Agave Nector Color Difference?

[Maverick]

I had seen Samuel Wilson's Modified Almond Milk Recipe, and I wanted to try it this week, but when I went to the store and they had two types. One was a darker amber, the other was a light colored amber.

I asked the employees, but they said they didn't know, and that it was a new product.

What's the difference? What's your preference?

[calee]

Hi Maverick,

I don't know what the difference is. Probably the taste. I use the light one because at Whole Foods I can get Raw Agave Nectar, and that particular one is light colored.

Sorry I'm not more help!

[rawgrrl]

http://www.essentiallivingfoods.com/products-sweeteners-agave-syrup.html

Basically, it seems to say that the dark agave is filtered to create light agave. The darker has a richer flavor, and the lighter one can be used for more recipes because of its lighter flavor.

[SamuelWilson]

Maverick, the difference between the darker amber and the light amber is the level of filtration, with the dark amber being the least filtered. However, the agave nectars at your health food store which comes in dark and light amber are probably not raw. RAW agave nectar generally comes one color only and it varies from different batches, but is leaning more towards the light amber color. When I was a vegan, before raw vegan, I preferred the light. It did not darken my lemonade, etc..

Just make sure the agave nectar you buy is raw. The agave nectar I buy specifies raw and says it specially produced at temps below 115 F. Here is a picture of the agave that I use.

[nemo]

agave nectar is just one of those things that i simply cannot believe is raw.

i talked to one of the guys who works for one of the major distributors, he says that they BOIL it in large ceramic pots to evaporate the excess water off just like maple syrup... the guy told me that basically the 'raw' agave was 'minimally' processed (and yes the darker stuff is less filtered, he also indicated that it was boiled less, but whatever), but that they still boiled it.

if there is someone out there offering agave processed under 115 degrees, i would never say that it's impossible...

...i'll just say that based on alot of experience with the folks promoting it, talking to people in the 'industry' and applying common sense that i find it highly unlikely.

IMO 'raw' agave is another raw 'fad' food, and we have serious reason to question why it's being marketted to us, and who is doing the marketting...

...having said that, if you truly feel that it is a healthy 'lower' glyciemic substitute for other sweet foods i'd say enjoy it...just don't pretend that it's 'raw'

(think about it, it sits on a shelf for months, and doesn't need to be refrigerated...)

nemo

[RawFoodieMom]

(think about it, it sits on a shelf for months, and doesn't need to be refrigerated...)

This is true... it doesn't need refrigeration, but neither does other raw foods, including raw honey. I buy my honey from a beekeeper a hour and half away from me who I know doesn't use any heat. And this stuff you have to scoop with a spoon, it doesn't pour. But anyway, unless you talk to the people that are actually making the raw food you are buying and after talking to them really feel like they're being truthful and trustworthy, how do you REALLY know? It can be frustrating. You raise some good points about the agave nectar, and this is really good to know. I had no idea they boiled it. :(

Has anyone contacted the company of this agave that states they don't heat above 115 degrees? Maybe they need a letter from SamuelWilson so we can get to the bottom of this? Like maybe if we asked them how they do the heating to 115 degrees we will be able to tell from their answer if they're being honest. How are they controlling the temperature if it's in a large ceramic pot??

edited to add: I just realized it's Samuel that had that agave... :) Have you talked to the company Samuel or does it just say that on the bottle about the 115 degrees?

My favourite beekeeper Ivan sells on eBay, BTW, and if you email him he LOVES to discuss his beekeeping at length. :) If anyone's interested let me know.

Debra

[ReneeSC]

http://www.reallyrawhoney.com/

I can attest that this is full of pollen as it says; it through my 15 year old into a sneezing fit.

The website says it's never strained, filtered, or heated.

So, should I suspect them as lying? ( real question )

[RawFoodieMom]

Renee, you are absolutely right. Here is how I'm going to make decisions on this from now on:

We've determined through research on different products that raw does not necessarily mean that the product has not been heated, as "raw" to some companies seems to mean "minimally processed" or whatever. So in these cases when the product only claims that it's "raw" with no other info as to whether it's been heated, then I would think one needs to research further and not automatically trust that it's raw. Raw in some companies minds doesn't mean raw and live like we need and want our food to be.

But, if a product states plainly that it has "not been heated", and "heated to maximum of 115 degrees" or things of this specific nature, I think it can be trusted. I would think a company wouldn't blatantly lie on their packaging. There does need to be an element of trust here. We'll drive ourselves nuts trying to read scandal into everything, when all info says that something is raw and not heated, etc..... eh? :)

Debra

[nemo]

okay, i'm not going to single anyone out...

...but i know for a fact that some 'raw' companies DO LIE, and have been caught repeatedly doing so.

thems the breaks...

...decide if it's healthy or not for you... BOILING something means it ain't raw.

that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it... i just think we need to be honest about somethings...

personally i really enjoy MSM... not raw, not even remotely... i still love it though.

nemo

[ebonysea7]

The agave nectar that SamuelWilson uses is the same one sold on Alissa's website. According to the description it is not cooked.

http://www.alissacohen.com/agavenectar.html

/gfj

[rawgrrl]

Oh, to add a little more confusion to whole discussion. Madhava is the one sold on Alissa's website, so I google that and come up wtih Madhava Honey (http://www.madhavahoney.com/agave.htm), which doesn't show any raw agave products on their website (maybe they only make it available special to alissa and other raw food sellers).

Maybe I'll just stick with raw honey.