Iberia Panela Fraccionada, 32 Ounce

Back in Dec 2024, I started using powdered panela and fell in love with it & almost completely replaced my other sugars (raw, brown, and white) with it. I wanted to try the blocks of panela for the same way I prefer to use whole nutmeg or vanilla beans - just because it always seems to have a richer & better taste. And this sure does! PRO: + I much prefer panela to any other sugar for my coffee and tea. (I especially prefer the block kind.) + I can grate this to incorporate it into some things or, as I do with homemade creamer, chop it roughly to dissolve it in milk. I can also dissolve some in water to make it easier to pour into cereal or beverages. + This is easy to vac-seal for protection. + It smells divine - more "brown" and caramelic while the powdered version is not nice really nice-smelling, IMO. + This seems to melt better in my drinks - cold and warm-to-hot. The powdered version took some stirring & tended to settle on the bottom of cups. + The powdered version is almost too dry, if that makes sense. The grated part of the block stays a bit moist. I think that it why it works better in drinks. This also helps it to melt into cereals (I put some on oatmeal.) + Not sure if this will change a lot, but the price is affordable for the person on a tight budget - ME! No negatives but things to be aware of: -- Grating this takes a little bit of work. I used a cheese grater and it didn't take too long to do a single block. After the fact, I am realizing that I made that job harder than needed. The panela was softening in the warm of my hands. I am sure that I can warm it and use a mortar-type of action to grind it down. I do know that when it gets warm, I was able to slice it with a knife. -- It gets very sticky from any kind of warmth - even your hands. (I like that part, but just be aware). -- Find a way to store the ground up part. I keep a small bit ground up (for daily use) in little airtight jars and some in a larger mostly airtight container. I keep the unused/unground parts vac-sealed and in the pantry. I just want to keep air and as much light as possible away. I will probably transfer the sealed ones to the fridge or freezer when the weather gets warm. I much prefer this to the powdered one & will get it from now on. I plan to try some things to incorporate this more in my daily use. Since I am using this in my coffee and tea along with a little evaporated milk, I will experiment with just melting a little of the panela in the jar of milk. I am definitely going to play around with using this in my baking in the place of sugar and honey. NOTE: Since I have CKD (stage 3b), I have to watch potassium levels. This is high in potassium so... I just have to use in moderation.

Really good flavor

Nice sugar, with warm slightly spicy taste, great for coffee or tea. Changes flavor of sugar cookies. I like to always have some at hand.

I use this to make my batch of Tapache each week. Love this stuff and this sugar is perfect for the fermentation process

Hard as a rock but I guess that's the way it's supposed to be. I shaved it off using a knife. Excellent flavor.