There’s some confusion about monk fruit

We’ve noticed that a lot of people see “monk fruit” on an ingredient list and immediately put it in the same category as stevia. They expect a chemical aftertaste, something overly sweet or something that tastes fake. But monk fruit and stevia aren’t the same thing. Stevia comes from the leaves of the stevia plant, while monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, is an actual fruit native to southern China.

Part of the confusion is that “monk fruit” can also mean very different things depending on the product. There are highly concentrated monk fruit extracts and powders, and there are “monk fruit sweetener” blends that combine monk fruit with stevia, erythritol or other ingredients. So the taste you associate with monk fruit may actually be coming from the form being used, its concentration or something it has been blended with.

Why ours is different

We use 100% pure organic, non-GMO monk fruit juice derived directly from the fruit. It isn’t a powdered monk fruit sweetener and it isn’t blended with stevia or erythritol. We also know where our monk fruit is grown, how it’s harvested and how the juice is processed.

That matters to us because we make tea and we want you to taste the tea. Sarilla starts with real brewed organic tea, fruit and botanicals, and we use monk fruit juice in some of our flavors to create balance without masking those ingredients or loading the drink with sugar. It’s why people who were skeptical when they saw monk fruit on our label are often surprised when they taste Sarilla. One of the comments we hear most is, “This tastes SO clean and natural.”

How is monk fruit good for you, and what does it actually taste like?

Monk fruit gets its natural sweetness primarily from compounds called mogrosides. These compounds provide intense sweetness without the calories of sugar, which means only a small amount is needed. Mogrosides are also being studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and other potential health benefits. The research into some of these broader benefits is still developing, but monk fruit has been used for centuries and monk fruit ingredients have also been evaluated for safety through the FDA’s GRAS process.

In the form we use, the flavor is subtle. It adds enough natural sweetness to soften the bitterness and acidity of tea and botanicals without becoming the dominant flavor. You aren't supposed to take a sip of Sarilla and think “monk fruit.” You should taste green tea, lemon, chamomile, ginger, hibiscus and the other real ingredients we brewed into the can.

That’s really the distinction we want people to understand. Monk fruit isn't stevia, and “monk fruit sweetener” isn't necessarily pure monk fruit juice. If you've been putting all of them in the same category, you may not have tasted monk fruit like ours.