Who has purchased Mexican Vanilla?

[airdale]

I am looking for some the brand names of pure Mexican vanilla WITHOUT any 'coumarin' in it. I have read enough to know NOT to buy the vanilla with the 'coumarin' in it.

 

We will hopefully be going to Progresso and Cozumel on our cruise in November.

 

Where did you buy yours?

 

At which port?

 

Which store...if you remember.

 

What brand did you buy?

 

What did the label look like?

 

Size of the bottle and the cost of the vanilla?

 

Thank you very much! :D

 

Don

[kimscruisin]

I purchased the brand VANE, and on the label it states it is coumarin free. I purchased at a store next to Carlos n Charlies at the port in Cozumel. It was $5, and it is very good in baking.

[jimbug]

I have to ask...what is courmarin?

 

I always just buy it wherever I can find it. My last purchase was in Curacao. The label doesn't say anything about courmarin.

[kktex]

I am looking for some the brand names of pure Mexican vanilla WITHOUT any 'coumarin' in it. I have read enough to know NOT to buy the vanilla with the 'coumarin' in it.

 

We will hopefully be going to Progresso and Cozumel on our cruise in November.

 

Where did you buy yours?

 

At which port?

 

Which store...if you remember.

 

What brand did you buy?

 

What did the label look like?

 

Size of the bottle and the cost of the vanilla?

 

Thank you very much! :D

 

all of my questions! which cruise are you doing in Nov? we are booked for the Ecstasy on 11/12/2007

[kktex]

I purchased the brand VANE, and on the label it states it is coumarin free. I purchased at a store next to Carlos n Charlies at the port in Cozumel. It was $5, and it is very good in baking.

 

can u tell us what size the bottle is? is it a clear bottle so that u can see the color & clarity? thanks.

[mariemorgan]

I have to ask...what is courmarin?

 

I always just buy it wherever I can find it. My last purchase was in Curacao. The label doesn't say anything about courmarin.

 

this is what I found on google.

 

Coumarin is often found in tobacco products and artificial vanilla substitutes, though it has been banned as a food additive in numerous countries since the mid-20th century because it is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys, with an LD50 of 275 mg/kg - low compared to related compounds. Although only somewhat dangerous to humans, coumarin is a potent rodenticide: rats and other rodents largely metabolize it to 3,4-coumarin epoxide, a toxic compound that can cause internal hemorrhage and death. Humans largely metabolize it to 7-hydroxycoumarin, a compound of lower toxicity.

Coumarin was banned as a food additive in the United States in 1978

[alphakitty]

I have to ask...what is courmarin?

 

I always just buy it wherever I can find it. My last purchase was in Curacao. The label doesn't say anything about courmarin.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin

[deborahjo]

Have bought in Cozumel and love it. It is wonderful.

[sandy toes]

I have purchased it in several different shops in Cozumel. You can find it is a lot of main name brand grocery stores here in the states now due to the increase in Latino population. I have used various brand names, only one was in a clear glass bottle, 2 were in clear plastic. NONE contained coumarin. Sorry I cannot tell you the names of the shops or the Vanilla (I am out right now and only have what I got locally) but it is plentiful in port (alway was in Costa Maya...but we will all have to wait about a yr to return there :( )Have fun shopping and baking when you return home. I think it makes the BEST Buttercream frosting

[MAB121655]

I wash in Cozumel last week. I bought some vanilla at Los Cinco Soles. It was labeled under their name. It didn't contain coumarin. Don't know the size bottle but it wasn't the smallest. Price was 4.95. Los Cinco Soles is a great place to shop...nice quality items. They have a web site.

[kaleighsgram]

Bought some in Mexico a long time ago, but can't remember where exactly. If they let you, smell the different brands they carry. I did and walked away with the best stuff. It smelled like pure vanilla blossom.

[BillnBobbi]

I am looking for some the brand names of pure Mexican vanilla WITHOUT any 'coumarin' in it. I have read enough to know NOT to buy the vanilla with the 'coumarin' in it.

 

We will hopefully be going to Progresso and Cozumel on our cruise in November.

 

Where did you buy yours?

 

At which port?

 

Which store...if you remember.

 

What brand did you buy?

 

What did the label look like?

 

Size of the bottle and the cost of the vanilla?

 

Thank you very much! :D

 

Don

 

The first time we were in Cozumel we did purchase some of the fresh beans which are vacuum sealed in vials. However we since decided that it simply isn't worth it. Comparable products can easily be purchased in the US at such stores as Williams-Sonoma (or online). Just be sure that whatever you purchase is pure natural vanilla with a low alcohol content. We actually prefer Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla to the Mexican products.

