stevia advice?

[argo2d]

i want to try stevia but i;ve heard disturbing rumors about lurking licquorishy aftertastes (unlike sucrolose)! is it true that better quality brands wont have the aftertaste? and how do i discern between the good and the bad? i want one without a filler -- will this give me truly 0 carbs or does stevia itself have carbs (unlice sucrolose)? have you tried one with FOS? are these any good?

[cc48510]

I've tried 4 Brands: KAL Extract Powder, SweetLeaf Extract Powder, NOW Extract Powder, and Stevia+Fiber packets. The KAL is the best all around (works in drinks, baked goods, deserts, etc...) SweetLeaf works fine in baked goods, deserts, etc...But, the taste is a bit off in liquid drinks (tastes fine frozen and ground into an Icee.) NOW is horribly weak...and imparts virtually no sweetness in drinks. I haven't tried it in anything else. Stevia+Fiber works fine in baked goods, deserts, etc...But, the taste is a bit off in drinks. As always, your opinion might vary.

[IslandGirl]

i want to try stevia but i;ve heard disturbing rumors about lurking licquorishy aftertastes (unlike sucrolose)! is it true that better quality brands wont have the aftertaste? and how do i discern between the good and the bad? i want one without a filler -- will this give me truly 0 carbs or does stevia itself have carbs (unlice sucrolose)? have you tried one with FOS? are these any good?
There's a lot of good information and opinion on stevia in the big sticky thread at the top of this very Products Forum...enjoy.

[argo2d]

I've tried 4 Brands: KAL Extract Powder, SweetLeaf Extract Powder, NOW Extract Powder, and Stevia+Fiber packets. The KAL is the best all around (works in drinks, baked goods, deserts, etc...) SweetLeaf works fine in baked goods, deserts, etc...But, the taste is a bit off in liquid drinks (tastes fine frozen and ground into an Icee.) NOW is horribly weak...and imparts virtually no sweetness in drinks. I haven't tried it in anything else. Stevia+Fiber works fine in baked goods, deserts, etc...But, the taste is a bit off in drinks. As always, your opinion might vary.


thanks this is exactly what i needed -- you saved me money b'c i was actually leaning towards NOW's stevia balance. does kal make one with FOS and w/o fillers?

[cc48510]

thanks this is exactly what i needed -- you saved me money b'c i was actually leaning towards NOW's stevia balance. does kal make one with FOS and w/o fillers?

KAL Extract Powder has no fillers. Stevia+Fiber is the one with FOS. Stevia+Fiber works well in baking and deserts. I just prefer the taste of KAL in drinks. NOW just plain doesn't work in drinks. It may work in Baked Goods or Deserts, but I haven't tried it in those. KAL works in everything, which is why I prefer it. Plus, it is one of the cheaper Stevias ($7.50-$9.99/bottle). Unfortunately, Whole Foods [down near my parents' place] quit carrying KAL in favor of the more expensive ($12.49/bottle) SweetLeaf Brand. SweetLeaf's taste in drinks is acceptable, but not as good as KAL. In baked goods and deserts both work perfectly.