Originally posted by twhitehead
Where it comes from is irrelevant (sugar comes from plants too).
What happens if you are out one day and you forgot to bring your Stevia? You can't have tea or coffee because it will taste funny. However if you get used to it without a sweetener, then you won't have any problems - until someone makes the mistake of serving you a cup filled with sugar which will then taste horrible.
I don't mind sugar, either. The amount necessary to sweeten a cup of tea is hardly significant in terms of calories.
Also Splenda tastes fine to me, but it's not as time-tested as stevia so it's something of a grand experiment that we won't know the results of for a couple more decades. Aspartame also tastes okay to me, but I'm especially leery of its possible health consequences. Saccharin is crap.
I scarcely see the point of "getting used to" unsweetened tea just for the sake of avoiding sugar, or to "steel oneself" against the dire contingency of getting tea at an establishment that doesn't provide a sweetener. If one likes tea better when it's sweetened, then drink it with sugar or the nearest equivalent.