I use Truvia, which is somewhat expensive, I think, but I think it has less actual calories, plus I love the sugar like texture. I know they are minimal calories, but I like to use lots, so it really added up for me.

Consuming tea and coffee without any sweetener is probably a better and healthier choice. In time you get used to it.

I'm not worried about the calories so much, but I wonder about hidden carbs.

It was always my understanding that it was the bulking agents (like maltodextrin and dextrose) used in artificial sweeteners that is caloric not the art. sweetener itself. I've always thought if you could get these art sweeteners in liquid form that they would be truly calorie free.

Stevia is not an artificial sweetener it is a natural sweetener, an extract from the Stevia plant. In liquid form it's calorie free.

Liquid is available, try a pharmacy. or get the tablets... The tablets lack the bulking agents (or most of them) For oatmeal or cold beverages just dissolve them in a TBS of hot water. They are getting harder to find in Sweet-N-Low tablets (Saccharine in the USA) again try a pharmacy.