Sweet Tea Addict in need of HELP

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Mkristinek
Mkristinek Posts: 78
in Food and Nutrition
So, I am a huge sucker for really sweet tea. Ive always put 2 cups of sugar per gallon (i know), but now I dont drink it anymore cause its so bad for me! I was wondering if anyone knew of a tea that is naturally flavorful (and not bitter) without needing to be sweetened. I usually drink decaf luizianne, but I need another decaf tea I can drink without adding anything! Its so gross without sugar! (and I hate splenda). Any tea people (and I know tea people are out there!) have any suggestions for teas I can try? Preferrably ones I can get at like publix, walmart, fresh market, new leaf, fresh market, or earth fare. Dont want to order anything!

Thanks!

Replies

  • asallen7
    asallen7 Posts: 301
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    Have you tried the Yogi Herbal Teas? If you must sweeten, use a little bit of honey and lemon slices. I can drink mine without the sugar though--and I'm a major sugar addict. MAJOR!
  • midwifekelley2350
    midwifekelley2350 Posts: 337 Member
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    maybe just start decreasing the amt of sugar, you might not miss it as much as you think
  • Dawnomite
    Dawnomite Posts: 37 Member
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    I use stevia in my sweet tea. I like it... and you do get use to the "not regular sugar" thing.
  • daunna1013
    daunna1013 Posts: 26
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    yes yes yes i have the perfect tea for you! www.marketspice.com/store/products/marketspice-cinnamon-orange-24ct-teabag-box

    Market spice tea makes this cinnamon orange tea and it is so sweet you would swear there was sugar in it. Its AMAZING! The longer you let it steep the sweeter it gets too :)
  • applebobbrush
    applebobbrush Posts: 235 Member
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    If you have a Teavana near you they have awesome naturally sweet tea with lots of dried fruit so you don't have to add any sweetner. Celestial seasonings holiday version of peppermint/candy cane is awesome too. When I see a box of the celestial seasonings candy cane I buy all they have so I can have it all year long ha ha. Teavana is the best.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I like fruit flavored teas. I had a great strawberry pomegranate tea from Stash. Their vanilla spiced chai is great too!

    ETA: I sweeten mine a little. I'll use 1/4 cup for 64oz.
  • beautifulbrat
    beautifulbrat Posts: 171
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    well.......the pastor makes sweet tea all the time here and i will drink one glass.....maybe 2 every once in a great while. but usually when i get in a tea mood, i want flavored tea (bigelow tea is really good no calories, or anything!) and i only add bout a teaspoon to it and then taste it and its usually the way i like it
  • daunna1013
    daunna1013 Posts: 26
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    Also im not sure about stevia, but i know artificial sweeteners may be linked to insulin resistance ... so you might want to look into that before going down that ave. :)
  • ratherbeskiing
    ratherbeskiing Posts: 847 Member
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    Have you tried the MIO sweet tea? Zero Cals!
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
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    I used to be a BIG sweet tea fan too. I love sweet n low in my unsweetened tea. Not equal. Sweet N Low is way better. I put 3 packets of sweet n low in a medium sized ice tea from McDonalds. Perfect for me.

