# stevia? is it any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274 "2004-01-02T13:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/1 "2004-01-02T13:49:10Z")
First heard about it on the 700 Club, now saw it on The Today Show, checked the .com site, but still have not actually seen it in stores. How does it taste? Can it be used in baking? is it cost competitive with other sweeteners? is there really a FDA-Sweetener Business plot against its common use? ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/2 "2004-01-02T13:51:14Z")
I tried an apple pie made with it instead of normal sugar, and it was terrible. Quite bitter with an unpleasent aftertaste, however your mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/3 "2004-01-02T15:02:26Z")
It’s hard to describe the flavor of stevia. If I think about the taste of raw sugar (sweet and warm), stevia tastes very sweet and green (kinda like sugar cane) and has a freaky aftertaste. I like it best in highly flavored hot tea. I wouldn’t use it for baking, although that shouldn’t change the power of the sweetening. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/4 "2004-01-02T15:42:52Z")
I found it bitter myself – but I don’t know what the actual exchange rate is for it and sugar. I don’t believe it cooks well. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/5 "2004-01-02T17:51:41Z")
If you mix stevia with other sweeteners (Splenda, Erythritol, aspartame, etc) it balances it out and removes the aftertaste. This works for any sweetener with an aftertaste. Unfortunately, you have to do some experimentation to get it right. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/6 "2004-01-03T06:22:38Z")
I think the flavor of Stevia (slightly licorice-like) goes well with tea, as **DeVena** said. I don’t use it often though, because it’s made of deadly poison. No, actually it’s just not approved by the FDA as a sweetener, whatever the hell that means. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-is-it-any-good/222274/7 "2004-01-03T07:54:41Z")
My dad liked the idea of it. It tastes weird. Sweet, but not in a good way, and then there’s the aftertaste.