Sugar-free syrup sounds like the perfect solution: sweet taste, zero calories. Zero syrups are booming — from Zerup and Mijuwi to the zero versions sold by Migros and Coop. But "sugar-free" almost never means "not sweetened": the sweetness is still there, it just comes from sweeteners. Here is the honest overview for Switzerland — and an alternative that takes a completely different route.
What exactly is a sugar-free syrup?
A zero syrup is a highly concentrated flavouring sweetened with sweeteners instead of sugar. A few millilitres in water and it tastes like lemonade — without the 25 g of sugar per glass found in classic syrup. For anyone moving away from sugary drinks, that is real progress.
The best-known zero syrups in Switzerland
- Zerup (More Nutrition): 65 ml bottle for around 8 litres of finished drink, many flavours, sweetened with sweeteners (manufacturer's information). Very intense in taste.
- Mijuwi: 48 ml bottle for at least 6 litres, from EUR 5.99 per bottle — roughly one franc per litre of drink. Unusual flavours from Ice Tea Watermelon to Wild Cola.
- Zero syrups in retail: Migros and Coop stock sugar-free versions of classic brands (Teisseire Zero, for example) — inexpensive and available everywhere.
All three share the same core: the sweet taste comes from sweeteners. That is perfectly legal and unproblematic for most people — but anyone who wants to avoid sweeteners (or who simply finds zero drinks too sweet) will not find a way around them on the ingredient list.
The alternative: flavour without syrup and without sweeteners
TEABALLS solves the problem differently: instead of a sweet concentrate, a pressed ball of tea and herbal extract dissolves in the water — cold or hot. The result does not taste like lemonade but like tea: lemon, peach, mint, hibiscus and 14 more flavours from the Flavoured water without sugar collection.
- No sugar — around 3 calories per glass. The four flavours above also come without sweeteners; a few other flavours do contain sucralose — it is stated in the ingredient list of every single flavour.
- No measuring, no mess: 3–5 balls per 3 dl glass. One bottle (CHF 8.90, 150 balls) is enough for 30 to 50 glasses — that is 9 to 15 litres, so CHF 0.60 to 1.00 per litre.
- Hot and cold: tea in winter, iced tea without sugar in summer.
Honestly: anyone looking for that intensely sweet lemonade taste will be happier with a zero syrup. But anyone who wants to flavour water naturally — without the sweetener aftertaste — should start with the Refreshment Bundle — hibiscus, mint, Earl Grey, green tea and lemon, all five without sweeteners. And our comparison with Waterdrop and Dropz shows how TEABALLS fares against effervescent cubes.
Frequently asked questions
Is sugar-free syrup healthy?
Healthier than sugar syrup — yes. Zero syrups cut out the sugar completely. In return they contain sweeteners; anyone who wants to avoid those turns to unsweetened alternatives such as tea or fruit infusions.
Which sugar-free syrup is the cheapest?
Per litre of finished drink, zero syrups usually cost CHF 0.70–1.20 (Mijuwi, for example: EUR 5.99 for about 6 litres). Retail zero syrups are often cheaper. For comparison: TEABALLS comes to CHF 0.60–1.00 per litre — the same price range, but it does not sweeten.
What is the difference between zero syrup and TEABALLS?
Zero syrup = a liquid flavour concentrate with sweeteners, tastes like lemonade. TEABALLS = a pressed, soluble tea and herbal extract, most flavours without sweeteners, tastes like tea. Both are sugar-free — the question is whether you want sweet or natural.
