We have been using noncaloric sweeteners for decades, starting with zero-calorie soda brands in middle school, then on cereal and other foods as packets of the sweetener became available.

While we’ve tried every brand over the years, our reigning favorite was Splenda (sucralose), introduced to the U.S. in 1999.

Not only did it have less of an aftertaste, but it was heat-stable for cooking and baking.

We’ve tried other sugar substitutes, most recently including monk fruit and stevia leaf. We gave a thumbs down to both.

While we recognize that the choice of sugar substitute is very specifically attuned to one’s palate (we have friends who still prefer Sweet ‘N Low saccharin), we came across a new blend that’s worth a try to those who aren’t perfectly happy with their sugar substitute.

Splenda had started to taste more and more artificial to us in hot drinks—largely coffee and tea, but also hot cocoa.

Did our palate change somehow? Did Splenda change the percentages of its ingredients? Is the main ingredient, sucralose, somehow different now?

We don’t know; but for the past year we’ve been sweetening our tea with one packet of Splenda and one packet of sugar (16 calories, 2 g sugar) to provide the sweetness, while minimizing the aftertaste. The combination is O.K., but not perfect.

So when we were offered a sample of Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit Sweetener, zero calories, we accepted (photos #1 and #2).

And we’re glad we did. While we didn’t like stevia and monk fruit individually, they work magic together.

We prefer it in our our coffee and tea, and find it equally good on cereal and baked apples (our regular sweet treat). If you dip a finger into the powder to taste it straight, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

We haven’t made brownies or cake yet—largely because we have an unfortunate tendency to eat the whole thing. But people who have baked Whole Earth sweetener really like it.
 
 
WHAT’S IN WHOLE EARTH STEVIA & MONK FRUIT SWEETENER

Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit Sweetener, which we’ll abbreviate to WESLMF, has a crystalline appearance, plus:

 
It’s certified kosher by OU.

The ingredients are erythritol, stevia leaf extract, natural flavors* and monk fruit extract.

The product is available in packets, in jars of loose product, as a liquid, in “sugar” cubes, and Baking Blend.

The basic product works best in beverages, salad dressings, sauces and sprinkling. Each packet of WESLMF is equivalent in sweetness to 1.5 teaspoons of sugar.

Baking Blend (photo #3) has non-caloric bulking agents that give WESLMF enough body to substitute for sugar in recipes, and properties that bake and brown like sugar†.
 
 
The Ingredients

All of the ingredients exist in nature.

 
 
> DISCOVER MORE AT WHOLEEARTHSWEETENER.COM.
 
 
> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT SUGAR SUBSTITUTES.

[1] We prefer the taste of Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit in our coffee and tea (photos #1, #2, #3 and #6 © Whole Leaf Sweetener).

[2] Whole Earth Sweetener is available in a format for every use.

[3] Yep: made non-caloric Whole Earth Sweetener.

[4] Stevia leaves and blossoms on the plant (photo by Ethel Aardvark | Wikipedia).

[5] Monk fruit melons (photo © Monk Fruit Corp).

[6] Our favorite easy treat: Baked apples. Core the apple, sprinkle WESLMF, cinnamon, and bake in a pan with 1″ water at 375°F, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the apples are tender, but not overcooked and mushy.

*Natural flavors are ingredients that come from nature, e.g. blueberry extract. The term “natural flavor” is defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.22(a)(3). In this Whole Earth sweetener, you will not taste any flavor in the product; only sweetness.

†All powdered sugar substitutes contain bulking agents. That’s because the sweetening ingredients are so tiny (e.g., 300 times the sweetness of sugar), that there would be hardly anything to put in a packet.

[1] Today’s Mateus bottle (photo © Mateus | Sogrape).

[2] The original Mateus bottle was shaped like a water flask. The design underwent numerous design updates over the years, culminating in the modern bottle above (photo © Deli Portugal).

[3] Because rosés can be made from any red wine grape, the resulting wines vary in color (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Rosé pairs with every food from grilled cheese to oysters and salmon caviar (photo © Petrossian).

[5] Serve rosé with a charcuterie plate (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

June 13th is National Rosé Day. June 10th is National Portugal Day. So we’re giving a shout-out to Mateuse Portuguese rosé.

Rosé wine, created as a warm-weather drink (serve it chilled), has been enjoying a year-round renaissance.

The U.S. is now the world’s third largest producer**, and a proliferation of good rosé in 375ml cans makes it easy to have a glass anytime, without opening a large bottle (we’re currently buying four-packs of Bonterra cans).

Today, we’re highlighting the original rosé, created in Portugal in the middle of World War II (Portugal remained neutral in the war).

The wine is Mateus, pronounced ma-TAY-oos in Portuguese, called ma-TOOS by Americans.

It’s a must-try, very well priced at an SRP of $12.99 per 750 ml bottle (2019 vintage).

Discover more at MateusRose.us. Here’s the store locator.
 

WHAT IS ROSÉ WINE

In the history of wine, rosé is a newcomer. Rosé was created in 1942, when the founder of Sogrape* envisioned a new type of wine: light, fruity and slightly pétillant (fizzy).

He called it rosé for its rosy color, and gave it the brand name Mateus.

The original Mateus bottle (photo #2) was inspired by the flasks worn by the soldiers during the World War I.

Almost 80 later, Mateus is a global brand, present in more than 120 countries, with over a billion bottles sold to date.

Its fans include Queen Elizabeth.
 
Rosé Style

The new style of wine became popular quickly, and other vintners began to make it.

As the category grew, the style also became known as blush wine or pink wine (White Zinfandel, for example, a blush wine, is a rosé).

Mateus and most other rosé wines are dry. But just like white and red wines, they can be vinified to be sweet as well. There is a rosé style for every palate and food pairing.

