipes I have found to the tea (they refuse to give their recipe out). However the one I drink; has 2-3 fresh pieces of apple in it.

    Hot Buttered Apple Tea
    Ingredients
    12 cups of water
    2 Family sized tea bags
    ½ cup apple butter
    Directions

    Follow instructions on tea bags and while tea is hot, add apple butter. This smells and tastes so delicious - it is like a warm mulled cider.

    Turkish Apple Tea
    Ingredients:

    Servings:
    4-6

    8 ounces sliced dried apples
    2 cinnamon sticks
    4 whole cloves
    6 cups cold water
    honey

    Place all the ingredients except the honey into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat & simmer for 15 minutes.
    Strain the hot tea into a teapot. Make sure to gently push on the apples to remove all the liquid.
    Sweeten with honey, if needed, then pour into tea glasses.

    Alternatively, you can also add dried raisins to the water while boiling it for a natural sweetness.

    These sound yummy...I'm going to have to try them.
  • 1992Leigh1992
    1992Leigh1992 Posts: 100 Member
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    I'm an Equal girl too!! Sweet N Low in a pinch. I think Splenda and Stevia taste horrible. Splenda has a bad after taste to me. Every time I drink a Stevia drink I get a headache. I know it's natural and not do that but it does. I add lemon every once in a while. I don't care for mint in my tea.

    Stevia gives me headaches too! I'm not sure what causes that?

    .

    I think different people respond to/tolerate sweeteners differently.

    I REALLY loved the taste of Natvia but got a weird feeling in my stomach.

    During exam period last year, after consuming a WAY-more-than-normal amount of equal and coke zero, I started to get headaches. Note that this is an unusually high amount and something I would only do twice a year (again, exam block).

    I strongly object to the notion that aspartame is 'dangerous', I just went overboard. But it was just after that time I realised I liked splenda better (which is sucarlose). Now I know most of the widely-used sweeteners by their names and chemical numbers.

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