C and H Sugar Is Now a Misnomer

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Yes,

I'm familiar with the German sugar beet industry as well from my model railroad hobby. The BR 85 steam tank locomotive was one of the last steamers to haul sugar beet cargo trains after WW 2 to the late 1960's.
Hawaii's economy changed after the sugar cane plantations all closed also.
In the late 70's, we could still get jet fresh Hawaiian pineapple also.
By the time I was buying produce for my company, they were from Costa Rica.
Before the new parent company bought us in 1989, I could even get Jaffa oranges from Israel.
 
I also remember passing the Domino refinery on the steamboat trip out of New Orleans.

Other than Domino, the only non-store brand we have around here is Dixie Crystals, refined in Savannah, Ga.

I could never tell the slightest difference between the name brands and the cheapest store brand, though.
 
California produces massive amounts of sugar from beets as well. Tons are grown in the Imperial Valley. Unlike the upper Midwest, the beets grown there cannot be stored in piles outside, for they would quickly degrade in the heat. Instead they are shipped to nearby factories as soon as they are harvested. The factories run 7x24.

 

Like others, I've never detected a difference between cane sugar and beet sugar. It's all sucrose. These days I prefer turbinado sugar, which retains some trace minerals and has a slight molasses taste. Great in coffee.

 

Beet greens are supposed to be nutritious as well, being related to chard. But most of them are plowed under to enrich the soil.

 

Similarly, I scoff at pricey "high-end" vodkas. Other than the fancy bottles and labels, vodka is basically diluted pure ethanol. Except when flavored, then it's no longer real vodka. Lots of people get conned by the hype and advertising. And not only in presidential elections.

 
 
Vodka

Rich, I agree with you on both:  sugar is sugar and vodka is vodka.  However, a friend of mine who is something of a functioning alcoholic -- he only drinks on weekends, but does so heavily and vodka is his hooch of choice -- insists that there is a difference.

 

The only time I noticed a difference was when he was buying "Cupcake" brand at TJ's for $5 a bottle.  I tried some in a gimlet and decided it was way too smooth and gave the cocktail an "off" taste.  So, there may be ways to effect the flavor profile through the filtering and distilling process, but I tend to feel that people are fooling themselves by paying three or four times more than the mid-shelf stuff costs in opting for designer vodka.  A blind tasting would likely indicate as much.

 

 
 
One difference that matters to some between sugar cane and sugar beets is that (the last I heard) sugar beets are very likely to be a GMO crop in the US. Sugar cane isn't. So for those who wish to avoid GMOs, sugar cane would be the choice.

 

As far as brand is concerned, I suppose there could be differences, but I question whether they'd make much of a difference. At least in my life. 

 
 
As for vodka, I've heard there is a difference between brands. I guess I'd believe that--at least as a hypothesis--but I'd have to wonder if the differences would be as pronounced as the differences with, say, wine. I also cynically would think that at some point it becomes about a fancy label name, and not the contents of the bottle. But what do I know?

 

Video showing a vodka test:

 
Well, there may be a difference in terms of contaminants between vodka brands. Typically I would imagine a solvent like vodka would be filtered through activated charcoal to remove any off aromas or tastes. The quality of the charcoal may have an effect.

 

Also, the distillation process must be carefully controlled for highest purity. Cheaper brands may over drive the distillation, resulting in more contaminants in the distillate. The cleanliness of the distillation equipment probably makes a difference, as would the hygiene in the factory. We've all probably heard of food or drink factories getting shut down because of birds nesting in the rafters above production lines, or rodents scurrying about. Nuff said.

 

Then there is the raw ingredients. After all, the source is basically fermented potatoes. Potatoes come in various varieties. I would imagine very cheap vodka brands might use very cheap potatoes, such as ones that have gone green or sprouted, or even have black fungal patches. All that might show up as an off taste in an inferior product. From the Youtube comparison, sounds like whoever makes Trader Joe's vodka is using blighted, green, or sprouted potatoes.

 

Some brands may also add in flavoring, but that's probably a closely guarded secret if it does happen. Outside of deliberately flavored vodkas for the poseur crowd.

 

I've always thought Smirnoff was a good enough vodka. Tastes exactly the same to me a Sky, although usually when I consume vodka it's in a mixed drink which covers up most differences.

 

I worked in bio science and biochem labs for many years and pure ethanol was a standard lab chemical. We used it for disinfection and also some extractions. It would always amaze me when people who didn't work in these types of labs would get all excited about the "free" ethanol. To me it was just another chemical, and I have NEVER tried to consume lab alcohol.

 

And there's also a caveat to the ignorant: never try to drink 100% lab ethanol. Ethanol by nature absorbs water readily from the atmosphere and during distillation. To get 100% ethanol the chemist must add some benzene to it, and that will grab the water and remove it during distillation. But there's always some benzene left behind. Benzene being highly toxic, you don't want to be drinking that stuff. The 95% stuff is probably OK, but again, I just would never try it because I know what happens in laboratories.

 
 
Smell is a tricky business, which is a significant component of taste.  Everyone is anosmic to something, but about 1% of the population is seriously anosmic to almost everything.  My own sense of smell is very strong, probably stronger than most, but I don’t know of any way to measure that sort of thing.  I do know that I can name all the perfumes that people wear in the office, although I rarely mention it—that would be too creepy, even for me. 

