Customer Reviews

Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave, 44-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 2)

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I've been using agave for more than 2 years now, I use it in kool-aid, iced tea, baking, smoothies, ice cream, pretty much everything. I used Madhava for the longest time, and my DH kept saying he could tell when I "put that stuff" in a drink. I never noticed any flavor until I used the light, non raw Madhava, then I tried this because of a review that said it had the least taste of all agaves... they were right! I tried this straight out of the bottle, and no flavor, just like simple syrup! I'll be ordering this from now on.
PS: it's husband approved too!

This one is a good deal for a two-pack of the larger bottles - definitely a better deal than you could get in a store. Plus agave nectar has a low glycemic index, leaving you with a sweet taste without the sugar rush.

from Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S.:

Agave syrup (nectar) is basically high-fructose corn syrup masquerading as a health food.

Sorry. Don't kill the messenger.

It's easy to understand how agave syrup got its great reputation. Even the word "Agave" has a fine pedigree, coming from the Greek word for noble. The blue agave species- considered the best for the making agave nectar -- flourishes in rich volcanic soil. (It's also the only variety permitted to be used for the making of tequila.) And extracts from the agave plant have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Unfortunately there's zero evidence that any of those compounds are present in the commercially made syrup.

Agave nectar is an amber-colored liquid that pours more easily than honey and is considerably sweeter than sugar. The health-food crowd loves it because it is gluten-free and suitable for vegan diets, and, most especially, because it's low-glycemic (we'll get to that in a moment). Largely because of its very low glycemic impact, agave nectar is marketed as "diabetic friendly". What's not to like?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index for one reason only: it's largely made of fructose, which although it has a low-glycemic index, is probably the single most damaging form of sugar when used as a sweetener. With the exception of pure liquid fructose, agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener.

All sugar -- from table sugar to HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) to honey -- contains some mixture of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is 50/50, HFCS is 55/45. Agave nectar is a whopping 90 percent fructose, almost -- but not quite -- twice as high as HFCS.

Fructose -- the sugar found naturally in fruit -- is perfectly fine when you get it from whole foods like apples (about 7 percent fructose) -- it comes with a host of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. But when it's commercially extracted from fruit, concentrated and made into a sweetener, it exacts a considerable metabolic price.

Research shows that it's the fructose part of sweeteners that's the most dangerous. Fructose causes insulin resistance and significantly raises triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease). It also increases fat around the middle which in turn puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease and Metabolic Syndrome (AKA pre-diabetes) .

And fructose has been linked to non-alcoholic, fatty-liver disease. Rats that were given high fructose diets developed a number of undesirable metabolic abnormalities including elevated triglycerides, weight gain and extra abdominal fat.

In the agave plant, most of the sweetness comes from a particular kind of fructose called inulin, which actually has some health benefits -- it's considered a fiber. But there's not much inulin left in the actual syrup. In the manufacturing process, enzymes are added to the inulin to break it down into digestible sugar (fructose), resulting in a syrup that has a fructose content that is, at best, 57 percent and -- much more commonly -- as high as 90 percent.

"Agave syrup is almost all fructose, highly processed sugar with great marketing," said Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt, a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "Fructose interferes with healthy metabolism when (consumed) at higher doses", she told me. "Many people have fructose intolerance like lactose intolerance. They get acne or worse diabetes symptoms even though their blood [sugar] is OK".

Agave nectar syrup is a triumph of marketing over science. True, it has a low-glycemic index, but so does gasoline -- that doesn't mean it's good for you.

I found out about this by researching raw food diets. I love this brand, it is very sweet, almost sweeter than honey. I am trying to reduce my fake sugar habit and this is helping me. I am diabetic and monitor it several times a day and have not had any spikes with this sweetener. I use it in my oatmeal, coffee, iced-tea, toast, or plain as a spoonful when I want a sweet treat. I love it so much I ordered the big 44 oz bottles as an auto delivery.

I have been purchasing light agave nectar fo quite some time. Imagine my surprise when I purchased these 44 oz bottles of light agave nectar Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave, 44-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 2) and recieve agave nectar that is about half way between the previously purchased light and the previously purchase Raw which I found unsuitable for my use. I now have 176 oz of unuseable agave nectar (non-returnable) in addition to the previously purchased raw.

Let me first tell you that this is the only brand of agave syrup I've ever tasted, so I can't compare it to other varieties. I originally found it in my local whole foods grocery store and paid about $.30 an ounce for one 23.5 oz bottle (about $7). The taste is sweet - a little bit sweeter than sugar - and I haven't noticed any after taste. Because I paid so much for it I haven't used it beyond sweetening tea and coffee. Now that I can get it on Amazon for about half what I paid for it in the grocery store, I'll be using it a bit more extensively. (In fact, this is the first product I've ever decided to "subscribe" to through Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" program.) From what I've read, the lighter agaves have a more neutral flavor, as opposed to the darker varieties. I detest artificial sweeteners and am delighted to find a natural sweetener that has such a low GI and is so diabetic friendly.

One of the things I really like about agave is that it is not as thick and viscous as honey. Of course, it blends easily in hot liquids, but since it is a thinner fluid than honey it dissolves in cold liquids much more effectively. It also means you don't have to work so hard to get the last of the nectar out of the bottle - less waste. Being able to keep a bottle of this at my desk or in the car so I can add it to a cold bottle of water with a green tea bag is wonderful! I look forward to experimenting with it.

We've been using Agave as sugar substitution for several months now and loved it. This is the best product out there that works well in anything that requires sugar. We don't use any other sugar except Agave in our cooking. Besides, it is low in glycemix index which is great.

For those who are health conscious as we are should try it and you'll love it without much hesitation.

Wholesome Sweeteners Agave is a wonderful, natural sweetener - leaves no bitter aftertaste like some artificial sweeteners. Use less to sweeten iced tea, less when baking (lower oven temp. by 25 degrees. Low glycemic index, this doesn't cause blood sugar level to rise quickly. Can think of nothing negative about this product!

We use this for our coffee. It has the best natural sugar flavor of anything we've tried. Our bodies just can't process sugar in the morning without side effects, so we searched (everything!) for a 'natural' substitute that we both like.
This is also a great buy + free shipping! THANKS Amazon!

This is great to use in lieu of corn syrup, rice syrup or even maple syrup without a high glycemic index.