PRODUCT REVIEW: Madhava brand Agave Nectar

Agave…have you tried it, or heard me yapping about it? At this point I am sure you have. But if you have not, here is the low down on this syrupy sweetener.

Agave Nectar is a sweet syrup that is harvested from the agave plant. This is also the same plant used to make tequila. It is made by taking the nectar from the plants core (called the “pina”), filtering it and heating it over low temperatures. The heating process is what changes the carbohydrates into sugars. Because of the low temperatures used in this process (under 118ºF) many raw food lovers regard agave as a raw food. It can produce a light golden or dark brown colored syrup that is very sweet and unique, in that nothing tastes like it (like nothing tastes like honey). Agave is typically made from the Blue Agave plant (as there are many species of this plant) that can be found growing in the volcanic soils of Mexico.

As far as “health” issues go, agave is low on the Glycemic Index, possibly making it a good alternative as a sweetener for people with diabetes. The reason I say “possibly” is because currently there are no clinical studies to show agave safety in diabetes. So if you are diabetic your blood sugar may or may not get spiked depending on how much you consume. Another health plus is from an intolerance standpoint, where as my wife is intolerant to honey but is okay with agave.

Before I go any further on this topic I would like to state that all things should be had in moderation. There are a lot of things being said both good and bad about agave, and as well there should be as it is still a sweetener. Yes, agave is a sweetener and regardless of it being all natural, common sense should dictate that drinking a bottle of it is fattening and downright unhealthy…so like anything else, use wisely. And just like sugar, where 1 tablespoon in an entire meal for 4 people would not be bad, the same holds true for agave. What is nice about it is that you only need a teaspoon here or there to flavor and sweeten things up. Sorry to run on about this part of my “agave facts” but there are too many websites I read that make it sound like it is unhealthy, however, they are not talking about having a teaspoon, instead they are talking about ingesting mass quantities. So to all those other websites out there “get over it, no one is drinking an entire bottle of this stuff!” Now on to the fun part, the review…

There are many uses for this sweetener, most of which are obvious. We have used it as a replacement for honey in our oatmeal, yogurts, in plain unsweetened cereals, dressing, home made BBQ sauce and in a delicious Honey Mustard Glaze (or as we have come to call it, the “Agave Mustard Glaze”). One of my favorite things about agave is that unlike honey it melts in cold. So if you are like me and you like to swirl a little honey in your morning yogurt or in your iced tea, it incorporates very easily. By the way, agave is not something new. It is being used as a sweetener in drinks at bars and in many desert items. My good friends at BabyCakes NYC have been using agave for years to sweeten up their delicious gluten free and vegan deserts.

I have tried a number of different brands but keep bringing myself back to the Madhava brand. Recently I noticed that they have a full line of flavored agave nectars, but I was unable to find them in my area, so I contacted Madhava. One brief phone call later, and the good folks over at Madhava were happy to send me a large selection of their latest agave offerings and I was thrilled to try them out. Days later, a box appeared on my doorstep and “a sampling I went.”

My family and I sampled the Vanilla Agave in a batch of sugar cookies. We used less regular sugar than the recipe called for and replaced it with the vanilla agave and the cookies were delicious and browned even nicer.

The Blueberry Agave was great in my morning yogurt. I also tried it in my coffee (as I am sure you have seen blueberry flavored coffee by now) and it was quite delicious.

I used the Raspberry Agave in my “Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe” (a recipe in my new cookbook) because the raspberries were not very ripe, hence they needed a little help in the sweetness department. It worked out very well indeed.

I have only used the Hazelnut Agave in my coffee thus far, but I can tell from its flavor that this will be useful in deserts as well.

Irish Cream Agave tastes just like Baileys Irish Cream. This was nice over ice cream (come on, I cannot be the only one who puts Baileys on ice cream). This worked well in my cappuccino as well.

The Amaretto Agave was really unique in that it is a flavor you would find in a mixed drink at a bar. But this one surprised me in that I was also able to use it as a substitute for the vanilla agave in my sugar cookies. This gave the cookies a bit of a holiday feel, for as you know there are many amaretto flavored cookies around during the holidays.

So as you can see, there are many uses for the regular and flavored agave alike. Basically, it can be used as a substitute for honey, granulated sugar or simply used as a sweetener in hot or cold beverages. This product is a nice departure from the traditional sweeteners and a little goes a long way so don’t overdue it when you try it out. This of course goes back to the health aspect; a drizzle of agave in a cup of something or a teaspoon to sweeten an entire batch of cookies is not unhealthy for you…drinking it out of the bottle is though. So if you are in the market for something new to bring to the table, agave is certainly something to try as it has many uses.

Try it out and write back…I want to know what you used it for and how you used it. I am always up for new ideas!

Did You Know?: the Glycemic Index of the agave is 32; the GI of honey is 55.

Resources:
Madhava:: http://www.madhavasagave.com/AboutAgave.aspx
BabyCakes NYC: http://babycakesnyc.com/