Tea Sweeteners For Those Who Love Tea Without Sugar
Excessive intake of sugar has been associated with numerous health complications, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. When it comes to drinking tea, people love a bit of sweetness. Without sweetness, the tea may taste extra strong and bitter. However, health experts advise not to put too much sugar in tea as it may affect your health badly. The majority of the tea drinkers think that there isn’t any alternative to sugar, and only sugar can make their tea-drinking experience much better. However, this is not the case. You will be surprised to know that there are plenty of alternatives to sugar that you must try if you are an avid tea drinker.
You need to understand that tea has its own flavour and sugar may tend to overpower the natural taste of tea. You can enhance the taste of your tea with natural ingredients that are as sweet as sugar yet more healthy.
This is the reason why we have created this post. In this article, we will be discussing the greatest natural tea sweeteners out there that will help you unlock numerous ways of sweetening tea without using sugar.
Let’s get started.
#1 Raw Honey
If you are a tea aficionado, then you may have come across teas made from honey, or at least have heard of honey as a natural sweetener. While raw honey is a form of sugar with high calories, you get a lot of flavour from a small amount. So, if the doctor has advised you to consume less sugar, you can switch to honey. The best part about honey is that it is rich in antioxidants and contains a prebiotic known as oligosaccharides. This probiotic is helpful in feeding your gut flora, ensuring that your gut health remains intact, and ultimately strengthens your immune system. Most importantly, raw honey has vitamins C and E, among other minerals in abundance. Depending on the type of tea you are making, you can include raw honey in the mix. Overall, it is a good alternative to sugar and probably less harmful as well.
#2 Sweet Tisanes
If you really want to enjoy the true flavour of tea without sugar, then you can consider preparing hot sweet tisanes for yourself. Green tea goes very well with tisanes. All you have to do is infuse boiling water with a mixture of green tea leaves, spearmint leaves, dried rosebuds, fresh ginger roots, and some cinnamon sticks. Now, there are two ways using which you can prepare sweet tisanes. One method is decoction, and the other is infusion.
If you prefer infusion, then simply pour a reasonable amount of boiling water over your tisane mixture (green tea leaves, spearmint leaves, dried rosebuds, fresh ginger roots, and some cinnamon sticks) and let it steep for a couple of minutes. Once all the ingredients have completely infused, you can strain the tea in a cup from the teapot and serve hot. You will love the natural sweet flavour of this tisane tea.
On the other hand, if you prefer decoction, put some tisane mixture in a pot with cold water. Put the pot on the stove and bring the mixture to boil. Once it is boiled perfectly, lower the heat and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes before you remove the pot from the stove. Strain the mixture and serve your hot sweet tisane.
#3 Vanilla Pods
Another sugar alternative you can consider is vanilla pods. Vanilla is a natural sweetener used in a variety of food products. When preparing tea, you can put in some vanilla pods into the warm water to get a flavourful tea without sugar. Vanilla is the most common ingredient in many sweet dishes and even sweeteners out there. And the best part about vanilla is that it blends well with a lot of things, including several varieties of tea as well.
Many tea drinkers are a fan of how well vanilla combines with black tea, in particular. The boldness of black tea and the sweet, creamy flavour of vanilla gives your team a refreshing aroma. This is a tea that you would want to drink first thing in the morning.
Now the thing with using vanilla pods as a sweetener is that it is quite expensive and you may only want to drink it on occasions and not daily. However, when you drink it once, you will never be bored with its taste. While the recipe is quite easy with just three ingredients, it is quite a luxurious one.
You will need good quality black tea, vanilla pods, and some time. Time? Yes, you will need to prepare the mix two weeks ahead to let the aromas of both the ingredients amalgamate together. The result is orchid-infused, dreamy steep that is equally delicious served cold or hot, or without milk.
We recommend that you use loose leaf black tea (probably Darjeeling or Assam) and vanilla beans cut into small pieces. All you have to do is mix the loose black tea leaves with finely chopped vanilla beans together and store the mixture in an ait-tight container for at least two weeks.
Once the ingredients have had a mingle, you can expect the perfect steep. Steep the tea for five minutes and strain (do not use a strainer that is too fine). You can serve it hot or cold and with or without milk.
#4 Honeysuckle Flowers
Honeysuckle flowers have long been used as a natural remedy for numerous diseases and symptoms. What’s interesting is that honeysuckle makes a great herbal tea with a natural sweet flavour. You can also add honeysuckle flowers to your real tea blends and get the most authentic taste and flavour. With that said, honeysuckle flowers match best with green tea and black tea.
To prepare tea with honeysuckle, you will need the complete flower (nectar included). You can steep your tea (black or green) and add a whole honeysuckle flower as you bring it to boil.
You will truly be surprised with the natural sweet taste your honeysuckle tea delivers.
Final Words
There are many other sugar alternatives out there, but they don’t taste as good as the ones we have mentioned in this post. So, give it a try and see which ones are the best.