How do you sweeten your tea? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Push-Pull · 03-24-2009, 04:59 PM

OK, so I've started drinking iced tea to try and get off this love affair I've had with soda forever. So far so good, until I realized that my original recipe was using just as much sugar as soda!

I then tried half the sugar, and while it was drinkable, it may take some time for me to get used to. I just picked up some Stevia, and will work with that and see how I like it, but I have no idea how much to use. (I don't think it's a same for same sugar replacement...) I'm also considering honey, but again, no idea how much to add. I'm making a gallon at a time, but may try a glass at a time until I can get some formula worked out. FWIW, this is plain old Lipton tea. I boil 12 cups water, add the sugar/sweetener, and dunk in 5 bags and let cool down for 20 minutes. I then fill up a gallon jug and add water to make a full gallon.

Anyone offer me some ideas on how to get a good sweet tea with less refined sugar?

Willravel · 03-24-2009, 05:13 PM

I've used brown sugar with lady and earl gray for years, but my favorite is to use fruit juice. Cranberry cocktail (100% juice) both sweetens and bitters up lighter teas like oolong or jasmine.

dlish · 03-24-2009, 06:18 PM

2 teaspoons of white sugar preferably with a piece of cinnamon in it

Cynthetiq · 03-24-2009, 06:26 PM

simple syrup.

Baraka_Guru · 03-24-2009, 06:27 PM

Molasses
Honey
Maple syrup

Each has their own effect.

Martian · 03-24-2009, 06:48 PM

I'm big on honey in green tea.

genuinegirly · 03-24-2009, 06:53 PM

I enjoy the flavors of tea when they are mellowed.
But I despise too much sweetness.
I don't sweeten it. Instead, I dilute it.
Adding twice as much water as a typical tea usually makes me smile.
A cool, light, refreshing drink. Perhaps with a hint of lemon.

snowy · 03-24-2009, 06:53 PM

It depends on my mood.

Sometimes I like white sugar. A teaspoon will usually do--it's the best place to start, because you can always add more sweetener, but you can't take it away. I don't like my tea as sweet as I once did. Sometimes honey is good. Again, a teaspoon is typically enough, but sometimes I have a sweet tooth and add a little more. Another favorite sweetener (though I usually save it for my hot toddies) is demerara (turbinado) sugar:

I buy it in bulk from the local hippie food co-op.

Zeraph · 03-24-2009, 06:56 PM

Try half sugar (processed, honey, maple, or whatever) and half artificial sweetener.

The other way is to stay away from the more bitter teas. Try plain white, or white with something fragrant (jasmine, or some other flower). To me white doesn't need any sweetening at all. Course I don't use much sweetener anyway.

Oh one more thing to try if you haven't, use cream or half-n-half. When I add cream to my iced teas I usually don't need as much sugar (plus it tastes even better!) Just don't mix cream with the flowery teas. Not as good. Go with black or white if you're using cream in iced tea.

I loooove tea in case you haven't noticed.

ShaniFaye · 03-25-2009, 07:14 AM

5 tea bags for a gallon? what size bags are you using? I use 2 lipton bags for a gallon. I fill up my coffee maker with 12 cups of water, put the tea bags in the pot and let the coffee maker do its thing, then I let it steep for at least half an hour. In my pitcher I put a cup and a half of sugar and pour whats in the coffee pot over it and stir it really well, once the sugar is dissolved I fill the pitcher the rest of the way up with cold water.

I cant use artificial sweetner at all and trying to put sugar in tea thats already cold doesnt work correctly.

Because of my diabetes I limit myself to one glass a day (with dinner)

and to toot my own horn....everyone thats ever had it, loves my tea, they say its sweet but not toooo sweet

Baraka_Guru · 03-25-2009, 07:41 AM

I never sweeten green or white tea; it's too delicate in my view.

