Where can I buy agave nectar or agave syrup (despite the different 
names, they should be the same product) in Montgomery County, 
Maryland, or in NW Washington, DC? 
 
Some background info: Agave nectar should not cost more than $1/oz.  I
live in the 20854 zip code, so the closer to that I can get agave 
nectar, the better.  I would start looking in either health/natural 
foods stores, gourmet food stores, and Mexican markets, as agave is 
chiefly grown in Jalisco, Mexico.

If it's not too much trouble, it would also be great to know where I
can find the same stuff near the 94305 area code (Palo Alto, CA), as
I'll be going back to school in a month, and might need more agave
nectar at a later date.  I would really, really appreciate it if you
could help with this too -- it should be easier to find out there,
since there is a large Mexican-American population there.
 
Also, I'll let whoever answers my question know what exactly I plan to
use the agave syrup for as an extra bonus if you're interested.  It'll
be tasty, that's for sure:) 
 
Thanks! 

------------------------------------------------------

Request for Question Clarification on 16 Aug 2002 15:45 PDT 

Hi methticalman 
 
Hundreds of types of agave grow in Mexico. 
Only one is used for tequila. The Blue Agave. 
There was a slump in Blue Agave production 
last year. So prices for it might be higher 
than expected. I don't drink so I haven't 
followed tequila prices as of recent. But 
a coworker friend of mine was complaining 
just a few months ago about the rising price 
of Tequila. 
 
Let us know which agave. 
 
thanks, 
-AI 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Clarification of Question by methticalman-ga on 16 Aug 2002 20:39 PDT

Yeah, the blue agave is the magic ingredient.  They do supposedly make
blue agave nectar.  But if you can't find that and can find another
kind of agave nectar for less than $1/fluid ounce, I'd be willing to
try it.
 
"Tequila is pressed from blue agave (ah-GAH-vay). Agave nectar is
pressed from wild agave. The former is agave juice that has been
distilled and fermented; the latter is agave juice that has been
heated until reduced to a syrup. The resulting nectar is sweeter than
sugar, runnier than honey and only slightly less maple-y than most
Grade A maple syrups."
 
So any "wild agave" nectar should be ok, although I'd prefer something
that at least appears to be decent quality, and not some bathtub -- or
worse yet, toilet -- home brew;-)
 
One positive note: blue agave shortages supposedly were at their worst
a year or two ago; the prices are coming down, but finding nectar is
tough.

Thanks!
-EC aka methTICALman

---

Request for Question Clarification by alienintelligence-ga on 19 Aug 2002 06:02 PDT

Hi again methticalman...

unless someone beats me to it,
I've got a few leads I'm waiting
to explore when stores are open
for business again on Monday.

The recipe sounds very intriguing.

-AI

---

Clarification of Question by methticalman-ga on 19 Aug 2002 08:20 PDT

Yeah...I found a decent mix that is *mostly* lime juice and agave
nectar, but it does have some sketchier stuff like cheaper sweetners
too.  It's not really too artificial, but if I'm going to mix with
decent tequila, I want the mixers (which should be cheaper regardless)
to be good too.

The stuff I found was at Sutton Place Gourmet, but wasn't too
expensive for something of its kind -- about 6 bucks.  Even though you
don't drink, it may make a good marinade addition or something.

Thanks again and Good luck.
-EC

---

Clarification of Question by methticalman-ga on 19 Aug 2002 08:21 PDT

(I definitely still want the agave nectar...the bottled stuff i got
was just a makeshift)

---

Request for Question Clarification by alienintelligence-ga on 22 Aug 2002 04:05 PDT

Hello there methticalman...

Whenever I do find the Agave
Nectar, I'm buying some myself.
I have got to try it after all
this research.


@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@


Finding all kinds of tidbits while hunting:

[ http://www.wcommerce.com/Agave/AgaveNectarNutrient.PDF ]

[ http://www.wcommerce.com/Agave/agavefunction.PDF ]

[ http://www.wcommerce.com/Agave/agavedescript.PDF ]

Agave Nectar is a natural food sweetener. It may be used to
sweeten any type of beverage or
food.

It is derived from the carbohydrates present in the Agave plant
through a totally natural thermic
(heat) process with absolutely no chemicals.

The most valuable part of the Agave plant is its sugars. By far
the main carbohydrate is a
complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan.

These carbohydrates are broken down to produce a syrup with a
high content of fructose
(approximately 70%).

Fructose is a simple sugar found mainly in fruits and
vegetables. It has almost 50% greater
sweetness than sucrose. This gives Agave Nectar advantages in
both the food industry and health
of the consumer.

The level of integration and infrastructure of the source
permits the development of Agave Nectar
adapted to the specific uses of our clients.

PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AGAVE NECTAR
Parameter 		Agave Nectar
Solids % 		74 - 76 Brix
Humidity % 		24 - 26
pH (Undiluted) 		3.8 - 5
Ash gr./dl. 		0.4 - 0.6
Calories/100 gr. 	320
Specific Gravity 	1.384 Lbs.
Weight Per Gallon 	11.5 Lbs./Gallon
AGAVE NECTAR 		NUTRIENT PROFILE
Fructose* 		69 - 71%
Dextrose 		23 - 24%
Inulin 			3 - 5%
Sucrose 		1.1 - 1.4%


@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@_@¿@


So... the question... WHERE DO WE FIND IT?

It's going to be easier for me because it
appears to be more readily available on the
West Coast for some reason. hehe, ok, I know
the reason.

