I bought this because I had heard good things about it. I was so disappointed when I finally got to try it. It was so bitter tasting, not at all what I had expected. I started out with a very minimal amount because I had been told that it was sweeter than sugar, I had to keep adding more and even then all I could taste was the bitterness. A few weeks later I was talking to a co-worker who also majored in chemistry etc., and she said that whether or not you like the taste depends on your chemical makeup, so some people find it very sweet and love it and others find it bitter and hate it. Just my luck that I was in the latter crowd!! It was pricey for such a small bottle and since I can’t use it, it was a complete waste of money.

I bought this product for the first time 3 months ago. I bought Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme Flavored Liquid Stevia, 2-Ounce Bottle 7 months ago. My motive was to compare these products and see which one is best for me.

I will try to be as detailed as possible. So again I am evaluating “Now Foods: Better Stevia Original” and “Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme”.

At first, I expected Better Stevia to be what the packaging described, a better alternative to Stevia drinkers. I expected it to be exactly what they advertised in its packaging:

-Better tasting
-Just as healthy

etc.

To compare them, I alternated an average of 6 drops into my morning coffee everyday.

==Taste Evaluation==

After everyday usage of these two products and after testing them extensively; I see no -significant- difference between the two in taste. Please do take into consideration that I did not test these by serving suggestion amount (see Suggested Serving below).

==Ingredients==

Now let’s talk about the ingredients. Both products claim to be made with natural ingredients. “Now Foods Better Stevia Original” lists “water”, “certified Organic Stevia extract” and “11% alcohol”. “Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme” lists “natural flavors” apart from “Stevia extract”.

Sweet Leaf has quite an advantage, since it does not list alcohol as an ingredient.

I wanted more evidence about ingredients. I thought that Sweet Leaf was trying to pull as fast one, by passing alcohol as a “natural flavor”; like many companies have done.

So I visited the Sweet Leaf website and found this: “SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener does not use chemicals, alcohols, solvents or enzymes at any stage of the extraction and purification process.”

Bingo. Sweet Leaf has -no alcohol-.

==Suggested Serving and Packaging==

“Now Foods Better Stevia Original” serving suggestion is 1 to 4 drops and has a split-open cap that it’s very messy. You can’t count by drops, usually it spills to the body of the container. It is very difficult to measure exactly how much you’re administering. I found that many times the bitterness was noticeable due to not knowing how much I was using.

“Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme” serving suggestion is 5 to 8 drops and contains a dropper for easier administration of the product. You can count exactly how many drops you’re serving. As long as you don’t go beyond 7-8 drops; it should not be bitter at all.

Final evaluation from 1 to 5.

Taste:

“Now Foods Better Stevia Original” = 5

“Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme” = 5

Ingredients:

“Now Foods Better Stevia Original” = 4

“Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme” = 5

Suggested Serving and Packaging:

“Now Foods Better Stevia Original” = 2

“Sweet Leaf: Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme” = 5

All in all Sweet Leaf wins, for several reasons. The packaging makes it very easy to serve the product properly. When I used the Sweet Leaf dropper with the Better Stevia I found that 4 drops weren’t bitter. But adding 8 drops of Better Stevia started to make my drink bitter. So Better Stevia claims it tastes better, as long as you follow their serving suggestion. Sweet Leaf tastes better otherwise.

And to folks who really care about their alcohol intake for whatever reason; Sweet Leaf claims to have none.

PS. Oh yeah just a quick note, when I ordered Better Stevia the “alcohol” was not mentioned on the title, now it is.

The price is great and the product is ok. It’s not top of the line Stevia however it does add the sweetness without the glycemic spikes of real sugar. Beware a little bit of aftertaste.

I have been using this product for years. It was GREAT! But the last one I received in the mail was much more watered down. In the past it was quite thick and a very reasonably price. This does not seem to be the case anymore. I will continue to use this brand, but I will be shopping a new source for price and quality.

I have only used liquid stevia for my tea and coffee for the past 2 years – NOW’s is a fantastic price – I won’t change!

If you want fast delivery, though, don’t order through Nutricity. I ordered it (as a prime member) and didn’t receive it for 9 days – meaning I couldn’t take it with me on the trip – which is why I ordered the 2 oz bottle….

This Stevia is so affordable, I was concerned that it would be inferior, but we have been pleased with the flavor and quality and extremely pleased with the price.

I’m not usually willing to try something new. A neighbor gave me some Stevia. I am now ordering my 3rd bottle.