 

The liquid is convenient but there is nothing like preparing a dish from real vanilla beans (split them in half, scrape the seeds into a small pot filled with a bit of milk, simmer and then use in your baking products.)

 

BnB

[firefly333]

Mexican Vanilla Totonac's, pure vanilla, does not contain coumarin.

 

From the label, bought this at the RCI pier in Cozumel last April. $8 for 34 oz. Everyone told me I paid too much, they went to a grocery store and bought it for 1/3.

[L2J]

I bought a couple bottles when I was there. I don't know the name of the gift shop but it was at the main pier - the one with all the stone pee-pees

[BSQ]

I've been using Azteca brand for a long time now. It's quite flavorful, available at most souvenir shops, and not too expensive.

[Longin2cruise]

I got 33.80 oz. Xle-Ha vanilla (gold label with picture of a pyramid) at the downtown pier in Cozumel for $12.99. It is definitly NOT good. Doesn't even taste or smell like vanilla so don't waste your money on that brand. Several years ago I got some extremely good vanilla at a really very small shop in downtown Cozumel, but I don't remember the name, price or what the label looked like. Probably the best Mexican vanilla I've ever bought was just across the border at Matamoris. Can't remember the name, but it had a white label with a red rooster on it.

[Caliber1]

I bought a couple bottles when I was there. I don't know the name of the gift shop but it was at the main pier - the one with all the stone pee-pees

 

Was that right off the pier? I think we bought some there too, and it was in a clear bottle without coumarin.

[urbanhawk]

I live about an hour's drive from a border town (Nogales,Sonora); one of the best brands they have there is one called Molina-I believe it is pure;(personally, I wouldn't worry about the coumadin, as you are only using a teaspoon or 2 in a recipe-it may be a different story, if one is drinking it out of the bottle :eek: !!!)

[halos]

bought a couple of the small bottles in Puntarenas, Costa Rica for .50 each :D :D

Also stocked up on coffee....when I ran out I went bonkers and now I order it on line...pay astronomical shipping fees and it's still cheaper than Starbucks.

[MelBCroozer]

I have also bought the vanilla from Los Cinco Soles in Cozumel. It has their label and it is very good. I usually use half as much as the recipe calls since it is very thick and stronger than vanilla I get at the grocery store. It's a nice souvenir to bring back to someone who likes to bake.

[L&J]

I just bought a bottle in Cozumel in January. It's Azteca brand, does not contain Coumarin, and was about $3.50 for a small bottle (4 oz - 125 ml). The sizes got much bigger for $8 and I wish I would've bought a bigger one. It smells and tastes great. The bottle is brown with a yellow label and the vanilla is brown, not clear. I can't remember the name of the store but it is along the main shopping strip where all the souvenir shops are. Several of the stores had the same bottles.

[airdale]

all of my questions! which cruise are you doing in Nov? we are booked for the Ecstasy on 11/12/2007

 

kktex...We will be on the Fantasy Nov 3, 2007. Only a couple of CC members have responded to the roll call so far.

 

urbanhawk...I don't know the toxicology of coumarin and how it relates to our bodies. So I don't know if it is similar to mercury, lead or DDT and our body just stores it in the liver or someplace else until we ingest enough of it to have problems because of it. Or if our bodies have a way to flush it out of our systems after a while. But me...I'll just reframe from eating it if at all possible.

 

Everyone else...thank you for the responses so far!

 

Don

[DaDivaMom]

We buy D'Lis,500 ml or about 16 1/2 ozs. No cumarine and we buy it at the grocery store, not in the tourist district. I asked a local to show me the best and she said that this is what she uses. Last me about a year.

 

If you want to order online it is janibell@prodigy.net.mx or janibell@megared.net.mx

 

I think I paid about 4 bucks for each bottle.

[popcorngal]

Another big fan of Los Cinco Soles here. I did alot of research on here before we sailed, and their vanilla seemed to be the most highly recommended at the time. We brought lots back for souvenirs too. That store has a little bit of everything too. Got a great deal on Kahlua as well!;)

[kimscruisin]

The VANE brand I bought was 12.2 fl. oz. It is very good, and smells wonderful. It states it is pure vanailla. You can definitely tell the difference, so glad I bought some. This bottle will last a while, but I wished I would have bought more, some for gifts. Again, I bought mine in Cozumel.--right at the port. Wasn't worth inconvenience of me shopping around for such a small price.