Whole Earth100% Erythritol Zero Calorie Plant-Based Sugar Alternative, 4 Pound Pouch (Packaging May Vary )

I decided to try 2 sugar substitutes, this being one of them. I can't tell any difference in their taste or sweetening ability. I like them both.It's going to take some time to get used to the difference in how my tea tastes. I haven't had tea since Jan. 1st. I had my first glass of iced tea May 31st. I have a large selection of teas. I've been miserable without a glass of tea. I knew how it would be using an artificial sweetener and I knew I didn't want to use them.I had no idea there were so many natural sugar substitutes available. As you get used to not having sugar you really don't want it ever again. I really didn't expect the tea to taste so different. Not complaining about it. Just stating a fact. My favorite tea is Bigelow's Constant Comment. And after drinking it for 3 days now, I can already tell a difference in how it's tasting for me.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:We love this stuff! Weve been making coffee syrups with this, and it is delicious! just use a small amount less than you would with normal sugar; its quite sweet!Sugar content:0 sugar, and very versatile!

This stuff is amazing! I use it in my haste and hot coffee. I’ve used it in baking goods and then I’ve also sprinkled it on some unsalted almond butter and it helped.

It's a nice product. I bought it for it's dental benefits. It tastes funny compared to Xylitol, which is why I have it 4 stars instead of 5.

Taste like the powder in Fundip, in a good way. I used the whole 4lbs bag and buying more. Way better then Splenda or Stevia in flavor.

No more sugar in the last 6 years!

Great substitute for sugar. Has no aftertaste. Super for baking dietetic foods. Great value.

Product: Whole Earth ErythritolRating: 3/5 starsI had high hopes for this sugar substitute, but most of them have since been dashed, and after some research I know why, and i'm a bit irked with the mfr because THEY DONT TELL YOU THE IMPORTANT STUFF ... only the minor stuff. I'll recap the minor stuff before moving on to the important ones.Minor Issues:> NOT FOR LEAVENING: Despite being an actual type of sugar, erythritol is NOT fermentable by most common microbes and yeasts, so it doesn't work for making homebrew, or for naturally carbonating beverages, nor as a leavening aid in yeasted starters, doughs, or baked goods, etc.> NO BROWNING: Erythritol does not caramelize like surcrose, so it will NOT work in recipes that rely on sugar as a browning aid.Ok, now comes the 2 major things they dont tell you.1) PECTIN FOLLIES: Ive been growing and making red jalapeno jam for years. The label conveniently made NO mention of any issues with getting a good set in conjunction with pectin, so I followed the recommended 1.33:1 full substitution for regular granulated sugar (surcrose) in my jam recipe, and the same Sure-Jell powdered pectin ive used for years. FA1LURE ENSUED. Initially it setup just fine ... then the erythritol totally recrystalized (see picture). A partial jar i'd put in the fridge did so in just a couple hours, and an unopened jar left in my cupboard did so overnight. Clearly, the company marketing this product failed to tell us something.I consulted an expert who makes jams and jellies for a living, and he clued me in on an important tidbit of food science: there are TWO very different types of pectin, and i'm not referring to just the liquid form vs the powdered form. No, i'm referring to High Methyl (HM) vs Low Methyl (LM) powdered pectin - also known as high sugar compatible and reduced or low sugar compatible (keto/diabetic friendly use). Virtually all brands of pectin typically encountered at the retail level are HM (ex: sure-jell, certo, et al), whereas LM is a specialty product normally only found in bulk through mail order or wholesalers. That's not the whole picture either, because there's a third type of thickener that is directly relevant here, but which isnt a pectin ... Modified Food Starch, aka "Clear Gel" (Cook type) Starch. It's a type of corn starch specially modified (pre-gelatinized, et al) to play nice with highly acidic fruits, and wherein most of its setting power happens during cooldown, rather than 180F+ like regular corn starch.Getting back to the main issue, there are three primary thickening options.> HM pectin is the optimal choice for full regular sugar applications.> LM pectin is optimal for recipes in which only PART, but not all, of the surcrose has been replaced with a substitute.> Clear Jel Powder (Cooktype Modified Starch) is optimal for recipes were all the surcrose has been fully replaced or omitted entirely.The bottom line is that my jam crystalized because I replaced 100% of the sugar with erythritol in conjunction with not knowing I needed to use a specialty type of pectin (LM) instead of HM. As a belated footnote, I probably should have limited the erythritol to 50% of the total sugar and used the specialty pectin. I tried the clear jel starch with a smaller test batch with 100% erythritol, and although the flavor was fine, and crystalization was greatly reduced, the texture was very disappointing - more akin to canned cranberry sauce than a proper jam. Whole Earth of course mentions NONE of this.2) GASTRIC DISTURBANCE: According to mulptiple studies published by the National Institute of Health (see pic for an example), a significant percentage of the populace is commonly prone to experiencing some degree of gastric disturbance when consuming 35gr or more per day. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that erythritol is only 70% as sweet as surcrose, so you have to use more of it to do the same sweetening job. The most common side effect are loose/watery stools, in varying levels of severity. Not fun.Bottom line: For erythritol, this brand seems to be pretty good on both quality and price. The packaging NEGLECTS TO MENTION that this sugar substitute requires an alternate form of pectin to work properly in jams & jellies, and there's a risk of gastric disturbance for some people if consumed in anything more than very modest amounts (which usuallycdiminishes as you acclimate). IMHO, its probably fine for the occasional mug of tea or coffee, or the occasional baked item ... but for anything more than that, consider looking elsewhere.UPDATE (2023): Uh oh ... a recent medical study discovered a previously unknown link between Erythritol and greatly increased risk of stroke (read: blood clot in brain) and/or heart attack. Apparently, a small percentage of the blood glucose in our bodies is naturally altered into Erythritol, which in turn has some sort of (as of yet) poorly understood affect on stuff in our bodies, and apparently consuming external sources of same throws the levels in our blood badly out of whack, causing unforseen consequences. Not good. Needless to say, I'm no longer reordering this.