Questions regarding buying Mexican vanilla in Cozumel

[Canadiancruiser2]

Has anyone tried the Usumacinta brand of vanilla before? I bought it at one of the shops close to the pier in Cabo. After reading about the coumarin and such in mexican vanilla, I just wanted to check if this brand is okay.

It does say on the bottle "This product does not contain coumarin" but I'm not sure if the brand is reputable.

Thanks

 

[Jackthecat]

I agree about Totanac's -- my in-laws brought it back from one of their cruises. I smelled it decided to throw it away. They got it in Costa Maya as well.

If you're able to get to Cozumel, buy your vanilla at Los Cincos Soles. The store has loads of other stuff, ranging from junky to really cool and actually quite impressive, but their vanilla is out of this world and very reasonably priced. It is labeled "organically grown," and it states "This product does not contain coumarin." It is by far the best vanilla I've ever used in cookies, cakes, ice cream, pancake batter, warm milk for bedtime... the list of uses goes on and on. It is brown in color so I don't know if that would bother anyone, but the taste is much smoother than the ones we're used to buying here (namely McCormick and other national brands of pure vanilla extract). The Los Cincos Soles store is right across the road from where the ship docks, on the second floor of the Punta Langosta Mall.

Happy shopping and baking.

I recently read that the vanilla at Los Cincos Soles is also imitation. I just saw it at Cancun’s airport and it has .8 alcohol. It sells for $8 for 125 ml. It should be 35%. Ah Cocoa sells real vanilla extract, but they did not have any this week. They are located in Playa del Carmen.

 

[Hisgirl]

I started buying my own Madagascar vanilla beans from a wholesaler. You can buy 1/4 a pound and get a whole bag of rich, moist, thick beans and soak them in your own vodka. It's quite easy and the pioneer woman has a good recipe on her site.

 

[darwinsrule]

I wish I could help as to which is the best to buy. We bought some when we were there, but I'm not sure what kind it was. We did however, find a grocery store and purchased it there. The same bottles were sooo much cheaper than at the souvenier stores. If you get to the port and take the main road to the right there is a grocery store just a few blocks down on the left. Our server recommended we go there.

Mega superstore. A crew member on one of our cruises turned us onto it. Sort of a smaller but definitely fun Mexican version of Walmart was how it was described. Did a snack run (because there wasn't enough snacks on the cruise ship ). They had these awesome Queso flavoured Ruffles chips.

 

[Jodster23]

... off I go to check out what the heck is in my vanilla extracts at home... Never knew all of this! Eeeek.

 

[Toulou]

I searched the boards and found a couple of really old threads on this topic, but they were not quite what I'm looking for.

I understand that the ultra-cheap vanilla sold in Mexico is likely to contain coumarin because it is made from tonka beans instead of vanilla beans. In fact, it seems that most of the vanilla available to tourists is synthetic in some way, but not necessarily made with coumarin.

The trouble is, labeling laws are not necessarily enforced the way they are here in the US. So it's hard to know if something labeled "coumarin free" is truly safe. I found a picture on Ebay of Posa "pure natural" vanilla (which is considered one of the safe ones) on which the ingredients are listed in Spanish and English. Here's the Spanish version (translated to English): vanilla bean extractives, water, alcohol, propylene glycol, natural coloring, and 0.1% potassium sorbate as a preservative. The English version: vanilla extractives, water, and alcohol. Big difference!! Really makes you wonder what the shadier types are leaving out!

My parents brought me back a bottle of Danncy clear "pure vanilla", which smells fabulous and tastes great in decorator frosting. The flavor is so unique compared to commercial frostings (which come from a bucket - I asked the lady at Costco one time). I know it's not real vanilla extract, because it's clear, but I'm ok with that as long as I'm not poisoning people with it.

I wouldn't mind buying a nice, middle-of-the-road blend that contains some real Mexican vanilla mixed in with the artificial flavoring. You can buy McCormick's vanilla flavoring here in the US that is completely artificial, so I know it's possible to make it without dangerous chemicals. It would be really nice to buy an actual pure Mexican vanilla extract, but I'm afraid that might break the bank!

I have several questions:

• Which brands are considered safe, and which ones are definitely to be avoided?
• Has anyone had personal experience with certain brands? Any standouts as far as flavor/color/smell (good or bad)?
• Where in Cozumel should I purchase vanilla? I've never been to Cozumel, so specific details would be great.
• What sort of prices should I expect? Is this something that should be haggled?

Apologies for the novel! I would love to hear about your experiences (or adventures) in vanilla buying.

Hi. I just saw your post, it may be old? Just to let you know, when we went to Cozumel in 2018, we went to visit the maya chocolate factory along with the ruins. I got Tiaele, vanilla of mexico, special blend. It states no coumarina on the bottle. Hope this helps!

 

[darnheather]

I see that this is an old post but I spoke to Chef Bobby from Cinderella's Castle and they use only the beans. No extract, no soaking in vodka. Hope this helps someone.