Unlike grape varietals (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc.), there is no rosé grape.

Rather, a rosé wine can be made from any red wine grape†. Most rosés are dry wines made from red wine grapes.

The pink color comes from limited skin contact with the red grape skins during vinification. Rosé’s color is actually an early hue of what would become red wine with longer skin contact.

Here’s more about how rosé is made.
 
 
MATEUS DRY ROSÉ 2019 VINTAGE

Recently updated, the new Mateus Dry Rosé is made from Baga and Shiraz grapes, and vinified to be drier than the original, fruitier version.

Inside the recently re-designed, stylish, gently curved bottle (photo #1) is a rosé with the lively flavors of red berry fruits, but more floral than fruity.

The bouquet has alluring floral notes.

It’s very slightly fizzy, fresh and well-balanced, dry but not bone-dry.

The experience: a delight whether at poolside, patio, picnic, apéritif, lunch or dinner.

Serve it chilled: The ideal temperature for rosé is between 46ºF and 50ºF.

Note that rosé is a wine that is meant to be drunk when it is released. Don’t store it with intent to age it.
 
 
ROSÉ WINE & FOOD PAIRINGS

Rosé goes with just about any food, except for heavy meats (beef, lamb, venison, e.g.). Serve it with simple preparations (no heavy sauces, e.g.).

Try it with:

 
 
ROSÉ ARTICLES & RECIPES

The Best Foods To Pair With Rosé
Frosé: A Rosé Slushie For Cocktails & Dessert
Have A Rosé Wine Tasting
Rosé Sangria: Think Pink!

*Sogrape is a company that produces wine brands in Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Chile and New Zealand. The founder of Sopgrape was vintner Fernando van Zeller Guedes.

†Red grape” skins can be black, purple or red, depending on the varietal. A rosé can also be made by blending red and white wines, although this is less common.

**Today, the world’s largest producers of rosé wines are France, 30%; Spain, 21%; USA, 14%; Italy, 10%; South Africa, 3%; Germany, 2% [source].
 
  

Want to drink your shooters from a shot glass made of ice?

Evidently, lots of people do; because Zoku created these ice shooter molds.

You can make four ice shooters at a time.

But that’s not all!

You can freeze any liquid, including chocolate, to make shot glasses.

Simply fill the silicone molds with water or other liquid and freeze.

The four shots fit into a base; so whether sipping or shooting, your hands never have to get cold.

For gifts: It’s likely to be one your friends don’t have.

They’re available online from Zoku, Amazon and other e-tailers.

Shots have never been colder (photo © Zoku).

[1] A wheel of citrus is messy to pick up and squeeze, and simply adds eye appeal to the drink. Use a wedge instead (photo © Regis Hari Bouchard | Unsplash).

[2] Fresh orange juice is delicious in iced tea; but again, squeeze a wedge rather than use a wheel (photo © Twinings).

June is National Iced Tea Month; June 10th is National Iced Tea Day.

If you like a slice or wedge of lemon in your iced tea, here’s a way to infuse all the fresh citrus flavor into your tea before you pour it into a glass.

The technique also works with lime and orange wedges, and with herbs like lemongrass and mint.

By the way, fresh orange and lemongrass are excellent complements to iced tea. Try them.

Bonus: Citrus fruits have plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants; lemongrass is full of antioxidants.
 
 
HOW TO INFUSE CITRUS INTO ICE TEA

This technique is for people who want a lot of lemon, lime or mint flavor.

For only a touch of flavor, a quick squeeze of the wedge is fine.

1. BREW the tea. While the tea is hot…

2. ADD wedges of fruit into the hot tea. You can squeeze the juice into the tea before adding the wedges.

With mint, crush the leaves and stems in your hand before adding; with lemongrass, crush the stalks (we pound them).

3. INFUSE the tea on the countertop for an hour or longer.

4. STRAIN the tea into another container and discard the spent fruit. Chill the tea.

Note that the tea will not be crystal-clear as it is when iced plain, but the flavor will be more intense.

If you always drink iced tea with sugar, you can add it into the hot tea as well. It dissolves very quickly, unlike stirring it into cold tea.
 
 
WHY NOT INFUSE PEACHES & BERRIES?

The reason the infusion technique works best with lemon, lime and herbs is because these items aren’t meant to be eaten, just to flavor the tea.

On the other hand, peaches, berries, and other fruits are meant as edible garnishes, rather than infusions.

Properly, the drink is iced tea: tea that has been chilled with ice. It is spelled this way in primers on editing and by the line editors of quality publications.

But, as more and more Americans care less and less about the rules of English, ice tea—tea with added ice—has been making inroads, even among some editors.

There is precedent: Ice water was originally, properly, “iced water.” We presume that editors in that era of transition were equally chagrined.
 
 
> ICED TEA TRIVIA & HISTORY
 
 
MORE ICED TEA

Have An Iced Tea Party

The History Of Iced Tea

How To Brew Perfect Iced Tea

How To Dissolve Sugar In Cold Drinks

For people who are so time-pressed to get out of the house in the morning, here’s a gadget from 30 Watt:

The Original Joeski Shower Coffee Holder.

Drink your coffee while you shower!

No suction cups, adhesives or wall mounts are used to affix the holder to your shower wall.

Instead, the Joeski uses silicone to grip the device securely to glossy surfaces like glass, mirror, marble, metal, shiny tile and laminate using a patented grip technology.

Just mount it onto a dry surface, smooth out the air bubbles, wait 24 hours, and then you’re ready to get your morning started.

It won’t leave any residue behind should you decide to remove it.

Holes on the bottom of the holder keep it from filling with water.

Get yours here.

There are also variations for beer/soda cans and wine glasses.

[1] Save time: Drink your coffee in the shower (photo © 30 Watt).