As a diabetic it is perfect for me. I make an awesome chocolate pudding with the stevia. The lemonade I made with it is great too. Even my adult son who loves his sugar thought that the lemonade was good.

My only problem is when it says 1/3 teaspoon. I don’t know of anyone that has a 1/3 teaspoon.

add by drops or teaspoon, I added by cup!
I just kept adding water….
very good taste, better than splenda, or other artifical sweeteners.
Willllll definately order again!
Thanks.

This is much better than powdered stevia. It does not have a bitter after-taste. It is also safer than liquid sucralose, which contains sodium benzoate.

Stevia is a safe, natural sugar-substitute that has been used for thousands of years. I have used it safely myself for years. NOW is my favorite brand because there is no bitter aftertaste. Use it in Coffee, tea, yogurt, milk, cereal, puddings, fruit dips, etc. It is truly an amazing produce that keeps my life ‘sweet’ and not fat 🙂

I use stevia in some form every day. Generally, I use unflavored stevia like this in lemonade or iced tea. I believe 5 drops is what is generally recommended for sweetening a drink. This is pretty close to real usage so this bottle lasts a long time!

Who would believe that a product that tastes like sugar, has no calories, and no weird chemicals actually exists. Well such a product does exist and liquid Stevia is the new miracle “food.” Most of us won’t touch anything with aspertame or Splenda in it. The powdered versions of Stevia are loaded with sugars (or inulin) except they don’t have to tell us that they have sugars in them because of our corrupt FDA and lobby controlled Congress. Anyway I am amazed by this product and will be using it for the rest of the winter until I grow my own Stevia in the spring. Buy this stuff. You won’t regret it. Pure liquid Stevia is simply amazing and this is the cheapest version of it (on Amazon) I have found.

I’m havinb trouble finding the right amount to put in my coffee without getting that nsty after taste. I ordered a different brand of Stevia that was Vanilla Creme and it doesn’t have the same strong nasty flavor.

I’ve used Stevia for years and years. And absolutely love this stevia. Very cheap and maintains a great taste. It is hard to dispense, so I recommend buying the smaller eye dropper bottle and continually refilling it.

I appreciate the flavor and great savings with this product.

It is much easier to pour this into a 2oz. dropper bottle for daily use. That way it is simple to measure.

I’ve been using this stuff for about 2 years now and I love it. I’ve been using Stevia for almost 10 years, but I found the packets and powders were a pain to mix into a drink and didn’t always dissolve easily. Finding good tasting, high quality liquid Stevia was a welcome relief. If you haven’t used Stevia before, it does taste a little different than other sweetners. At first, I could drink it in iced tea or hot tea but not in coffee. Over time, as I keep reading about the chemical content and suspected risks of the artificial sweeteners, I’ve tried to cut way back on them and eventually switched to this brand of Stevia for my coffee as well. Now I can honestly say that all the other sweeteners taste funny to me, and this is the the only thing I actually want in my coffee. I am also now trying to cut back on diet soda for the same reason, and mixing this with a tiny spoonful of frozen concentrated orange juice, or a little orange extract makes a good tasting orange drink without all the sugar or artificial stuff. I also like that it comes in a relatively large 8oz bottle. Most of the other brands of liquid Stevia I see are half that size. I like my drinks very sweet, and I go through this stuff pretty quickly so this product is great for me. If you only use a little, this will last you a very long time.

Only downside is that you do get some crystalazation that builds up around the the lid, but I think that’s just one of the properties of Stevia. It cleans up with a little warm water and paper towel, not a huge deal.

This stevia is a really great value. It tastes as good as any stevia that I have tried but for far less money. I use it daily!

I just received my bottle of Now brand Stevia liquid. The timing was perfect because I had just finished a cup of tea in which I used my usual stevia and was going for a second cup when the package arrived! So for my second cup I decided to try this stevia. First I tried a drop of my current stevia on my tongue to see how it tastes alone. Then I rinsed my mouth and did the same thing with the Now brand stevia. I never had a complaint about my current stevia but I must say that the Now brand tastes better to me. It is smooth, sweet and does not taste very different from sugar. I am very pleased with this first cup of tea.

Also, this is a great price…a real value. I will agree with everyone about using the dropper from my old bottle to make it easier to judge the amount. Will definitely be purchasing this from “Now” on!

OK, I am a stevia user and have used many brands, powders, liquids, etc.