As far as cream/milk, etc., is concerned: If you haven't tried it yet, get yourself a proper Irish breakfast tea and steep it in your sweetness of choice along with your dairy/soy of choice for up to 5 minutes. It's a robust, earthy tea and stands up quite nicely to these additions. You can pretty much treat it like coffee.

Actually, it's been too long since I've had a decent Irish breakfast...I'll have to get some.

snowy · 03-25-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru

I never sweeten green or white tea; it's too delicate in my view.

As far as cream/milk, etc., is concerned: If you haven't tried it yet, get yourself a proper Irish breakfast tea and steep it in your sweetness of choice along with your dairy/soy of choice for up to 5 minutes. It's a robust, earthy tea and stands up quite nicely to these additions. You can pretty much treat it like coffee.

Actually, it's been too long since I've had a decent Irish breakfast...I'll have to get some.

Yum, Irish breakfast. And I also never sweeten green or white tea. My post above only applies to black teas.

Push-Pull · 03-25-2009, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

5 tea bags for a gallon? what size bags are you using? I use 2 lipton bags for a gallon.

I cant use artificial sweetner at all and trying to put sugar in tea thats already cold doesnt work correctly.

Because of my diabetes I limit myself to one glass a day (with dinner)

Hmmm, I'll try 2 bags and see how it works. (I really do like my tea dark.)

Have you tried Stevia yet? It's not artificial in the sense that Splenda is, but rather it's herbal based.

ShaniFaye · 03-26-2009, 02:23 AM

if you're using what I call the normal size the ones thats about 2 1/2 inches by 2, give or take then 5 is a lot and that maybe why you need so much sugar to make it to your liking.

No I havent tried Stevia....I like my sugar lol I've had to give up soo much being newly diabetic Im not giving up the few things I can still have in moderation

spindles · 03-26-2009, 08:58 PM

1 teaspoon of sugar in black tea (hot). If I want something cold to drink, I usually drink water or beer

Seaver · 04-05-2009, 01:34 PM

Honey is all you need. If you can get locally made honey, it also helps fight allergies.

lostgirl · 04-05-2009, 01:53 PM

I don't enjoy iced tea, so I never drink it. I like my tea hot and unsweetened.

Plan9 · 04-05-2009, 02:02 PM

Oh, I'm a total sellout.

I use subtle amounts of Splenda.

03-24-2009, 04:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Push-Pull I'll ask when I'm ready.... Location: Firmly in the middle....	How do you sweeten your tea? OK, so I've started drinking iced tea to try and get off this love affair I've had with soda forever. So far so good, until I realized that my original recipe was using just as much sugar as soda! I then tried half the sugar, and while it was drinkable, it may take some time for me to get used to. I just picked up some Stevia, and will work with that and see how I like it, but I have no idea how much to use. (I don't think it's a same for same sugar replacement...) I'm also considering honey, but again, no idea how much to add. I'm making a gallon at a time, but may try a glass at a time until I can get some formula worked out. FWIW, this is plain old Lipton tea. I boil 12 cups water, add the sugar/sweetener, and dunk in 5 bags and let cool down for 20 minutes. I then fill up a gallon jug and add water to make a full gallon. Anyone offer me some ideas on how to get a good sweet tea with less refined sugar? __________________ "No laws, no matter how rigidly enforced, can protect a person from their own stupidity." -Me- "Some people are like Slinkies..... They are not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs." -Unknown- DAMMIT! -Jack Bauer-

03-24-2009, 06:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	2 teaspoons of white sugar preferably with a piece of cinnamon in it __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

03-24-2009, 06:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	simple syrup. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

03-24-2009, 06:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Molasses Honey Maple syrup Each has their own effect. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

03-24-2009, 06:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	I'm big on honey in green tea. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

03-24-2009, 05:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	I've used brown sugar with lady and earl gray for years, but my favorite is to use fruit juice. Cranberry cocktail (100% juice) both sweetens and bitters up lighter teas like oolong or jasmine.

