Where to purchase bottles of vanilla..

[terrylou]

We'll be cruising in January, 2007 and will be visiting Costa Maya, Costa Rica and Panama. Can anyone tell me which of these ports I can purchase vanilla?

[seashell36]

I would say probably Costa Maya. We bought vanilla in Cozumel last year and it was really good. You just have to make sure that the label says Coumarin Free. Coumarin is used to make the drug Coumadin, a blood thinner, and is banned in the US. But, that said, I didn't have any trouble finding good vanilla that was Coumarin free. ** You may want to check the Port of Call boards they may be able to give you a specific store to go to that carries a good vanilla! **

 

Edit: I did a search of your ports and they do say that you can get vanilla in Costa Maya. There are a couple of references to buying vanilla in Panama - both of the people were on tours that stopped at shopping centers.

[bike1964]

We were just in Costa Maya 2 weeks ago, and vanilla was plentiful. You can get in right @ the pier or in Mahaul. (the samll town a couple miles away. I think the samllest bottles were like $4. Maybe 6 ounces?

[Bunkie103]

With any luck you'll be able to find it in plastic bottles too! I bought a pint size bottle for $6 which is an exceptionally good buy! Have fun!:D

[clgcrusier]

Ok, wondering if I got ripped, or a really good deal. We bought our vanilla in Roatan island, 3 pint bottles for $5. I don't see coumarin on the lablel, but what would be the difference between real vanilla and imitation vanilla? Seems to taste and smell real good-I figured for $5 at least I wasn't losing too much. . .:confused:

[enester]

Be sure not to pay full price for the vanilla in town. We paid $5.00 for a large bottle (about 16 oz?). There's plenty around - so you can be selective.

 

enester

[juankzas]

As posted in Holiday Exchange:

 

You can't go wrong if you buy "Vainilla Papantla" or any vanilla made there, is even a OD. All my life I've seen that Vainilla in my house.

 

Papantla is a municipality of the state of Veracruz and is really famous because of "Los voladores de papantla" (Papantla Flyers) which consist of a group of dancers descending from a special trunk with some ropes.

 

Cheers from México

 

Juan Carlos

[terrylou]

Many thanks for all your replies. A friend of mine has requested the vanilla. We did get her some when we were in Cozumel a few years ago.

 

Terrylou

[nieciez]

My mission is to pick up 5 big bottles while in Costa Maya...what should I expect to pay for a liter bottle?

[juankzas]

My mission is to pick up 5 big bottles while in Costa Maya...what should I expect to pay for a liter bottle?

 

Half a liter sold at Superama starts at 1 dollar and could go up to $3 for 150 ml if you buy extract which is supposed to be more concentrated. Superama is part of Wal-Mart, unfortunately there's not in Costa Maya but you can figure it out what the price would be there.

[I Luv Crusin]

Usually they have a "tester". I'd recommend smelling the vanilla to see if you like it or not. I got some vanilla in Playa Del Carmen that I tossed, I just got some more in Cozumel.

 

side note: I bought little 4 oz bottles to give as gifts to my co-workers. One of them, a 72 yo lady was so happy to get "REAL" vanilla. She can't normally afford it and buys imitation vanilla. I think the 4 oz bottle was around 2.50.

[Sue L]

A friend who is a HUGE baker swears by the vanilla in Costa Rica and she said I better get her some when I go in March.

[GOTTA CRUISE NOW]

To make vanilla extract, you need vanilla beans & vodka. :D

With a knife, make a slit lengthwise in the vanilla bean. Place it in a bottle filled with vodka. Let it sit for 3 months. Voila! You have vanilla extract! The bigger the bottle, the more vanilla you will need. I give them as gifts for christmas in pretty bottles decorated with raffia. You can find vanilla beans in the spice section of your grocery store or on the internet, where it's cheaper. It lasts a long time, too!

[vacruizer]

Just be very cautious you're getting the real thing. We had a friend bring us a bottle of Mexican vanilla. I'm a huge vanilla fan and just kept thinking that the taste and smell just wasn't quite right. (Tried it baking, in coffee, etc.) Then I found out about the coumarin based stuff that's passed off as vanilla. It's apparently much cheaper than using vanilla beans to make but smells similar and is often still listed on the bottle as "vanilla extract." The problem is it can be very dangerous to your health. I think I heard something on the food network about it and then looked around online for "mexican vanilla." It finally explained why it tasted and smelled "off" to me. I pitched the whole bottle after figuring out I had the coumarin based stuff. I didn't end up buying any on our cruise after this as I was very leery of getting another fake batch and according to what I read it's almost impossible to tell just by looking at the label - there are lots of faked labels out there.

[RWolver672]

Look on the label for a picture of a rooster. That's the real stuff and the good stuff.

[clgcrusier]

Look on the label for a picture of a rooster. That's the real stuff and the good stuff.

 

Is that a brand, or some kind of stamp of authenticity? I'm still wondering about mine. Bought it from some roadside vendors in Roatan Island, 3 large bottles for $5. I was somewhat skeptical, but our driver (who spoke very clear english) said it was a good deal. He seemed very knowledgeble, so I thought I would take a chance. No rooster, but it's a different country. . .

[crusinpsychRN]

Why is this vanilla bought in those ports better than what I get at the grocery store? Is it only imitation I get?

[ryansmama]

You can get REAL vanilla in the stores here, but it's very $$$

[lallybrock]

I was just in Costa Maya last week & bought vanilla. Of course after reading this thread I had to go get my bottle to make sure I didn't get ripped off. The brand name on mine is Vane & it does say "does not contain coumarin" at the top. I think I found the rooster on the back where it says Hecho en Mexico. Is that the rooster you are speaking of?

 

Anyway I bought a smaller bottle at the port that is 12.2 oz for $6. A little over a year ago I bought a bottle in Cozumel w/the brand name of Azteca. It's 16.9 oz & I paid $6 also. My brother went down the street in the back of the port (where the taxi's are) & at the first intersection there is a souvenier store where he also pay $6 for a 16.9 oz bottle with yet another name brand on it. I'm sure that if you go away from the pier at Costa Maya things get cheaper.

 

Lallybrock

[crusinpsychRN]

...there's nothing "away" from the pier in Costa Maya!