Lets Talk Sugar...

When I use sweetener, I use a number of different kinds depending on the tea. I use honey or white sugar in herbals, white sugar or brown rock sugar in iced teas, white sugar with flavoured matcha, brown sugar with chai, brown rock sugar with dessert-type or flavoured black teas.

I will also use things like vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, whole star anise to also add a bit of sweetness to certain teas.

I was disappointed when I tried rock sugar. I got some from Tea Forte and I don’t think it was the brand so much as the sugar itself. I couldn’t get it to dissolve and disperse evenly throughout my tea. I would find hunks at the bottom of my cup.

That being said, I would check other places before you shell out the money for a pound at Teavana. You might be able to pick up a small amount at a health food store or other retailer for less.

I now use “organic” unprocessed (or less processed) raw sugar. I’m not convinced it’s any better than plain white sugar, but it works for me. You may find you love the rock sugar and that it’s best for you. Good luck.

I only ever use honey if I’m sweetening. I’ve yet to find it unpleasant with any type of tea.

Mtsui White Crystal Sugar. Pure and clean sweetness used for high grade cooking and beverages, especially tea. Only available in Japan. If you want to spend more for a similar sugar, then the sugar offered from Mariage Freres.

When I used sugar, I always liked using golden sugar. Made it nice and sweet and wasn’t anywhere near as abrasive as white sugar.

For chais I still like to put brown sugar in. A chai without brown sugar just isn’t a chai, in my opinion :)

I use “Raw Sugar” for coffee when I visit my parents, that is what they use. I love it, gives the coffee an excellent taste compared to plain sugar. I never bought it for myself because its a good bit more, price wise. I am going to buy some and compare the differences between that, “Teavana Perfectea Rock Sugar”, plain sugar and honey, to decide what I prefer with particular teas. I am looking forward to my “sugar journey”, lol. Thanx for all the input everyone.

I usually use honey for herbals and white sugar for tea, but sometimes brown sugar goes better, especially with the stronger/spicier kinds of chai, or with fruit teas for a cobbler-ish kind of taste (ginger peach!) Sugar in the raw is really good with white tea too, if I have it.

Well, I just tried a Chai with honey and it is excellent.

I don’t usually sweeten my teas now, but when I did it was usually with the Teavana rock sugar. I handled the problem with the rocks not melting fully in a novel way that may displease many ‘proper’ tea enthusiasts, but it worked for me.

I’d put 2 tsp. of rock sugar into my 24 oz. tea pot before adding the water for brewing. Then I’d put the infuser with the tea in place, and the poor the hot water into the pot.

When the tea was done brewing I’d remove the strainer with the wet tea leaves, stir the pot to distribute the sweetener throughout the tea, and then enjoy the tea. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to suit your taste, of course.

I never found ANY undissolved bits of rock sugar in the tea pot.

Gene

This summer I started using chunks of Panela.
Yummy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K6XKadWWq8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panela
http://myteashelf.com/panela