No Sugar In Tea!
Tea has been a staple in my diet since the age of 5. I might also add, unsweetened iced tea. I actually have never liked any form of sweetened tea, whether hot or cold tea. Drinking sun-brewed iced tea steeped in the hot California sun in gallon glass jars always held something magical to me. The sun transforming once clear cool water into a warm tan refreshing drink.
Tea Is Amazing
I’ve had friends over at my house that would want to try some of the teas I had. Most of them didn’t like them. Their comments would be, “It takes like roots” or “It tastes like dirt“. Now, I tend to disagree, but I understand what they are saying. That it doesn’t appeal to them, but with a slight alteration the taste could be altered to make it more appealing to them.
Tea is a great way to drink more water, by flavoring it all the while also not adding excessive calories to it. I really enjoy the subtle flavors of teas, but I realize that a lot of people don’t enjoy the taste as much as I do but want the benefits of drinking tea. I hope to drop some info into your mind on how to make tea taste better without sugar.
Also, check out my other posts on tea and water, What Is The Best Herbal Tea For Weight Loss and How To Correctly Drink Water, and my review of the best water distillers, Top 10 Water Distillers, for the healthiest water to drink your tea with.
Let’s Hack Some Tea
Just a couple of notes here before we get going. When adding additional flavors try not adding too much and overpowering the sometimes subtleness of tea. Add just enough to enhance it, but not taking completely over. This is usually a trial and error method to finding what is the right amount for your personal taste.
Lemons
Baby wanted 12.
My first got to, for a kind of flavor-enhancing for almost any type of water is lemon. This citrus always has a home in my kitchen for its taste and beauty as well. Placed these roundish little suns into a glass bowl and now your kitchen has depth. Plus, they taste great from tea to water. Lemon can definitely bring out the flavor and perfume of certain teas. Be aware there are some natural sugars in lemon, as obvious with the sweetened taste.
Not only do lemons taste good they also have practically zero calories, unlike sugar. Lemon added to your tea does add that extra vitamin C too. You can either squeeze a wedge or cut a nice little pinwheel and add it that way. Just make sure you wash your lemons before doing this.
Milk
All over the world people put milk into their tea, like in India where they serve notoriously strong tea with condensed milk. Milk will make the tea more palatable and enjoyable to drink, just like in coffee. It can really knock down a teas bitterness, mellowing out the flavors for a smoother finish. It also adds a lot of nutrition as well, like protein and calcium.
Milk is a broad term as there are many different types of milk to choose from. Whole, 2%, 1%, skim, and cream are all forms of milk. Condensed milk usually has sugar added to it, this is too sweet to my taste.
Try A Different Tea
There are so many different teas out there from the basic six types of actually tea types. These are all made from the same plant, but differ from what part of the plant they are taken from and also the processing of that plant. There also endless variations of these six.
- Yellow
- Black
- White
- Green
- Oolong
- Dark
Then you add the literally thousands of different types of herbal teas out there. We have all heard of the common ones like chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, and rose teas. There are too many to list, to prove this, just peruse your local grocery store and note the many varieties. This is also only a drop in a bucket as many of the rarer teas can only be found online.
The point being is there are so many variations of tea and herbal teas that will leave you speechless. We also have a varying preferred taste as well. Experiment, explore, drink copious amounts, form an opinion.
Two bags of tea instead of one.
I also like combining teas, if I bought a tea I don’t particularly like, I try combining this with a tea I do like. I love Egyptian Licorice tea, I know most people don’t like licorice but I love it. It’s my go-to for flavor enhancement to a tea I don’t like. It is also good when you have a cold as it helps the lungs out. So, I usually two tea bag it a cup of tea. Many teas also combine different herbs and actually tea leaves to form unique blends, as you can do this too.
Just don’t be afraid to try combinations as well, you might just surprise yourself.
Honey
I know the title says no sugar but technically honey is not sugar. Honey can’t be overlooked and not mentioned, as millions of cups of tea have been drunk with honey added to them. It is how some people prefer to drink their tea and to make it enjoyable for them. Honey adds a sweetness and a little bit added and stir-up in the tea can transform it into a more palatable drink for many people. Again, I want to mention not to add too much as it will drown out the subtleness of the tea, which I find the most enjoyable aspect of drinking teas.
I rarely drink my tea with honey, but if I have a sore throat or a cold I will occasionally add it to my tea. Or with a particularly strong tea, I’ll hit the bee spit for relief.
Stevia
Since we are on the sweeter side of additives we must not pass this caloric free one. Taste like sugar but a lot sweeter too. A little goes a long way and is a great substitution instead of using the granulated white death. You can either use the actual leaves or the liquid or powder forms.
If you have never tried it before you should definitely give it a try, at least just to experience it and form an opinion on it. Some people love it and well some people don’t like it at all.
Ginger
This powerful and nutritional root has many amazing health properties and can add a nice touch to certain teas. Particularly, the green teas as it just complements the cup of tea. Ginger brings a nice fresh and slightly spicy flavor. I usually just cut a 1/16″ of an inch of ginger off a piece of root and add one or two slices to my cup of tea.
Mint
You could either add dry or fresh mint to your teas. I prefer the fresh, between 2 to 3 leaves. It also adds a beautiful natural aroma to the tea, the hot water releasing the mints essential oil into the air and water. There are many variations of mints in which to try, they all are great. I like the standards like spearmint, peppermint, and pineapple mint.
The Last Sip
Hoping this article will help you enjoy tea more as well as putting the sugar away. As many of these alternatives are a healthy choice over sugar.
Tea is consumed in so many different and fascinating ways, almost every culture has a different spin and unique spin on it. Tea is magical and captivating holding your attention until that last sip.
So please pass anything but the sugar.
I would love to hear what you put in your tea! Please share below or if you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks!
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