    But not equal. Equal is gross.
  • cihrle
    cihrle Posts: 1
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    I'm from the South so "sugar tea" has always been a big thing for me. I'm finding that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Zen Green Tea from Starbucks. You can buy it in most Krogers/grocery stores too. Needs just a bit of sugar, but I can also drink it without any sweetener and it's good. Hope this helps.
  • montiy
    montiy Posts: 32
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    I am a MASSIVE sweet tea addict (I'd put 4 or 5 cups of sugar into a jug of tea, and I would drink 4 or 5 big glasses of tea a day)...and knew that I needed to stop drinking it, if I was ever going to be serious about losing some weight. So...I've started drinking unsweetened tea...but the trick for me has been finding something that has a good flavor to it (even a flavor that tastes sweet). I just go to Wal-Mart and buy tea there...and then I put two teabags into a big jug of water, and let it brew in the fridge. (You can use more teabags if you like a stronger taste; I haven't minded it this way, but some people have told me that it's pretty weak...so I'd probably recommend more teabags.) I have bought Celestial Seasonings (Black Cherry Berry is my favorite...then also True Blueberry, Lemon Zinger, and Country Peach Passion), and there's also a good one from Lipton (Bavarian Wild Berry black tea). These make very good tea, and I do not add ANY sugar. In fact, I've now gotten to the point where I prefer the unsweetened tea; when I drink a cup of sweet tea, it tastes too sweet and really is not refreshing. So...give it a try, and just stick with it for at least a few weeks, and I think you can find success. Takes a little weaning at the start, but it's been SUCH a good thing for me!
  • Rheatheylia
    Rheatheylia Posts: 53 Member
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    I NEED sweetener in my tea, I mean I can drink it without, but I was raised on southern sweet tea, and I like it sweet! My favorite cal-free sweetener is pure stevia powder, I got mine from amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Stevia-Extract-Powder-3-5/dp/B000VRSR84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321324687&sr=8-1 I know the price probably seems crazy, but you only use 1/32 of a teaspoon for 16 oz. of tea, and the bottle has over 2000 scoops in it! I've had mine for over a year and a half and drink tea/use it to sweeten regularly, and I probably have over 1/4 left!
  • shunta864
    shunta864 Posts: 52
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    have you tried sweet tea flavored Mio? its really good and its 0 calories, sugar, and everything else. its like crystal light but its a liquid you put in your water
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
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    Have you tried the MIO sweet tea? Zero Cals!

    I love this Mio! Make it as sweet as you want but start light and taste it first because if you over do it, toooo sweet!
  • montiy
    montiy Posts: 32
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    Oh, I forgot to add...Another REALLY good place to get tea (to make the unsweetened tea I described) is The Republic of Tea (http://www.republicoftea.com). My favorite flavors are Ginger Peach, Blackberry Sage, Apricot Decaf, Mango Ceylon, Lemon Wintergreen, Kiwi Pear, and Cherry Strawberry.
  • flor137
    flor137 Posts: 1
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    Hi! :) i did the same ._. and i think if you put a bit of honey it will be sweet. its natural and better :D kiss!
  • montiy
    montiy Posts: 32
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    Oh, and I thought you might like hearing (from a fellow sweet tea addict)...I never was able to enjoy the Stevia and those other kinds of sweeteners. They just don't taste like sugar...so I couldn't enjoy them. I was much more successful just finding some good flavors to drink unsweetened. I couldn't replace sugar with something that didn't taste like sugar.
  • jazzybean1
    jazzybean1 Posts: 113
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    So, I am a huge sucker for really sweet tea. Ive always put 2 cups of sugar per gallon (i know), but now I dont drink it anymore cause its so bad for me! I was wondering if anyone knew of a tea that is naturally flavorful (and not bitter) without needing to be sweetened. I usually drink decaf luizianne, but I need another decaf tea I can drink without adding anything! Its so gross without sugar! (and I hate splenda). Any tea people (and I know tea people are out there!) have any suggestions for teas I can try? Preferrably ones I can get at like publix, walmart, fresh market, new leaf, fresh market, or earth fare. Dont want to order anything!

    Thanks!
    I love sweeter tea too...it's the only thing sweet that I actually like:) I get the vanilla rooibas. It's just a tetley one that you can get at the grocery store. I drink other teas too & sweeten them with stevia or honey:)
  • auctoritas
    auctoritas Posts: 204
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    I went from ridiculously sweet tea to unsweetened tea by reducing the amount of sugar I added very slowly. If you can afford to, drink your sweet tea with a couple tablespoons fewer per gallon each time you make it.

    Once you're lower on sugar, try an oolong tea. I find they stand up best to being drunk without anything at all added, and that was even while I was addicted to heavily sweetened tea.

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