Stevia anyone?

Ok, so I was given a stevia plant and am experimenting making sweet tea with it. I have to admit I like the way the plant tastes better than the powder. To me, when I make tea with stevia packets it is just way too powdery. So, this is pretty much a note to myself with how I should make the stevia for tea.

This is what I did. I picked about 17 leaves or so. Put it in a microwave safe bowl and added 2 cups of water to it. Boiled it, let it cool, boiled it and let it cool again. Then added to tea it was good. This, however, isn't the way it's supposed to be done. So tomorrow I'll be trying this.

"Approximately 6 large leaves chopped finely is a substitute for 1/2 cup of sugar for baking or in cooked recipes. 1 teaspoon of ground stevia is equal to 1 cup of sugar; 2 drops of liquid essence is equal to 1 teaspoon sugar. An extract can be made by combining 1 cup vodka with 3/4 cup fresh stevia leaves in a jar. Shake every day for 2 weeks, then filter through a coffee filter. Add a drop to beverages." I found this at a forum called gardenweb.com I'll let you know how I like it tomorrow! More to come. I would imagine the chopping of the leaves would release more of the sweetness of the plant. Here's hoping I can get this figured out and keep it growing year round in the house! ;)

So do you sweeten with stevia, sugar or something else?