would the real vanilla please stand up

We’ve heard Mexico is known for its excellent vanilla extract, used for cooking and seasoning, but there are fakes there as well. Does anyone know the brand(s) that are pure vanilla extract?

-Bob

We’ve heard Mexico is known for its excellent vanilla extract, used for cooking and seasoning, but there are fakes there as well. Does anyone know the brand(s) that are pure vanilla extract?

-Bob

I recently purchased some from Los Cincos Soles in Cozumel. You can sample them there as well.

I recently purchased some from Los Cincos Soles in Cozumel. You can sample them there as well.

I have bought at Los Concos Soles as well. The biggest thing to look for is that it MUSt be "coumarin free"

I have bought at Los Concos Soles as well. The biggest thing to look for is that it MUSt be "coumarin free"

Thanks for the tip. I looked more into it and yes coumarin can cause liver damage etc and should be avoided. It's added to many cheap vanillas to give it a better vanilla smell. The best tips for pure vanilla is that the alcohol content should be over 35 %, not between 0 and 10. And it should look amber and translucent, but who can tell that through the colored bottles. One reputable company selling the pure stuff is the Blue Cattle Truck Trading Co. The cost is way higher than imitation stuff.

-Bob

Thanks for the tip. I looked more into it and yes coumarin can cause liver damage etc and should be avoided. It's added to many cheap vanillas to give it a better vanilla smell. The best tips for pure vanilla is that the alcohol content should be over 35 %, not between 0 and 10. And it should look amber and translucent, but who can tell that through the colored bottles. One reputable company selling the pure stuff is the Blue Cattle Truck Trading Co. The cost is way higher than imitation stuff.

-Bob

How can you tell the alcohol content? I have a bottle from Los Cinco Soles and also one I purchased in Roatan and neither list the amount of alcohol.

The first sign of imitation Vanilla is the bottle, If someone tries to pass off 100% Pure Vanilla in a plastic bottle, call it BS and keep looking. 100 % will always be in a glass bottle.

The first sign of imitation Vanilla is the bottle, If someone tries to pass off 100% Pure Vanilla in a plastic bottle, call it BS and keep looking. 100 % will always be in a glass bottle.

In Puerto Vallarta we get Orlando vanilla which is pure organic vanilla and comes in plastic bottles. I have mever looked for it in PDC so I don't know if it is available there but you can now get it thru Amazon as said on their website. We had first heard about this brand from Trip Advisor. One of the vendors at the Mercado had an open bottle so we could smell the difference, absolutely no alcohol smell. Only kind I will use.

Make sure when you purchase vanilla it is pure natural vanilla that does not contain "coumarin." We have purchased vanilla in Cozumel under the brand "Tlilxochitl". It is available in either glass or plastic bottles.