 

With that as background, I can tell you that I can smell a distinct difference between Kroger-brand sugar and Dixie Crystals.  I am very skeptical of flashy branding, and I am very supportive of science over opinion, so for a while, we bought Kroger sugar based solely on price.  It’s all sucrose, right?  Well, problematically, the Kroger sugar had an absolutely sickening smell.  I swear, it smelled like dried bones—like bone meal people use as organic fertilizer.  It smelled exactly, 100% the same.  I tried to pretend it wasn’t there, and I tried to tell myself it was entirely psychological, but I finally had to give up and go back to Dixie Crystals.

 

I know bone char is used in sugar processing, so I know perfectly well that my perception could be totally psychological.  But I swear Dixie Crystals does NOT have that smell, and I know they use bone char, too.  My own guess is that Kroger’s processing plant is just not as a good as Dixie Crystals’, but who knows?  I will vouch, though, that there is a difference between the two sugars.
 
Like RCA, AT&T and ITT . . .

. . . they'll probably refile the trademark as a meaningless grouping of letters that are not an abbreviation of anything, i.e.: no longer "Radio Corporation of America d/b/a RCA". And with each passing day, thousands who know what the letters once meant will pass away until only history books will reveal their once-true meaning.
 
I've used some kind of beet sugar years ago, can't find it anywhere now down here.  Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens...store brands taste all the same to me.  Whichever is the cheapest or has it on sale.

 

Vodka...never touch the stuff.  The only time I use alcohol is to clean an IV port at work!
 
Greg,

whatever you two do, it's working. Us beauty czars know what is good for the blood LoL.
Have you ever tried raw sugar? It's supposed to be unrefined, refined sugar is not as healthy. Aspartame is supposed to be almost as bad, but I do use it in my coffee.
I'm not a vodka fan either, but I do nip the red wine, it's said to be good for the heart, but just a little bit is reccomended. I don't enjoy drinking it in large amounts. Is it the tannins?
On a holiday, I do enjoy just a bit of a good scotch though. Not to become intoxicated. It must be because it's a barley whiskey. I don't like corn whiskey.
 
I've tried turbinado sugar a few times but I really can't tell much difference with it either.  Aspartame is my biggest migraine trigger so I can't use it at all.  Use splenda in my tea sometimes when I eat out and they don't have sweet tea (like most restaurants in the French Quarter go figure).

 

"Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called resveratrol is one substance in red wine that's gotten attention."

 

I can get most of the same thing from grape juice without the alcohol.
 
I try to buy sugar products that are marked "Made from Cane sugar"Some scientists now believe that corn based sweeteners are VERY bad for you cause more of the diabetes and obesity problems than cane or beet sugars.A study should be made on this.Sugars still should be eaten in MODERATION!!!----Even though I LOVE brown sugar& cinnamon on my Cheeerios!!!Dixie Crystals Brown sugars are the BEST!!
 
I was in Market Basket yesterday and was looking at sugar. Domino along with all the others stated made from sugar cane. I did not see any made from other products. So I don't see where the problem is obtaining this product.

Jon
 
My mom used to buy Pioneer sugar (beet) for several years, and I did too for a while. Then I started buying C&H Baker's Sugar. I think it tastes better in my tea, and seems like I don't have to use as much for the same sweetness.

Pioneer has a facility in Findlay, OH that I pass on the way to my sister's between there and Toledo.
 
sugars and health

Yes, cane sugar in the form of sucrose has unfortunately gotten a bit of a bad rap when it comes to diabetes.

This may be surprising, but the truth is that sucrose is a more complex sugar than, say, glucose or fructose. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose firmly bonded to each other. It takes time for sucrose to be broken up into separate glucose and fructose molecules in the gut. The net result is a slower blood sugar spike from sucrose than with a monomer sugar like glucose.

Why is this important? Well, the worst culprit in sudden spikes in blood sugar comes not from sucrose, but from refined carbs like starch, as found in potatoes, white rice, and white bread. This refined starch is simply a chain of glucose molecules. The break down of this starch actually starts in the mouth, where the amylase contained in saliva begins to break it down into individual glucose units. This amylase cannot break down sucrose. Thus a certain weight of refined starch will spike blood sugar faster than the same weight of sucrose. These rapid blood sugar spikes are said to be more damaging than slower rises, perhaps because the carb starch causes a higher, if more fleeting, peak.

Which is not to say that sucrose still isn't a great food. It has no fiber, no minerals (unless unrefined) and no vitamins. It is the definition of empty calories. For a diabetic, it will still boost blood sugar, just not as quick or high as, say, a bowl of white rice.

Now high fructose corn syrup is another matter, but not one I'm prepared to discuss at this time from a chemistry perspective, other than to say that epidemiological studies seem to show that it's less healthy than sucrose.

Finally, the key here is moderation. A half cup of white rice with a balanced meal including vegetables and protein isn't going to kill anyone. Although brown rice, by virtue of its fiber, will result in less of a BS spike and is a better choice. Similarly, hard pasta cooked al dente will not be broken down into glucose as quickly as that white rice or baked potato.

As with most in life, proportion and balance is best.

As a type 2 diabetic myself, I know from personal experience the difference between sucrose and refined carbs. Sometimes I get low blood sugar. I can feel it, and measure it, and it's not pleasant. I have found that drinking a soft drink - with sucrose or HFCS, does not bring relief as quickly as a glucose tablet or a simple carb like a cracker or white bread/rice (glucose tabs are easiest to carry and keep). The soft drink will work, eventually, but will take a bit longer.
 

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