ALCOHOL: Obviously, if you are on ANABUSE or are an alcoholic, you probably do not want the 10% alcohol. Also, it seems dishonest to say “zero calories” I am pretty sure alcohol has many calories. And that it is turned straight into SUGAR by the body. Negligible when using 4 drops, but if you pour it in like one reviewer, you might not want this in your diet. (did you know anything less than a gram need not be listed, so anything in a one gram pack, like splenda, and shocker, TRUVIA, have some type sugar based sweetener, which you only find out about by buying a big bag!)

FLAVOR: I find all pure stevia is pretty similar in flavor, the difference is strength. Adding the alcohol, it could have made it a bit different in flavor, but I only noticed the lack of strength. Now, if you put TOO MUCH in, stevia is BITTER! If you get the right amount, and take time to adjust, or add a small bit of sugar for flavor, I find it a wonderful tool for a sugar addict like myself. It is amazing what a tiny bit of sugar does to fool your mouth and mellow out the artificial flavor. OR honey, etc. I personally enjoy NO STICKY SUGAR aftermouth. I add xylitol, which kills bacteria, for a super clean mouth feeling.

STRENGTH: THis stuff is a great deal. It is about (maybe a smidge weaker)the same strength of sweetleaf, which is 10 bucks for 2 oz at Whole Foods. The strongest brand I have tried is Clear Stevia by NuNaturals, which costs 15 for 2 oz at whole foods, but is cheaper due to being double the strength.

USE, MEASURING: don’t pour the stuff in. it is too expensive, and it will taste BAAAD. Pour some of the bottle into your old stevia bottle with a dropper, and use a dropper. I find about 5-10 drops per cup is good, depending what you are sweetening. (5 for water—yes, I am really addicted) Start small and work your way up to find your preference.

If you are totally unable to deal with droppers and little bottles, use a powder. SweetLear has one with fiber in it(don’t let it get wet and harden on your counter) , and others, or there is the cheap and maltodextrous Truvia.

A good deal, and I like it, but I WISH THEY WOULD TAKE OUT THE ALCOHOL. Seems pointless to me.

I used to buy Stevia at my local heathfood store but at a much higher price. This item’s price and quality are hard to beat. I would buy it again and again. Thanks to Amazon for offering this item for a great price.

I have been using Stevia for quite a while now, and this is the best price that I have ever seen. The service was very prompt, too, which I really appreciate.

This is a natural sweetener and when shipped free is cheaper than driving (with gas prices so high) to a whole foods or nature store to find it. Thank you Amazon for having it available. My husband is diabetic and makes a peach tea using a sucralose peach-flavored tea with the stevia that keeps him from the sugar-sweetened drinks.

Now Foods Stevia liquid is a great sugar substitute for hot or cold drinks, or as a sweetener for strawberries, salad dressings or anything you want to sweeten up. There is no after taste, like artificial sweeteners. I use stevia because it is all natural and non carcinogenic (like sweet and low or equal). The liquid form is very convenient – just a few drops here and there (no messy packets to dissolve). This bottle from Now Foods is an excellent value and excellent quality. I believe it never hurts to take in less calories – especially when it is all natural. If you haven’t tried Stevia, give it a go – you’ll love it!

I love stevia because it doesn’t mess with my blood sugar. This particular product is wonderful because it goes a very long way (4 or 5 months worth of baking in our house) and is easily incorporated into anything (unlike some grainy powders that won’t dissolve). The taste is…well, it tastes like Stevia. It is sweet, yes. But it does have a bitter bite in it, too. My approach had been to use this along with a tiny touch of something like pure xylitol to lift the bitterness a bit. It works quite well, unfortunately, the xylitol raises my blood sugar. But it may work great for you; it’s worth a try.

UPDATE: I found a French Vanilla version of this that is quite tasty and seems to help with the bitterness. Quite nice!

I love this stevia. It is not bitter like others. I use tons of it, and it’s so much more economical with this size, which is hard to find in stores.

This is the best deal on stevia extract that I have ever found. It is a perfect sugar substitute without using processed chemicals.

This is the best tasting stevia I’ve every used— hands down! It is not bitter, the liquid never crystallizes and a little goes a long way making this product long lasting and a great value for the price. I find this product to be far superior to other stevia liquids or powders I’ve tried from other companies.

This stevia is a great value and the bottle is easy to squeeze if you need more than just a drop.

This is an economical way of getting Stevia Liquid Extract. I transfer the liquid to smaller eye drop containers. Stevia is a good no carb option for a sweetner. Some people don’t like the taste. I am fine with it.

This product is sweet but not too sweet. It goes a long way. We have replaced the powder we were using with this liquid. I will reorder it again.