Sweet tooth vs Tea?

For general/other topics related to tea.


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Mar 11th, '10, 12:00
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by ndw76 » Mar 11th, '10, 12:00

I find that I like sweetener in cheaper supermarket bought English teas. I also have these with milk. But everything else I have straight.

Here I can't keep milk because our fridge isn't cold enough to keep milk fresh and also my in-laws have a habit of taking things out of the fridge and leaving them out in the tropical heat all day. So to counter this if I want to use milk and sweetener I use condensed milk. But only in supermarket bought English teas.

Mar 11th, '10, 21:36
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by MimzyCaterpillar » Mar 11th, '10, 21:36

It all depends. A raw sugar or honey will suffice in my opinion. Some people never add any, some people add a lot. It all depends on my mood. The sugar just adds calories, that is I guess the negative to it. Anything organic and in its pure form shouldn't negate from the flavor of the tea too much, but it will be a bit more expensive than table sugar.

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Mar 11th, '10, 21:42
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by Chip » Mar 11th, '10, 21:42

MimzyCaterpillar wrote:It all depends. A raw sugar or honey will suffice in my opinion. Some people never add any, some people add a lot. It all depends on my mood. The sugar just adds calories, that is I guess the negative to it. Anything organic and in its pure form shouldn't negate from the flavor of the tea too much, but it will be a bit more expensive than table sugar.
Are you saying that sugar does not negate the flavor of tea? Even the smallest amount can mask the subtle nuances of tea. If that is what somebody wants, that is fine by me. But let's not kid ourselves by thinking that sweetener doesn't really alter the flavor of tea when it does significantly.

I am all for "make tea how you like, like your tea how you make it!".

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by MimzyCaterpillar » Mar 11th, '10, 21:52

Chip wrote:
MimzyCaterpillar wrote:It all depends. A raw sugar or honey will suffice in my opinion. Some people never add any, some people add a lot. It all depends on my mood. The sugar just adds calories, that is I guess the negative to it. Anything organic and in its pure form shouldn't negate from the flavor of the tea too much, but it will be a bit more expensive than table sugar.
Are you saying that sugar does not negate the flavor of tea? Even the smallest amount can mask the subtle nuances of tea. If that is what somebody wants, that is fine by me. But let's not kid ourselves by thinking that sweetener doesn't really alter the flavor of tea when it does significantly.

I am all for "make tea how you like, like your tea how you make it!".
I am saying that more organic sugar will not negate it as much as a processed, chemical sugar. Why do you constantly argue?

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by Chip » Mar 11th, '10, 22:03

I simply am not taking your claims as fact including your post above, how were we to extrapulate your meaning which was quite different from what you actually said.

This is a forum. You have made unsubstantiated and questionable claims in virtually every one of your posts throughout the forum.

I have read each one including your first post on the forum where you attacked Adagio (who I do not work for). When an alternative argument was made to counter, it was you who became argumentative.

Mar 11th, '10, 22:08
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by MimzyCaterpillar » Mar 11th, '10, 22:08

Chip wrote:I simply am not taking your claims as fact including your post above, how were we to extrapulate your meaning which was quite different from what you actually said.

This is a forum. You have made unsubstantiated and questionable claims in virtually every one of your posts throughout the forum.

I have read each one including your first post on the forum where you attacked Adagio (who I do not work for). When an alternative argument was made to counter, it was you who became argumentative.
Why are your claims legitimate and not mine? I was upset at Adagio for offering glass jars for tea. The same as when another tea website would offer something to steep tea in that was made of a plastic that would release harmful chemicals when hot water is placed in it. And I also said in my opinion in the above sugar reply. Not everything you say is fact so why are you attacking me?

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by Chip » Mar 11th, '10, 22:22

MimzyCaterpillar wrote:
Chip wrote:I simply am not taking your claims as fact including your post above, how were we to extrapulate your meaning which was quite different from what you actually said.

This is a forum. You have made unsubstantiated and questionable claims in virtually every one of your posts throughout the forum.

I have read each one including your first post on the forum where you attacked Adagio (who I do not work for). When an alternative argument was made to counter, it was you who became argumentative.
Why are your claims legitimate and not mine? I was upset at Adagio for offering glass jars for tea. The same as when another tea website would offer something to steep tea in that was made of a plastic that would release harmful chemicals when hot water is placed in it. And I also said in my opinion in the above sugar reply. Not everything you say is fact so why are you attacking me?
Ahhhh, finally ... thank you. I now understand your point of view. Thank you. Had you stated this at the beginning ... your initial rant is an Adagio rant.

OK, again, this is a forum, IMHO, any sweetener will significantly alter the flavor of the tea ... IMHO. So, now I have also restated my position, it is in my humble opinion ... which I also believe to be factual. Let's do some side by side taste tests, shall we?

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Mar 12th, '10, 02:51
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by beachape » Mar 12th, '10, 02:51

I have to agree that any sweetener is going to change the flavor of the tea. I'm mainly a green fan, and most greens have some degree of natural sweetness. If you add any type of sweetener, you are shifting the flavor balance/profile of that particular tea.

