Agave Road Trip artwork

Agave Road Trip

227 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago -

Agave Road Trip provides gringo bartenders with firsthand knowledge about heritage agave spirits from Mexico, including mezcal, raicilla, bacanora, and destilado de agave.

Places & Travel Society & Culture Documentary bacanora raicilla agave agave plants chava periban chava pulido gringo bars gringo bartenders lew bank lew banks
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Episodes

How to Pair Mezcal With Food

March 28, 2024 06:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

I’m seeing a lot more restaurants expanding their Mezcal selections, and a lot more events pairing Mezcal with food. So what do you eat when you drink Mezcal? I asked a bunch of industry folks that question over the last several months, then coerced food, science, and nature journalist Rowan Jacobsen to dig through those quotes with me to add his own thoughts. It’s a smorgasbord episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx b...

Why Brands Don’t Certify Their Mezcal

March 21, 2024 06:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MB

Since I first met Sergio Garnier, before he launched Mezcal Ultramundo, we’ve debated about the relative merits of certifying your agave spirits as Mezcal. We decided it was time to record our disagreement. It’s a what-side-are-you-on episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Sergio Garnier of Mezcal ...

The Secret Origin of Bull-skin Fermentation in Mezcal

March 14, 2024 06:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MB

The fist time I tasted an agave spirit fermented in the skin of a bull, it was all anyone was talking about in Oaxaca. I tasted it at three mezcalerias, and all three bottles were made by Amando Alvarado Alvarez in Santa Maria Ixcatlan, Oaxaca. I made my way out to visit him a few months later, to see the bull-skin fermenters myself. And when I share his spirits at tastings, everyone is in awe of these bull-skin fermenters. But … why bull skins? Where did that start? I think I have the answe...

All Bino Mexcal Is Mezcal but Not All Mezcal Is Bino Mexcal

March 07, 2024 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

Did the small family producers in Tequila, Jalisco, eat the metaphorical and literal lunch of the big producers in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi at the 1893 World’s Fair? It’s a What If? episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto, with supporting insights from Juan Pedro...

Rowan Jacobsen Went to Mexico and All I Got Was This Podcast

February 29, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22 MB

I got obsessed with Rowan Jacobsen when American Terroir hit bookstores in 2010, and was recently re-obsessed when his podcast “Wild Chocolate” dropped into my feed. So I reached out and he noted he was writing a sustainability feature about Mezcal for Bloomberg’s Businessweek. That article dropped last week, but this episode was recorded prior to that. And he wouldn’t let me read an advance copy. So, instead, we just talk agaves and sustainability in general. If that’s your thing, this is y...

Food Journalism Is Still Journalism

February 22, 2024 07:00 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MB

How do you find reliable sources for information about adult beverages? This is a multi-billion dollar industry, there should be reliable places to learn about trends. But I keep seeing significant errors in articles about agave spirits — which leads me to question what I’m reading about other spirits. And food. It’s an “On the Media” episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spir...

The Problem With the InsideHook Article About 2023 Tequila Sales

February 15, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MB

A couple weeks ago, I threw the Washington Post under the bus for failing to recognize that food journalism is — or should be — journalism. This week I throw myself under the bus for an article I wrote for InsideHook. Not because it fails as journalism — I’ll let someone else make that claim. But because I think it misses the most relevant point about the story of Tequila sales in the USA in 2023. And I attempt to rectify that here, in this mea culpa episode of Agave Road Trip!   Find extr...

Why Don’t More Mezcaleros Own Their Brands?

February 08, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

Why are there so few Mezcal and Tequila brands owned by the people who produce them? When I try to rattle off the names of brands of Mezcal and Tequila that are owned by the people who actually make those spirits, it’s more of a clunk than a rattle. