Sugar ?

[kymidwife]

Not to be argumentative, but I consider sugar a "natural sweetener" as much as maple syrup or honey... and for me, if I want a bit of sweetness, I prefer one that leaves the flavor of tea as unaltered as possible. Honey really has a distinctive taste that I don't enjoy with tea, and I cringe at the thought of maple syrup in tea, omg!

[stanthegoomba]

Forgive me: I'm a maple syrup evangelist.

(Maple matcha pancakes, anyone?)

[ABx]

Do not add sugar, try adding rum, or vodka, hell even whiskey can do, than again why bother with the tea.

People don't just jump from drinking tea like everyone else in the west to being a connoisseur. A transition is to be expected, and we really shouldn't jump on about that - after all, we come here to help (and learn), not criticize (or be criticized). TBH I used a bit of sugar in most tea in the beginning, and still might do so if I need to get a "closer look" at some of the deeper nuances (or drinking a simple black (red) tea that's not naturally sweet and/or smooth). For example if a yancha is all roast and I want to see what's underneath that roast (to find out whether I want to keep it to mellow) then I might put some in the last sip of a cup. I prefer to enjoy my tea without adding anything, but I liken it to using a magnifying glass on a painting: you wouldn't use it to enjoy the painting overall, but you might do so to get a better understanding of how it was painted (not that I'm into that myself). Granted, at the time that I was using sugar I had a pretty bad addiction to sugar (literally) for reasons that I won't go into, but it didn't take too long to drop that and now I'm more likely to eat some fruit along with my tea if I feel the need for something sweet.

If someone is new to tea and can't take it any other way then I honestly don't see anything wrong with a small amount, although I would hope you're not doing so on the higher quality ones. You just have to realize that you're not getting what the tea really has to offer, and you probably won't get any better at brewing them. Good quality tea will have good complexity and balance that will be distorted out of proportion by sugar or other sweeteners. The more you pay attention to the nuances, the more likely you are to naturally reduce the sugar until you're not using any.

OTOH if you're loading up on sugar because tea, to you, is a very sweet drink to be gulped in quantity, then you probably are better off sticking with teabags. As I mentioned previously, there is quite a bit of wulong that is quite sweet without anything added. Give them a chance, maybe ask for help in brewing if you're not getting the sweetness, and I'm sure you'll see for yourself

[Space Samurai]

Oh the days I used to put sugar in shupu.

[AKTea]

Well put, ABx! I started drink tea as a kid with no less than 2 heaping tea spoons of sugar. Over the years I've cut back dramatically as I've grown to appreciate the flavor of the actual tea but also just because I want to cut back on sugar in my diet.

Sugar in tea can be a bit like salting food; sometimes it can enhance the flavor. I can understand why some people don't like tea- it can be awfully bitter if you're not used to it (like coffee can be).

My aversion to honey mostly has to do with one bad experience; there was just so much in that one cup!! But if you like the taste of honey, why not?

I have to admit, I found the idea of maple syrup intriguing. Maybe in some flavored black teas? Stanthegoomba, have you tried this?

[ABx]

Yeah, and I'm still not adverse to it in most black teas. I wouldn't use it in something already sweet and smooth like dian hong (aka "yunnan gold") and some of the other Chinese black (red) teas, but a lot of it is too acerbic for me to take straight. But then that's why I normally drink wulong

[kymidwife]

Forgive me: I'm a maple syrup evangelist.

(Maple matcha pancakes, anyone?)

Mmmm the pancakes sound delicious! But, I am NOT putting maple syrup in my tea. I refuse.