Hi
I have just been introduced to quality loose leaf teas and I have tried quite a few with my friend who had been into them for a while, I love the variety of flavours and the experience of a tea session and I have a question:
Some of the teas I have tried have been very sweet which lead me to wonder whether there is natural sugar in these teas or tea in general like there is in fruit?
Re: Natural sugar in tea?
Hi zzzzhy456! Welcome! No, there is no naturally occurring sugar found in tea leaves themselves. What types of teas have you been trying? Many fruit/herbal tisanes can have secret sweeteners hidden in some of the ingredients. (never with Adagio teas, though! 
). Looking forward to hearing some of the teas you have tried and what you thought!
). Looking forward to hearing some of the teas you have tried and what you thought!zzzzhy456 wrote: wonder whether there is natural sugar in these teas or tea in general like there is in fruit?
Jun 27th, '19, 01:56
Posts: 238
Joined: Dec 25th, '13, 22:59
Location: bangkok
Re: Natural sugar in tea?
There's no natural sugar in tea (or at least relatively little of it), which leads to the obvious question, why does it seem sweet?
One answer was passed on by a tea expert (or at least someone knowledgeable about tea, which is close enough for these purposes), cited in this blog post from personal discussion:
http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... other.html
...online contact / tea friend Michael Coffey can say interesting things about tea off the top of his head (see teageek.net), like why that tea might be so sweet:
Sweetness typically comes from amino acids, but not always. Amino acids are influenced by a number of factors--for example, the cultivar might naturally produce more than other cultivars, or environmental conditions might be just right for the plant to produce more than usual, or (in my opinion possibly the most likely) a combination--the ideal environmental conditions for that cultivar to produce more. And that's before we get into processing...
We can go further, with another interesting reference on tea compounds:
https://teaepicure.com/tea-chemistry/
Amino acids give finished tea its sweetness and brothiness, otherwise known as umami. In the tea field, sunlight converts amino acids to polyphenols; shade-grown tea contains more amino acids than tea grown in direct sunlight. Some tea bushes are even deliberately shaded for several weeks before harvest to increase the amino acid content in the leaves, a process that results in finished tea with strong umami. Tea plants that are shaded for 22 days contain 4 times more amino acids than non-shaded plants7.
Tea leaves contain many amino acids, the most abundant of which is theanine...
That starts into another interesting topic, about drug-like effective compounds in tea. The subject seems sewn up so far, that amino acids are what we were looking for as a cause of sweetness, but that reference goes on to say this:
All plants store energy formed during photosynthesis in starches and sugars, otherwise known as carbohydrates. Plants later use this stored energy to fuel important reactions. In tea, carbohydrates help fuel the enzymatic reactions that take place during oxidation and are also responsible for the creation of polyphenols in young tea leaves. Carbohydrates make up on average 11% of extract solids in steeped tea1 and consist of monosaccharides, disaccharides and oligosaccharides9. These carbohydrates lend to the sweetness of the tea liquor.
An odd twist, just when it seemed that other answer was the whole story. Tea nutrition content can list negligible calorie content for tea, versus none at all, although that is common too, so this part doesn't reduce back down to a claim that natural sugars provide a lot of the sweetness in tea, or even a more significant part.
One answer was passed on by a tea expert (or at least someone knowledgeable about tea, which is close enough for these purposes), cited in this blog post from personal discussion:
http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.co ... other.html
...online contact / tea friend Michael Coffey can say interesting things about tea off the top of his head (see teageek.net), like why that tea might be so sweet:
Sweetness typically comes from amino acids, but not always. Amino acids are influenced by a number of factors--for example, the cultivar might naturally produce more than other cultivars, or environmental conditions might be just right for the plant to produce more than usual, or (in my opinion possibly the most likely) a combination--the ideal environmental conditions for that cultivar to produce more. And that's before we get into processing...
We can go further, with another interesting reference on tea compounds:
https://teaepicure.com/tea-chemistry/
Amino acids give finished tea its sweetness and brothiness, otherwise known as umami. In the tea field, sunlight converts amino acids to polyphenols; shade-grown tea contains more amino acids than tea grown in direct sunlight. Some tea bushes are even deliberately shaded for several weeks before harvest to increase the amino acid content in the leaves, a process that results in finished tea with strong umami. Tea plants that are shaded for 22 days contain 4 times more amino acids than non-shaded plants7.
Tea leaves contain many amino acids, the most abundant of which is theanine...
That starts into another interesting topic, about drug-like effective compounds in tea. The subject seems sewn up so far, that amino acids are what we were looking for as a cause of sweetness, but that reference goes on to say this:
All plants store energy formed during photosynthesis in starches and sugars, otherwise known as carbohydrates. Plants later use this stored energy to fuel important reactions. In tea, carbohydrates help fuel the enzymatic reactions that take place during oxidation and are also responsible for the creation of polyphenols in young tea leaves. Carbohydrates make up on average 11% of extract solids in steeped tea1 and consist of monosaccharides, disaccharides and oligosaccharides9. These carbohydrates lend to the sweetness of the tea liquor.
An odd twist, just when it seemed that other answer was the whole story. Tea nutrition content can list negligible calorie content for tea, versus none at all, although that is common too, so this part doesn't reduce back down to a claim that natural sugars provide a lot of the sweetness in tea, or even a more significant part.
Re: Natural sugar in tea?
That's why if I want sweet tea I add some berries of dried fruits. It is cool you may choose the taste of your today's tea focusing on your mood.
Re: Natural sugar in tea?
Searching online seems to show tea can have up to 1/2 gram of carbs. Sugar = carbs in most definitions.
Re: Natural sugar in tea?
Hi Foob! Tea does not have carbs/sugar naturally. Some carbs/natural sugars in tea mostly come from added fruit pieces. There are companies that decide to add sugar to their blends as well. However, the tea leaf itself has no carbs/sugars/calories- at least to my knowledge!foob wrote: Searching online seems to show tea can have up to 1/2 gram of carbs. Sugar = carbs in most definitions.
Adagio Online Community Manager
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Hi. I havent used sugar in my tea and coffee for years,but i am not sure if the sweetener i use is suitable for vegans.
Can anyone advise me of a sweetener in tea/coffe that is suitable?
Can anyone advise me of a sweetener in tea/coffe that is suitable?
Re: -
Hello Christy! Adagio's sugar is suitable for vegans.Christyisoth wrote: Hi. I havent used sugar in my tea and coffee for years,but i am not sure if the sweetener i use is suitable for vegans.
Can anyone advise me of a sweetener in tea/coffe that is suitable?
Adagio Online Community Manager