Stevia as an Herb
Speaking of sweetening tea, does anyone put the stevia leaf in tea instead of the crystals or liquid? I would be game for trying that.
Sometimes I put a pinch of stevia leaf in my infuser with the loose tea. Have also used it in homemade blends. If a very sweet taste is desired, don’t use stevia as the sole sweetener. A light touch is required. Just a bit too much stevia can interfere with the tea flavor by being unnaturally sweet, or by bringing a licorice-like flavor along with it. So err on the side of too little, because you can always add more later (but getting it out – that’s another story). For adding sweetness without changing the flavor, I recommend light agave syrup, white sugar, or Splenda.
I use stevia in tea sometimes as well. Usually only if I have a sweet tooth, but don’t want the sugar buzz. Or in sub-par tea. Have to be very careful. It’s nice if you can sweeten to 80% of desired flavor with stevia and finish off with a bit of honey or agave. This way you get the sweet without the weird flavor.
Licorice??? OH NO! Maybe my idea isn’t as good as I thought it was… that’s why I stay away from some chai’s, I HATE licorice/anise/fennel.
I hate all of those things too but I don’t think you can taste them in most chais. I personally love chai tea!
I have an opinion somewhere between you katers and you Caitlin- I avoiud some chais, but there are a lot of chais out there that don’t have those ingredients- you just need to look on the packaging. Never fear katers, hating these ingredients does not mean you need to avoid chai:)
Does anyone grow stevia?
I was, from the seed, and it was going swimmingly until one day I found that all the new little sprouts had mysteriously disappeared. They were so small, I didn’t think something could have eaten them. I will have to buy more seeds and try to grow them again indoors.
I bought some plants when I got my tomato plants this spring. It just starting to get bushy enough that I want to start harvesting it. I was hoping more Steepsters had experience with this plant. I’ve been using the “less is more” rule but it is still pretty sweet.
I’m growing it right now, one plant from garden center. ATM seems to be growing quite fine, but still somewhat small – in fact too small for being able to use it without fearing of damaging the plant too much
I used to grow stevia. It’s not hard. But it’s not all that satisfying either.
I’m really not a grow-plants-from-seed sort of person. I bought a small stevia plant from a nursery, repotted it and let it grow from there. But if you’re interested in stevia seeds, I believe Burpee has some. Also Whole Foods occasionally carries stevia seeds.
Do you buy it in powder form? I tried to grow it last year without much luck but saw at Planter’s so I decided to try again. This year it is growing very well. I read about drying it so I’ve tried both fresh and dried. I did notice that licorice-type flavor more with the fresh.
The stevia I buy is leaf, then just put a pinch in tea and brew. Easy shmeezy. Oh and its dried.
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