I noticed this Domino Organic Agave Nectar Amber Liquid Sweetener at Walmart a couple weeks ago, and brought home an 11.75 ounce bottle of it for review and to see how it does in sweetening almond drinks, tea, cereals, salad dressings, tomato sauces, and to discern how it tastes right from the bottle. Well, now that I’ve sampled this organic nectar in a few cups of Plantation Mint tea and a few other recipes, I’m led by its taste, color, and consistency to say that it’s a tremendous alternative to white sugar and corn syrup-based sweeteners. I like it.
Domino Agave Nectar has 60 calories per tablespoon, and appears to equal in sweetness to maple syrup and honey.
It’s wonderful that Donino, a long-time revered brand name in the sugar industry, has come up with a lower glycemic index (GI) sweetener by taking advantage of that property of most any agave nectar. With a GI of between 15 and 30, small quantities of Domino agave sweetener are less intrusive to the delicate blood-sugar balances in diabetics than other carbohydrate-based sweeteners. The GI of real maple syrup is 54; higher than agave nectar. Thus, a certain amount of agave nectar triggers lower blood-sugar spikes, which promotes lower A1C (cell damage) readings. Further, there’s less “sugar high” than that triggered by other, more highly processed sweeteners.
But, though the GI of this organic agave nectar from Domino is lower than that of other sugars, remember that this agave nectar is still a concentrated sugar source, even though it contains more nutrients than white table sugar. In my opinion therefore, this can force you to crave more of it if you take in too much; just as all refined sugars do to some degree or other. So use this amber sweetener sparingly in spite of its healthier reputation. Too much of anything, even a very good thing like this, makes it bad.
Domino agave nectar tastes similar (but certainly not identical) to the other agave nectars I’ve reviewed from Madhava, Florida Crystals, and Honey Tree. However, the Domino brand is a darker amber color, and so its unique agave flavor is stronger along with its aroma.
Benefits, Features, Pros, and Advantages
- In spite of its dark and rich color, Domino agave nectar dissolves completely in drinks in just one stirring. It does not separate and either sink to the bottom or rise to the top after it’s completely mixed in.
- This brand of organic agave nectar only recently appeared on shelves in bigger grocery stores. In fact, the bottle I have says “New!” on it. Indeed, it’s gratifying to see more of the big players like Domino getting up onto the whole natural sweetener wave.
- Indeed impresses the tongue as a unique and stronger flavor, and spreads an easily detected agave scent when opened.
- While the pleasant caramel-like taste of this Domino product might be inappropriate for certain delicately-flavored items such as green tea, for true agave flavor lovers, this sweetener showcases with very bright lights the flavor of the agave plant.
- This sweetener is quite dark in color; darker than clover honey and way more opaque than the Madhava light agave nectar product. So it definitely changes the colors of foods or drinks to which you add. Looks very robust and nutritious.
- This agave nectar sweetener sports a syrupy texture that is noticeably thicker than the light agave nectars but on a thickness par with pure grade A maple syrup. Yet it’s still significantly thinner than honey. It seasons well, pancakes and waffles, with little difference in texture than pure maple syrup, although the flavor of agave nectar differs much from maple.
- I like the no drip cap that Domino included with this product. It works well and indeed does prevent most spillage.
- I’ve experienced neither intestinal nor stomach problems from this sweetener.
- You need not refrigerate after opening.
- Domino provides a recipe conversion chart right on the bottle that tells you how much of this product replaces a given amount of table sugar. They say that two thirds of a cup of this sweetener equals one whole cup of brown sugar. They also advize to reduce other liquids in the recipe by a quarter of a cup. Handy info.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- To adequately sweeten many beverages, I must use three to four tablespoons of Domino organic agave sweetener. This differs from the liquid stevia products I use that require far less than one tablespoon. This can further enlarge the cost of agave nectar as a drink sweetener and add lots of calories as well. Yep, even the better carbohydrate sweeteners still have a down side.
- This Domino nectar product can cost more than sugar per pound. I paid roughly $5.12 for my 11.75-ounce bottle, which lasts but a few days when used exclusively to sweeten my comfort beverages.
- If tipped over, any agave nectar can attract bugs, just as spilled sugar or sugary liquids might. So, as with sugar, be attentive during clean-up not to leave any sticky agave nectar behind. It’s simple to clean and water-soluble even though its color resembles that of molasses. A wet dish rag soaked with very warm water completely removes spills of agave nectar in just a few wipes.
Product Rating
I’m pleased with Domino Organic Agave Nectar Amber Liquid Sweetener and am convinced that you’ll enjoy it as well. Since this is still a highly refined carb source and nowhere near a hundred percent natural sweetener, I’d rate it at 78 out of 100. It’s better than white sugar but still carries much “sugar baggage.”
Where To Buy Domino Organic Agave Nectar Amber Liquid Sweetener
Look for the clear bottle with the yellow and white label with the dark blue letters in your favorite larger grocery stores. The sweetener inside is quite dark shade of brown and passes very little light; similar to concentrated black tea. It’s pretty easy to spot. As I did, You too will likely find that you need sacrifice no good taste for the health advantages of this amber agave nectar product.
References
Revision History
- 2015-01-28: Moved this post to the Tom’s Diet Quest blog, tweaked the content, and rearranged category and tag assignments.
- 2014-12-01: Added whitespace, revised content, and repositioned ads.
- 2012-04-17: Originally published.