The people I contacted were all out, as in
no longer carrying it out. Still waiting on 
some prior emails. I also emailed 4 more places
tonight. I will try to make some more phone
calls tomorrow in-between running errands.

Some of the results that weren't acceptable
so far:

[ http://www.wcommerce.com/tradition.htm ]
Western Commerce products are offered
in bulk supply in quantities ranging
from 50,000 pound tankers, to 3200
pound tote bins, to 55 gallon drums,
to 5 gallon pails.


Hmmm... I'll split that 5gal pail with 
you... hehe.


[ http://www.shopnatural.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TCW&Product_Code=8766&source=google
]
In Tucson, online only


Posted before:
[ http://www.stpats.com/mead.htm#agave ]
Agave Nectar in 640 lb Drums---only $1000

You know 320 people that want a couple pounds
each? ;)



It seems it's big in brewing, so that has
given me renewed leads. I'll have to rebother
people I've contacted already... I hate having
them put you off til the weekend, then they forget
about you on Monday.


-AI

---

Clarification of Question by methticalman-ga on 22 Aug 2002 12:09 PDT

Thanks for keeping up on this...I had no idea when I listed the
question that it would be so tough to find.

Let me know if you need any more clarifying...but it looks like now,
it's mostly up to luck in finding a good store.

-meth

---

Request for Question Clarification by alienintelligence-ga on 01 Sep 2002 11:36 PDT

Hello there methticalman...

All my sources are coming up dry. I have
made a number of calls to health food /
brewing product / liquor sales places in
the DC and Maryland area. Dry...

I have 2 more sources to test. I have
about a 80% hope on one, and a 50/50
on the other. Even if one hits, I don't
know if it will be in your area.

I might be luckier with the California
address.

You have asked THE stumper ;0)

-AI

---

Clarification of Question by methticalman-ga on 01 Sep 2002 15:58 PDT

I didn't realize how hard it would be to find this stuff in local
stores.  But yeah, let me know if you have any success.

Thanks!
-meth

From what I can tell, very few places sell it and I couldn't find
anywhere specifically in your area (s)...however, I found 1 place you
can order it from and they will ship it to you. there a brewing supply
company, so this should be exactly what your looking for...


http://www.stpats.com/mead.htm#agave

This looks like the best way to go, as any health food stores I
encountered were not 100% agave, they had other things in with
them....

I hope this works for you..

also, here are some other ordering and shipping options..
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/detail/325813.html
http://www.jayrobb.com/agnatsweet8o.html
http://www.goldentropical.com/english/products/wildAgave.html



Nenna-GA

Searches used:
Agave syrup
Agave nectar
Agave wholesale

---

Request for Answer Clarification by methticalman-ga on 19 Aug 2002 15:32 PDT

I specifically said in the DC Area.  I already found the product
online, and alienintelligence was actually fulfilling my request.  I
would either appreciate an actual store, or I will get a refund. 
Sorry for being this way, but I know how to use the internet to shop. 
It's the finding stores and calling that I was hoping to avoid. 
Nenna, you should clarify, asking if online merchants NOT in the DC
area are alright.

AI, if you read this, I would like to hear what you may have found...

---

Clarification of Answer by nenna-ga on 19 Aug 2002 22:46 PDT

First of all, I would like to comment that I did NOT 'steal" this
question. As it did not have lock on it, it was open to any
researcher. working on it or not, if he/she wanted it that badly,
he/she would of had it locked. Second of all, I was attempting to tell
you that the easier route for what you wanted was online. Here are
some organic food stored in the Washington DC area that all told me
when I contacted them this evening, that most of the time they have
agave nectar in stock. There are no homebrew stores that carry agave
in DC, however, like I said, all of these stores when contacted stated
that they have it in stock as much as they can get it, there seems to
be a high demand for agave.
Again, I think online ordering would be your best bet, but, your
welcome to try any of these stores...i'd reccomnd calling them before
going out to them. Also, the price of agave can vary with season, so
as far as the $1 a ounce, i'd check depending on the season your
purchasing it in....if you feel this clarification is not good enough,
feel free to ask for a refund.

http://everlastinglife.net/DirectionsToEL.htm
http://www.goodfooddc.net/coops.htm#anchor_dc


Nenna-GA

---

Request for Answer Clarification by methticalman-ga on 20 Aug 2002 05:36 PDT

Thanks...the only reason I left the rating is because Google made me
do it then, before I could do anything else.  I do, however, feel that
my rating was justified, given that AI was calling actual stores --
which is the whole reason I listed this question in the first place --
so I could avoid using the phone all day at work.  It would have been
appropriate to have asked whether I was interested in online stores.

---

Clarification of Answer by nenna-ga on 20 Aug 2002 07:15 PDT

So, this all good now, the answer acceptable?  Is there a way to change the rating?

In my question, I specifically said I wanted to purchase agave nectar
in the DC Area.  I had already found the product online, and
alienintelligence was actually fulfilling my request, effectively
communicating through question clarification.  Nenna just jumped in
and stole the question from AI, without asking for clarification as to
whether I was willing to change the basic requirements of my question.
 His answers were all online merchants -- but to be fair, I checked to
make sure they were not based in the DC area.  They weren't.  So his
answer did not satisfy my question at all.

I want to repost my question and let AI finish the job that he seemed
to be tackling so well.

Incidentally, Google is one of the many reasons I'm proud to go to
Stanford.

Last time I checked, the Internet is NOT in the Washington DC Area. 
And none of these online merchants are either.  Nenna just jumped in
and stole the question from AI, without asking for clarification on
whether I was willing to change the basic requirements of my question.