301692 Mon Mar 13 09:27:26 -0800 2006 3 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1683714 My local natural food store has "organic raw sugar." How does it differ from just plain "organic sugar" if at all? Mon Mar 13 09:27:26 -0800 2006 0 BluPlateSpec 1 1683721 Most products called "raw sugar" are basically less refined than the usual granulated sugar. I can't say whether or not your brand is organically grown, too, but the "raw" part refers to the coarser texture, the irregular crystals, and the browner color due to some residual molasses still in the Cane juices. I don't have a lot of expereince cooking with it, but I suspect the hygroscopic molasses has a small impact on the sugar's behavior in certain baked goods. For coffee, tea, toppings and most cookies, however, I shouldn't think the impact will matter much at all, except to add a faint (basically negligible) molasses flavor. Mon Mar 13 10:48:19 -0800 2006 1683714 0 jdherbert 2 1683756 Some of that "raw sugar" is also sprayed with molasses to make it look browner. There was a huge thread on this a while ago ... I'll see if I can find it. My husband worked for a number of years as an engineer in a sugar mill and he has told me this thing about the molasses and that basically "raw sugar" such as the kind in those brown packets is no less refined than white sugar. Mon Mar 13 15:35:56 -0800 2006 1683721 0 MMRuth 1 1683722 The naming of such products is misleading; they are generally processed in various ways. Rapadura sugar is the least processed available commercially, IIRC. Mon Mar 13 10:51:38 -0800 2006 1683714 0 Karl S