Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener Review

From the makers of Splenda, this Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener is, like Splenda, suitable for diabetics, contains zero calories, and tastes very much like sugar.  However, unlike Splenda, Nectresse comes from a more natural formulation of molasses, monk fruit, and sugar, with some erythritol thrown in too.  We tried this on blueberries and raspberries, cereal, coffee, tea, and whole grains, with delightfully sweet and delicious results.

Though Nectresse contains some fruit derivatives, it still behaves like a neutral sweetener in most foods in that it does not alter the flavor of said foods any more than to simply increase their sweetness.  Curious how this product contains sugar, yet lacks the calories of sugar.  We’re reviewing the 40-packet box here.

 

Benefits, Advantages, Pros, and Features

  • Well-sealed single-serving envelopes.  Each packet is of a thicker, foil-based, air tight construction.  So it’s a bit heavier than other packetized sweeteners, that come in thin paper packets.  This not only protects the contents from dampness that might otherwise cause caking, but also keeps the light out.
  • Recommended for diabetics.  As Nectresse contains virtually no net carbs, it’s suitable for sweetening foods in diabetic diets.  In fact, the label says that this is a “free food” when you take in up to two packets.
  • No sucralose.  Though this sweetener is made by the Splenda people, Nectresse contains no man-made sucralose.
  • Freshness assured virtually forever.  Nectresse can keep indefinitely on the shelf; particularly with its air tight packets.  Just store it in a cool and dry spot in your pantry or basement.  It’s great to stockpile.
  • Stirs into beverages quickly.  It dissolved rapidly and stayed dissolved; though we required five or six packets to bring the tea to our preferred level of sweetness.
  • Mostly neutral sweetness, although we could taste the monk fruit from this, in some teas.
  • Sugar equivalency.  Each orange packet of Nectresse sweetens as much as two teaspoons of white sugar.
  • Nothing artificial here, and everything natural.
  • Fruity scent.  Has a weak fruity smell, that quickly disappears as soon as you put this sweetener into your foods.  Even if it did not go away, the fruity aroma is not strong enough to be objectionable.
  • Nearly colorless.  The powder itself ia almost a pure white in color, but does appear a very pale yellow shade under a bright white halogen lamp.  However, this slight coloration is not enough to alter the colors of your foods or beverages.
  • No digestion problems noted.  We suffered no ill effects (upset stomach et al) after consuming fifteen packets of this sweetener in two cups of tea and a bowl of raspberries.
  • Non addictive. Nor did we experience much increase in cravings for more sugar consuming this product.
  • Smaller grains than sugar.  The granules here seem finer than typical sugar, and dissolve more quickly in tea.   So they feel less like grit.  Thus they create less crunch noise when chewing foods treated with them.
  • Made from monk fruit.  So you get some miniscule amounts of additional nutrition from this tropical fruit that are not present most other white sweeteners.
  • Easy to clean up   with a water-dampened dishcloth.
  • Larger packages available.  This product is also available in a 140-serving plastic jar, for easy measuring and pouring.
  • Widely sold at practically all larger grocery stores.  Now that Nectresse has been on the market for some years, and received well during that time, most of the larger and medium-sized supermarket chains have begun selling it.  So, it’s much easier to find.

 

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, Concerns, and Suggested Improvements

  • Not sweet enough.  We’d prefer that they make a bit sweeter, so fewer packets of it for an adequately sweet cup of tea would be needed.  We get tired of tearing them open.
  • Costly.  At present, it’s expensive, at roughly $6 for 40 packets.   Hmmm.  Eight cups of sweet tea for $6 seems rather steep.
  • Bulk packages needed.  As with most of these man-made sweetener products, it would be nice if you could buy them in 1, 2, and 5-pound containers like you can real sugar.

 

Ingredients

Erythritol, sugar, monk fruit extract, molasses.

 

Nutrition Facts

  • Serving size: 1 packet, or 2.4 grams.  Servings per container: 40.
  • Calories: 0.
  • Total fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
  •  Sodium: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
  • Total carbohydrate: 2 grams, 1% DV.
  • Sugars: less than 1 gram.
  • Erythritol: 2 grams.
  • Protein: 0 grams.

 

Our Rating

We recommend this augmented-by-fruit sweetener to diabetics and healthy folks alike.  There’s little penalty of sweetness just because you use this zero calorie sugar alternative. I’d rate this product at 91 out of 100.

 

Where To Buy Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener

Find this product in many larger supermarkets.  Look for the orange and white box that has the deep orange letters, along with the cup of this sweetener on the front.

 

References

 

Revision History

  • : Moved this post to the    Tom’s Diet Quest   blog, and tweaked the content.  Adjusted ad placement, added whitespace, and extended the References section.
  • 2012-09-25: Originally published.