Green tea for me

Stopped in Delanie's Coffee shop today to quench my thirst with some iced tea this morning- I wan't quite in the mood for a coffee. They offer both black and green iced teas and this was my first taste of the refreshing beverage. I chose the iced green tea and then asked the staff what I should use for sweetener for this unsweetened tea, thinking they would respond with splenda, brown sugar, etc. Instead the manager whipped out some agave syrup and put a quick squirt in my tea. I swirled it in with the ice and it tasted perfect! Just the right amount of sweetness that wasn't too overpowering like some pre-made sweet teas that I am personally not a fan of.

I was curious what agave syrup was and if it was a healthy additive, so I did some googling. I found out that agave syrup in fact comes from the agave plant, usually the blue agave that is grown in the hot climate and volcanic soils of Mexico. Agaves are a spiky plant that somewhat resemble cacti (shown below), and the syrup is extracted from the core. This succulent sweetener is preferred by many despite the amount of calories per serving because the level of sweetness is much higher and therefore much less is needed to spruce up your tea. It compares closely to honey made by bees, but actually contains less grams of sugar and less calories than honey. At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference for your sweetener but I think I might be hooked on a squirt of the agave syrup in my iced tea!

My drink this morning was a great pick me up without as much caffeine as coffee! Happy Tuesday!! :)