As a member of Crowdtap I've learned a lot about the Truvia sweetener product line. I know that it is a natural sugar substitute extracted from the Stevia plant. It has fewer calories than sugar and different varieties of the product can be used to substitute for sugar in all the ways that we use it. I even had a friend who used the Truvia baking blend last summer while she was pregnant and craving sweets, but her husband was on a low-carb diet. With all this in mind, I applied for a sample of this product to find out if it would fit in with my tastes and diet plans.
I received two packages which each contained two servings of Truvia sweetener. I figured that the first thing that I should do is try out the product myself. I do not drink coffee or caffeinated teas and I drink herbal tea only on rare occasions, but this sample arrived just as I was fighting a cold and needed the warmth of herbal tea to help relax my sore throat.
I prepared my tea as usual, but instead of my normal serving of honey, I added a packet of Truvia sweetener instead. As I started to drink the tea I didn't notice much of a difference, but as I finished up I found that I my tea left a slightly bitter aftertaste in my mouth. I took note of the taste, but I wasn't sure whether it was the sweetener or the tea itself. Over the next couple of days I had several cups of the same tea, I had two with the Truvia sweetener, one with normal sugar, and one with honey. Of the three sweeteners, the honey was my favorite (I usually use honey for this reason) and the sugar the next. The second time I tried the Truvia, after I had refreshed my memory of the tastes of honey and sugar, I once again noticed the slightly bitter aftertaste that I didn't get with the other two sweeteners.
I didn't leave the test at this though, I know that I tend to prefer sweet and rich foods over anything with a bitter aftertaste (give me milk chocolate over dark chocolate every time). My husband on the other hand prefers tastes with less sugar and overall richness, so I thought that I would try the #SweetSwitch with him when he came down with a cold a couple days after I did. I prepared his tea the same way and added the Truvia sweetener without telling him that I'd done anything different than usual. He drank the tea with his normal level of compliance (he sees it as a medicine that he has to take when I give him, and never really enjoys it :). When he was done I asked him what he thought of the taste. He said that it had seemed a bit bitter and he didn't like aftertaste much. I then told him that I had switched out the sweetener and he figured that explained the difference in taste. He then politely asked me to use honey the next time I made him some tea.
Now to sum up the results of this product test. I understand the value of Truvia as a low calorie sugar alternative, but it's probably not the best product for me or my family. I might be able to get used to the bitter aftertaste, but it would take some time and a complete switch to the Truvia product line. This wouldn't necessarily work well since my husband doesn't like the taste at all and my kids to respond well to any change to their normal food routine. I will share this product with my friends though, because it might be exactly what somebody is looking for to give them that extra low-calorie edge to help them with their diets.