Adding plain sweetener is certainly much less altering than "flavored sweeteners," but still altering none the less. You might not pick up on some of the original flavor notes of the original product that the sweetness (to whatever degree) overwhelms.

I think sweetener can be a touchy subject, because those who enjoy sweet tea or flavored tea kinda get stereotyped as teanoobs :lol: . I am guilty too. If i hear of someone drinking sweetened or flavored tea I almost think of it as something entirely different from tea (more in the category of flavored water or a soda). When I think of tea, I think of c.sinensis treated in a bunch of different ways, but ultimately c.sinesis alone.

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Mar 12th, '10, 11:24
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by debunix » Mar 12th, '10, 11:24

Don't sweeten my tea, but do dispute the idea that less refined sweeteners will alter the taste of something less than refined white sugar.

Whether you call it 'sugar in the raw' or turbinado or demerara or whatever, these less refined sugars all have more stuff in them (basically, a bit of molasses is still in place) than table sugar, which is pure sucrose. And that stuff adds a hint of brown sugar or molasses flavor. It's *less* pure.

How the stuff gets so white, whether it's better or worse for you, those are different discussions, but when it comes to trying to sweeten without altering the balance of flavors, plain white table sugar is the one that alters the flavors less.

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by entropyembrace » Mar 12th, '10, 15:04

entropyembrace wrote:
MimzyCaterpillar wrote:
Chip wrote:
MimzyCaterpillar wrote:It all depends. A raw sugar or honey will suffice in my opinion. Some people never add any, some people add a lot. It all depends on my mood. The sugar just adds calories, that is I guess the negative to it. Anything organic and in its pure form shouldn't negate from the flavor of the tea too much, but it will be a bit more expensive than table sugar.
Are you saying that sugar does not negate the flavor of tea? Even the smallest amount can mask the subtle nuances of tea. If that is what somebody wants, that is fine by me. But let's not kid ourselves by thinking that sweetener doesn't really alter the flavor of tea when it does significantly.

I am all for "make tea how you like, like your tea how you make it!".
I am saying that more organic sugar will not negate it as much as a processed, chemical sugar. Why do you constantly argue?
I always use raw, crystalized, organic cane sugar whenever I need sugar for something and it has a definite flavour of it´s own and strong sweetness that would drastically alter even the most robust teas. :roll:

Mar 12th, '10, 22:35
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by MitzyG » Mar 12th, '10, 22:35

I am sort of in the same boat as the OP. I have a terrible sweet tooth and grew up drinking very sweet tea and sweet sweet Southern Iced Tea. I still like my iced tea pretty sweet.
I don't have sugar in tisanes, which I really like, except Chamomile which I have a terrible ragweed reaction to.
I am not overly fond of green teas (so shoot me, I'm a hick) but there are some white teas I quite like. I have them unsweetened.
I like black tea and oolongs, sometimes with sugar and sometimes not. When I do use sugar, I use quite a bit. Two Splenda packets to a 12 to 16 oz cuppa AND some half and half if I want it white. I have cut way back on how often I have sweet tea, but at least once a day still. I drink tea all day long, though. I always drank it black until I moved to Australia, where almost everyone takes milk in their tea. So I blame them.
Cutting slowly back is the way to go.

May 6th, '10, 16:53
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by Mernak » May 6th, '10, 16:53

I usually prefer my tea with no sweetener, but for the couple of teas that I do use some sugar for (some chai blends and some herbals) I use rock sugar, and then only only very little of that. Personally not a fan that some artificial sweeteners' aftertaste (especially stevia and Sweet'N'Low)

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May 6th, '10, 17:20
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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by rabbit » May 6th, '10, 17:20

Don't put sugar/sweeteners in tea... you may think it makes it better, but it doesn't... force yourself to drink it straight and you'll eventually develop a taste for it that way, and trust me... you'll be happy you did.

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by msmeghann82 » May 6th, '10, 18:03

Chip wrote:However, I will sweeten iced tea with a touch of honey for 2 reasons, it tastes pretty good, and it also acts as a natural preservative. This is particularly helpful when making Japanese green iced tea which tends to oxidize very quickly without some intervention. A touch of honey extends the shelf life to days versus hours.
Thanks for teaching me something new today, Chip. I'll definitely try the honey next time I make more than a cup of iced tea. I love all the knowledge I'm gaining on this forum.

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Re: Sweet tooth vs Tea?

by Chip » May 6th, '10, 20:53

msmeghann82 wrote:
Chip wrote:However, I will sweeten iced tea with a touch of honey for 2 reasons, it tastes pretty good, and it also acts as a natural preservative. This is particularly helpful when making Japanese green iced tea which tends to oxidize very quickly without some intervention. A touch of honey extends the shelf life to days versus hours.
Thanks for teaching me something new today, Chip. I'll definitely try the honey next time I make more than a cup of iced tea. I love all the knowledge I'm gaining on this forum.
If you are cold brewing, you may need to first mix the honey with a bit of warm water in order to dissolve.

Usually sencha color can begin to "oxidize" within hours or so, with the little honey, it remained vibrant and green in color for several days. The taste stayed more sencha or gyokuro like as well.

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