I needed a replacement for the Splenda I had been using as a sweetener because the Splenda makes me nauseous. I decided to try stevia because it is a natural zero-calorie sweetener. After reading all of the reviews, I was braced for something that was only just tolerable in aftertaste, like saccharin, but at least not upsetting to my stomach. When it arrived, I tasted it straight out of the bottle. Wow, this stuff is good! I had my husband taste it, and he said it tastes minty. I guess neither one of us is afflicted with whatever condition it is that causes people to think stevia tastes bad.
The very first test I put it to was sweetening a batch of dark chocolate frozen kefir, with orange oil added. This is a potentially very bitter mixture, and requires good sweetening to counteract the bitterness. The stevia did the job. I think I used about 30 drops, which sounds like a lot but is only enough for 6 - 10 cups of beverage according to the directions on the bottle. Even assuming 2 tsp of sugar per cup of beverage and the maximum of 10 cups, that is equivalent to less than 0.5 cup of sugar. The recipe called for 1.25 cups of sugar. I think that is pretty good performance. I didn't feel nauseous afterward, either, and I would have after using 1.25 cups of Splenda (at 1:1 replacement as per instructions) in the dessert.
I bought both an 8-oz bottle and a 2-oz glass dropper bottle. My plan is to use the dropper bottle to apply the sweetener, and fill it from the larger, more economical, bottle.
Edit 5 days later: I am finding that 5 drops per cup of kefir is enough for my frozen kefir desserts when the flavoring is not so bitter as the dark chocolate and orange oil. It costs a little more than the Splenda, per serving, but it is worth it not to feel ill afterward. I am about to buy more while the price is good, so I don't run out.
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