A plant that adds spice to a night out may now sweeten your cup of coffee the morning after. Agave, a succulent plant from central and tropical South America traditionally used to make tequila is now becoming a trendy new sweetener. In addition to being one and a fourth times sweeter than its sugar counterpart, agave is a low glycemic index sweetener. This means that the body absorbs it slower – preventing abrupt spikes in blood sugar levels. 
Also, it’s readily available in organic form at many natural food stores including Whole Foods, where I tested a version by Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc.
The agave syrup tastes like simple sugar and water syrup straight out of the bottle. It worked well to sweeten a cup of hot tea. However, when I added it to iced coffee it clumped at the bottom of the cup and took much longer to dissolve than table sugar. Also, I detected a slightly bitter aftertaste. Nonetheless, if you are looking for an organic alternative to regular sugar, I’d suggest giving agave a try in your hot coffee… or just stick to margaritas.
Ever tried agave? Let me know what you think.
(top photo credit: essentiallivingfoods.com)
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Another great option is Stevia, a natural sweetener that I use in tea and homemade lemonade. Best of all, it’s calorie-free.
You can find this at Whole Foods, too.
I’ve heard that harvesting agave nector is a damaging and unsustainable practice–I’ve not done any research on that statement myself, but have heard it from other vegans. Brown rice syrup is supposed to be a slightly more responsible and economical choice.