(Mas) Viernes, Marzo, Dieci-Nueve, Dos Mil Diez
A repeat of last night’s meal with the tortellini con vino tinto. As with most red sauces, it gets better overnight. I found a 2008 Argentina Shiraz Cabernet (66p) to supplement the dinner.
After two hours of web research at IXTA I strolled through the markets in search of pure Mexican vanilla. I was pleasantly surprised that the vendors were willing to negotiate, and I scored a large 1 liter bottle of the dark pure vanilla.
I found some basic information on vanilla and thought I would share that with you and those that placed an order with me. Enjoy.

Does your Mexican Vanilla contain Coumarin?
No. The FDA banned Coumarin in food products quite a few years ago which wiped out most of our competition in a hurry. As far as we know, there are only three companies allowed to export their vanilla from Mexico as a result. Coumarin is a blood thinner used in rat poisons that causes liver damage. That's one of the reasons you shouldn't buy your cheap vanilla just across the border.
What is the shelf life of Mexican Vanilla?
For liability reasons, we tell people 2 years... but we know of one customer who had hers for 7 years!
What % of alcohol is in your Mexican Vanilla?4%.

What is Vanillin?
If you inspect the inner core of the vanilla bean you will discover small crystals that form on the inner layer of the pod. Those crystals contain much of the scent of the vanilla bean. It's true that a synthetic scent has been introduced into the Mexican market in recent years but that is not found in our Pure Mexican Vanilla.
What is the difference between Clear and Dark Vanilla?Color ;-) Actually, the vanilla beans do not shed much color at all. Do you remember your last bowl of vanilla bean ice cream? You'll see a lot of little brown spots in the cream colored ice cream. Those little tiny spots are the actual vanilla beans. We have grown so accustomed to the brown color from imitation vanilla that we have added caramel coloring (made from molasses) to our darker versions of Mexican Vanilla. The darker version is by far our best seller too!
Why don't you ship hand blown glass bottles during the winter months?It's just too dang cold! While our beautiful hand blown glass bottles are amazing to look at... they don't expand when the vanilla gets cold... at all. Instead of giving people frozen popsicles of Mexican Vanilla on a glass shard, we decided to postpone shipping during the winter months. Please remember: It may be warm by you... but we are shipping from Utah!
Is it ok for Mexican Vanilla to freeze?Yes. Mexican Vanilla can freeze, thaw and still be used. Make sure it has thoroughly thawed before use.