Customer Reviews

Emerald Forest Xylitol Sweetener, 32-Ounce Composite Containers (Pack of 2)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I ordered some xylitol and erythritol products from this company and found some of them had a very, very strange, foul smell. Kinda like mothballs. They get some of their products made in China (the erythritol, apparently), so I called the company with my concerns, worried about possible contamination. I waited politely while the receptionist asked the CEO if I could have a refund just for the strange smelling items (even though it is listed on the web site as refundable). She came back and said, yeah, they'd take it back this once, but they would never accept another order from me again. Next she started to chastise me for ordering more than one of the same thing since I'd never ordered from them before. (Note: I only wanted a refund for the unopened bags of the item in question. I did not ask to return anything else in the order.)

I explained that I had ordered it before from another company, but she interrupted me to say that I should test one item from each new company before assuming the items are the same. Well, in chemistry class we've learned that pure chemical substances should be the same, and it says as much on their own web site. While I was pointing this out, she hung up on me.

I had ordered a wide variety of this companies products - xylitol, erythritol, candies, gums, etc. Some were ok, but the ones that had the bad smell had me worried. I was very surprised when they did not want to stand behind their product guarantee and told me not to order again when I was only returning the items that seemed to be defective. I have learned that some products are made in the US, but when I called I only inquired about the erythritol, which they themselves confirmed was made in China.

NOW foods offers the same items that I have ordered and they smell and taste just as sweet as sugar. They are also available here on Amazon.com.
Try them instead -- I am sticking with them from now on.

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-I ordered a wide variety of things, including this item: erythritol, xylitol, gum, candy, etc. It included this item and a lot of other things.
-I asked only for money back on items I tried that were suspect as being defective, and then only for the items I had not opened.
-I asked the manufacturer if the items were safe to consume, given the very odd odor some of them emitted. This was as a result of a legitimate concern.
-I did not know at the time that only some products came from China -- the customer service rep did not make that distinction when I asked. I was therefore worried about all of them.
-My review concerns primarily the customer service problems I had, as well as the concern with the origin of their products I had ordered in general.

Personally I think it is odd that when I called to return a small part of a rather large order that the customer service rep did not want to honor the guaranteed refund posted on the web site. She literally chastised me for asking to return the items since I had ordered several of the same thing. How was I to know the substance would smell so badly? She said I should have just ordered one. What difference does it make since I had only opened one? The others were perfectly sealed. She said she would take them back after much ado, and then said they would never accept another order from me. (Like I would anyway after that).

This company should not post a guaranteed refund when they don't mean it.

I've been using Xylitol, specifically Emerald Forest's product, for a few years now. It looks and tastes like sugar and can be used for baking too. There have been a few occasions when it didn't quite substitute right, but those are few and far between. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, macaroons, chocolate chip cookies, brownies...all turn out great. I'm on a no sugar diet (along with no grains) to combat a possible candida problem. Xylitol has been my savior. I still get my little sweet kick now and then without any of the damaging health effects of sugar. And, xylitol is also anti-fungal, so it even helps with things like candida. High recommended! And this price is a total steal too! One 32 ounce can costs nearly $30 at my local health food store. This price can't be beat!

I bought enough of these so I got free shipping, which made the price even more excellent compared to the grocery store where the same brand was selling in one pound sacks for $6-7 / lb. So this is a great deal. It looks and tastes just like sugar (I am not exaggerating!) though it is not actually sugar but a sugar alcohol. It is perhaps slightly sweeter, tends to lump up a little more, but the lumps break up easily with stirring. Though it is not lower calorie, it is low glycemic index which means that it is converted to sugars more slowly and therefore does not cause insulin levels to spike (a factor in fatty weight gain), and actually protects against tooth decay! Your recipies convert spoon per spoon of sugar or cup per cup so it's easy to use. It cooks up like sugar too.

We really love this product. Buy enough to get free shipping and really save!

We are so pleased to be able to buy xylitol made from birch trees right here in the U.S. and not from corn in China. The price is slightly more but well worth the peace of mind knowing that it is a quality product. If in doubt, visit Emerald Forest website.

I have personally been to the Emerald Forest plant in Broomfield, Colorado and watched how they produce, handle and package xylitol. It is absolutely clean! The staff love their work and are warm and friendly. Doug Stauffer started Emerald Forest with the goal to help make this wonderful product affordable to the common person. Their products are the best and shipping is very, very fast! I love their gum!

Dr. Dan Doyle

I bought a small bag of this brand from a local health co-op and really liked it, and it tasted like sugar to me. So I was excited to get this same brand in bulk at a much lower price online. What a disappointment to find it did not taste the same as the bag I purchased at the store. The Emerald Forest product I received online has a strong aftertaste that stays in my mouth long after drinking my tea. I don't know if this company sells an inferior quality in their bulk packages, but I don't like it. I am going back to Stevia, which I find more palatable and without aftertaste.

I'm a food scientist with years of experience leading and participating in sensory panels and I'm also a supertaster.

I'm always looking for ways to be healthier and I was skeptical about this product because normally things like this are too good to be true. After a couple years of prompting by my doctor I decided to try Xylitol and I must say that I am impressed.

On the plus side this is not a sugar substitute, it is just a different type of sugar so you don't have to worry about chemicals, etc. There are other brands of Xylitol that are sold on Amazon that contain other things like Sucralose (aka Splenda), which I would avoid because I believe the jury is still out on how safe it is (Sucralose is made by exchanging three Chlorine atoms for OH groups on sucrose molecules).

The only way I have used this Xylitol is in my coffee, and I give it two big thumbs up! And being a supertaster, I require A LOT of sugar (and milk) in my coffee to make it palatable, and even with a lot of Xylitol, my coffee still tastes great.

I highly recommend this product, I just wish it wasn't so expensive!

I purchased the package of two from Amazon, and found that the two containers were shrink-wrapped together in a way that made it unlikely that they would pick-up any odors or tastes from the warehouse or while in transit.

I had purchased a different brand from a local health food store, and found that the taste of the two products is the same. Very good taste, with no sort of aftertaste or significant difference from table sugar.

The Emerald Forest Xylitol has large crystals compared to the other brand I'd purchased, which was pretty-much a powder. It dissolves well in liquids, so it's better as larger crystals. Xylitol dust is bad for your lungs when inhaled.

Texture of what you bake with xylitol may differ from sugar, though you probably wouldn't notice any difference in drinks. It cannot be used in baking products that use yeast to raise the dough.

Xylitol is toxic to dogs, and it's probably best not to give it to any animal; though I did read there were studies as to whether it could be used to improve the health of cats and chickens by adding it to their water. To learn more about Xylitol scan the web for "Xylitol MSDS" or "Xylitol Safety"

I am on a sugar free diet and this stuff tastes great. It reminds me of splenda with no bitter aftertaste like other natural sweeteners like stevia. Splenda taste great but very unhealthy and this stuff is just as good. I love it.

This product delivers what the others promise. Good taste, very few calories and doesn't spike your blood sugar. Best of all, it is natural and free from the inherent risks of many of the other sweeteners. I like to use it in coffee or tea and on fruit.