03-24-2009, 06:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	I enjoy the flavors of tea when they are mellowed. But I despise too much sweetness. I don't sweeten it. Instead, I dilute it. Adding twice as much water as a typical tea usually makes me smile. A cool, light, refreshing drink. Perhaps with a hint of lemon. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy Last edited by genuinegirly; 03-24-2009 at 07:00 PM..

03-24-2009, 06:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	It depends on my mood. Sometimes I like white sugar. A teaspoon will usually do--it's the best place to start, because you can always add more sweetener, but you can't take it away. I don't like my tea as sweet as I once did. Sometimes honey is good. Again, a teaspoon is typically enough, but sometimes I have a sweet tooth and add a little more. Another favorite sweetener (though I usually save it for my hot toddies) is demerara (turbinado) sugar: I buy it in bulk from the local hippie food co-op. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

03-24-2009, 06:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
Zeraph Banned Location: The Cosmos	Try half sugar (processed, honey, maple, or whatever) and half artificial sweetener. The other way is to stay away from the more bitter teas. Try plain white, or white with something fragrant (jasmine, or some other flower). To me white doesn't need any sweetening at all. Course I don't use much sweetener anyway. Oh one more thing to try if you haven't, use cream or half-n-half. When I add cream to my iced teas I usually don't need as much sugar (plus it tastes even better!) Just don't mix cream with the flowery teas. Not as good. Go with black or white if you're using cream in iced tea. I loooove tea in case you haven't noticed.

03-25-2009, 07:14 AM	#10 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	5 tea bags for a gallon? what size bags are you using? I use 2 lipton bags for a gallon. I fill up my coffee maker with 12 cups of water, put the tea bags in the pot and let the coffee maker do its thing, then I let it steep for at least half an hour. In my pitcher I put a cup and a half of sugar and pour whats in the coffee pot over it and stir it really well, once the sugar is dissolved I fill the pitcher the rest of the way up with cold water. I cant use artificial sweetner at all and trying to put sugar in tea thats already cold doesnt work correctly. Because of my diabetes I limit myself to one glass a day (with dinner) and to toot my own horn....everyone thats ever had it, loves my tea, they say its sweet but not toooo sweet __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

03-25-2009, 07:41 AM	#11 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I never sweeten green or white tea; it's too delicate in my view. As far as cream/milk, etc., is concerned: If you haven't tried it yet, get yourself a proper Irish breakfast tea and steep it in your sweetness of choice along with your dairy/soy of choice for up to 5 minutes. It's a robust, earthy tea and stands up quite nicely to these additions. You can pretty much treat it like coffee. Actually, it's been too long since I've had a decent Irish breakfast...I'll have to get some. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

03-26-2009, 02:23 AM	#14 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	if you're using what I call the normal size the ones thats about 2 1/2 inches by 2, give or take then 5 is a lot and that maybe why you need so much sugar to make it to your liking. No I havent tried Stevia....I like my sugar lol I've had to give up soo much being newly diabetic Im not giving up the few things I can still have in moderation __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

03-26-2009, 08:58 PM	#15 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	1 teaspoon of sugar in black tea (hot). If I want something cold to drink, I usually drink water or beer __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

04-05-2009, 01:34 PM	#16 (permalink)
Seaver Junkie Location: Fort Worth, TX	Honey is all you need. If you can get locally made honey, it also helps fight allergies. __________________ "Smite the rocks with the rod of knowledge, and fountains of unstinted wealth will gush forth." - Ashbel Smith as he laid the first cornerstone of the University of Texas

04-05-2009, 01:53 PM	#17 (permalink)
lostgirl lightform Location: Edge of the deep green sea	I don't enjoy iced tea, so I never drink it. I like my tea hot and unsweetened. __________________ We're about to go through the crucible, but we'll come out the other side. We always arise from our own ashes. Everything returns later in its changed form. - Children of Dune

04-05-2009, 02:02 PM	#18 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Oh, I'm a total sellout. I use subtle amounts of Splenda. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."