Posted by Stephanie | Posted in Park Seed | Posted on 01-10-2007
With Coke and Cargill furiously working to get this super-sweet plant made into the form of a marketable, calorie free alternative sweetener, Stevia has been in the news fairly regularly. This dietary supplement is already very popular in many part of the world. Some companies are moving to have it readily available in the US and EU very soon.
Stevia Rebaudiana, also known as "sugar plant" or "sweet herb" is an easy-to-grow herb, that you can keep in your very own kitchen, using it to sweeten teas, coffees, or any number of confections. It is said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar–I'm not exactly sure what units are used to quantify sweetness, but it sure sounds impressive.
I have tried stevia, and I can say that, in tea, it does not have the pasty, metallic after tastes of many artificial sweeteners. It may have a slight bitterness, or liquorice taste, which some people like very much. It's a very fun herb to grow, and makes for excellent conversation with tea guests.