The Colored One

Triggered by the presence of my stash of Kopiko brown sugar and its loyalty to me during the unholy hours of the day (which is right after lunchtime), I am motivated to learn more about brown sugar and everything that comes with it. Growing up in the rural area, my family and I have been using brown sugar ever since I can remember. When it comes to the kid's choco drink in the morning and at night (Yes, we drink hot choco at night) or the elder's coffee for pre-breakfast and merienda in the afternoon, it has always been brown sugar.

When I grew big enough to land in other households' kitchen, I notice the presence of white, crystalline substance as a counterpart for our brown, dull speckles that is sugar. Two things were pointed out by my ever-practical mother when I asked her about the differences. Brown sugar is cheaper (at least in our town), and it is less harmful to the human body. When I went to college and stayed in various places all throughout the four years, I was exposed and started to use white sugar (simply because it was what my aunts used). I do not see much difference except for how smaller the white version is.

Lately though, a great amount of attention has been set on the colored variation. Three-in-one coffee packs now boast about using brown sugar instead of white. In fact, my favorite brown Kopiko has its own offer that definitely puts competition to shame. I love how it is so creamy yet has that distinct Kopiko taste to it.

Anyway, back to brown sugar. Technically, brown sugar is the unrefined output, so it contains molasses still. The presence of which is responsible for the highly different color and flavor of brown sugar. More so, brown sugar is less fine, soft and moist compared to its lighter counterpart. Since it is not refined or just partially processed so, many people tend to think that brown sugar is more healthy for human use. What most people do not know is how commercial brown sugar is actually refined brown sugar added with molasses. The best kind of sugar is the natural brown sugar, which is completely unrefined and has undergone minimal processing only. It results from the very first crystallization of sugar cane juice. It comes with a darker color and stronger taste. This type of sugar comes with a larger amount of minerals, which are good for the human body.

All that being said, I would now have to work on determining whether my favorite brown coffee brand uses commercially-produced brown sugar or the real deal, natural brown sugar. I hope it is the latter.