The Good: Not unhealthy, Does not taste bad
The Bad: Environmental impact of packaging, Expensive, Bitter taste mingles with the sweet
The Basics: Stevia In The Raw is an adequate sugar substitute that hardly justifies its own expense.
When I began using popcorn seasonings, like the Kernel Season’s Parmesan & Garlic Popcorn Seasoning (reviewed here!), my wife came to me and suggested that I review some other seasonings, specifically sweeteners. As she is currently doing an Atkins diet, carbs are very important to her and she thought others might benefit from me checking out and reviewing sweeteners. Taking her up on her great idea, I picked her up some Stevia In The Raw and other sweeteners for me to review. Stevia In The Raw is the first one I have decided to review.
Stevia In The Raw is a sugar substitute that is designed for people who have dietary needs that force them to take in less carbs and few calories. Stevia In The Raw is one of the rare sweeteners designed to replace sugars in baking and it lives up on that front.
Basics
Stevia In The Raw is a white granule that replaces sugar. We picked it up in the 1.75 oz. box of fifty 1 gram paper packets. The box was more expensive than a five pound bag of sugar, as it cost us over four dollars. After opening the box of packets, one has easy access to the Stevia In The Raw. The seasoning is basically a sweetener that is opaque white and hard, like tiny candy pieces, as opposed to clear or translucent .
Ease Of Preparation
Stevia In The Raw is exceptionally easy to use. Simply open the box, tear open a packet and pour the granules onto the item one wants sweetened. With the bulk packs, it becomes very easy to use as a sugar replacement. There is no trick to sweetening with the Stevia In The Raw.
Taste
Smelling the Stevia In The Raw, one gets a light aroma similar to frosting. This does not have a very strong aroma as well.
On the tongue, Stevia In The Raw is sweet, but with a very faint bitter flavor as well. Like most sugar substitutes, this does not taste as sweet as normal sugar and the aftertaste is more bland than bitter.
As a control, I added Stevia In The Raw to my cup of Gourmet Supreme Coffee (reviewed here!) in order to test how it sweetened. The Stevia In The Raw effectively cut the bitterness of the black coffee, but only marginally sweetened the coffee. The aftertaste of the Stevia In The Raw becomes less bitter in the coffee and made it a little more sour. That aftertaste only endures for about five minutes in the mouth and it is fortunately not potent enough to ruin the Stevia In The Raw.
Nutrition
I was actually shocked by how good Stevia In The Raw actually is on the nutrition front. In a 1 gram serving (there are 50 servings in the 1.75 oz box), there are no calories. There are technically no carbs and less than one gram of sugars in the serving! There are no other nutrients in the Stevia In The Raw.
On the ingredients front, Stevia In The Raw is pretty good as well! The Stevia In The Raw consists entirely of Dextrose and Stevia leaf extract. There is actually nothing unpronounceable in this sweetener. It is suitable for people with diabetes and is Kosher.
Storage/Clean-up
I could find no expiration date on my container of Stevia In The Raw, but it seems reasonable that it would not expire so long as it is kept dry.
If the Stevia In The Raw gets on clothing, it shouldn’t stain. It easily wipes off any surface it gets on.
Overview
The Stevia In The Raw is a tough recommendation, save for those who absolutely must change their diets. For those who can enjoy sugars, the Stevia In The Raw is a little too sour or bitter to want to use to replace the real thing.
For other garnish or spread reviews, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate frosting
Jif Mocha Cappuccino Flavored Hazelnut Spread
Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Peppermint frosting
4/10
For other food reviews, be sure to check out my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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