Buying Vanilla in Cozumel

[HookedonDCL]

I was wondering about buying vanilla is Cozumel. I thought I read on here a long time ago (maybe a year or so) that you needed to be careful of what and where you buy the vanilla. Some were good while others were not so good. It seemed like there was an article linked to one of the post about it. I tried doing a search and was unable to find the thread I'm thinking of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mmouse37]

I bought vanilla (clear) in Costa Maya in one of the shops.....it tastes slightly different than the vanilla (brown) here in the states but it is good and I use it all the time when I bake.

 

[jollytammy]

I bought 9 2 liters (yes 9 bottles) of the brown vanilla from the gracery store in Cozumel--$2 a bottle, not the $8 on the main street--and gave it away to everyone as a gift. I used my bottle already, and had my mother bring me back another bottle. As far as I can tell, haven't had any side effects....other than a desire to get back on a Disney cruise as soon as possible

have a great time!!!

 

[webray]

We also purchased our Vanilla in the grocery store in Cozumel.

There is a Sedano's market just a couple blocks up from the Forum Shops. The Forum shops are the last stop on the shopping road. Just walk a little further and you will see the store, right hand side of the road...water is on the left side.

 

[KKB]

I did pay $8 for a liter, but I felt they would be reputable there.
Plus $5 for 1 oz. of real vanilla here--$8 is still a deal.
It may taste different since it is REAL vanilla, and we are often used to using imitation vanilla flavoring since it is 1/3-1/2 the price of real vanilla here.
Happy cruising!
Kristin

 

[AmyJ of Ca]

You are correct that most of the vanilla bought cheaply in Mexico is not real and may in fact be dangerous. Last time I said that about 100 posters gave there opinion that it was fine but I am always cautious about this stuff. Do a web search and you'll see what I mean. You can also buy a purse that says Gucci on it in Mexico and we know that isn't real!! I believe it was one of the moderators who gave the link to the article about the vanilla. If I remember correctly, you can't rely on taste as most people actually like the tast of the fake stuff better in their testing. I think it was a Gourmet magazine or some magazine along these lines that had the article. Personally, I wouldn't take the chance. Amy

 

[tvguy]

I did pay $8 for a liter, but I felt they would be reputable there.
Plus $5 for 1 oz. of real vanilla here--$8 is still a deal.
It may taste different since it is REAL vanilla, and we are often used to using imitation vanilla flavoring since it is 1/3-1/2 the price of real vanilla here.
Happy cruising!
Kristin

Boy, and I thought my wife baked a lot. We go through an ounce of vanilla a year (35 lbs of flour and 25 lbs of sugar for Christmas baking alone). A liter would last 30 years.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

My family and I have been baking with and adding Mexican vanilla to our homemade ice cream for about 16 years now, and no one is seriously ill yet.

 

[TootyJane]

I was wondering about buying vanilla is Cozumel. I thought I read on here a long time ago (maybe a year or so) that you needed to be careful of what and where you buy the vanilla. Some were good while others were not so good. It seemed like there was an article linked to one of the post about it. I tried doing a search and was unable to find the thread I'm thinking of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Make sure that vanilla does not contain Coumarin which is a potentially toxic ingredient. HTH

 

[FoodLover]

I'm reposting a slightly rewritten version of some information about Mexican vanilla that I previously posted on another thread on this subject.

Most of the "vanilla" sold in Mexico is artificial, and some is toxic. If it's cheap, it is NOT real.

You can't tell from the flavor. In fact, Cook's Illustrated magazine did a taste test with natural and artificial vanilla and the tasters were shocked to discover they couldn't tell any difference. In fact, in some cases they liked the fake stuff BETTER than the real stuff. (Unfortunately I can no longer link to the test report because they now require a membership to read articles on their site.)

I would never buy vanilla in Mexico... and I used to live 8 miles from the border, so I could easily do so. Frankly I won't buy any foodstuffs in Mexico, including processed foods, because a lot of them are unsafe. There is very poor oversight of food safety in Mexico due to corruption and lack of resources.

Here's another article about the potential for toxic ingredients in Mexican vanilla, by a well-known syndicated columnist who is known for doing his research:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011207.html

Mary
MouseSavers.com

 

[AmyJ of Ca]

I'm reposting a slightly rewritten version of some information about Mexican vanilla that I previously posted on another thread on this subject.

Most of the "vanilla" sold in Mexico is artificial, and some is toxic. If it's cheap, it is NOT real.

You can't tell from the flavor. In fact, Cook's Illustrated magazine did a taste test with natural and artificial vanilla and the tasters were shocked to discover they couldn't tell any difference. In fact, in some cases they liked the fake stuff BETTER than the real stuff. (Unfortunately I can no longer link to the test report because they now require a membership to read articles on their site.)

I would never buy vanilla in Mexico... and I used to live 8 miles from the border, so I could easily do so. Frankly I won't buy any foodstuffs in Mexico, including processed foods, because a lot of them are unsafe. There is very poor oversight of food safety in Mexico due to corruption and lack of resources.

Here's another article about the potential for toxic ingredients in Mexican vanilla, by a well-known syndicated columnist who is known for doing his research:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011207.html

Mary
MouseSavers.com

Thanks, Mary
Well, I was in the ballpark but I couldn't remember what magazine that article was in that you cited previously. I agree. I restrict my purchases to t-shirts and other tourist trinket type stuff because of the quality issues on some products in Mexico. Even some of the Mexican candy sold in the US have unhealthful amounts of lead in them. Just not worth it IMHO. Amy

 

[abitjaded]

I do buy expensive vanilla in Mexico. I bought "Azteca Vainilla" in Cozumel that claims to be pure and natural vanilla, no coumarin. I paid about $4 per 125 ml. It comes from the state of Jalisco. Mine is the brown, although the same brand came in clear. Anyone who has mushed up a real vanilla bean would be suspect of the clear. There is an email on the label:

productosconsan@hotmail.com.

You might want to email them and see what they say. It does smell different than vanilla processed in the U.S., (my Rodelle reeks of ethanol, 35%) but does not smell like vanillin. Here is another, albeit commercial, link:

http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-mexican.html


Carla

 

[mmouse37]

Thank you so much for that link to the article....I am going home and dumping my "clear" vanilla!!! I'll just bite the bullet and buy the real stuff here!!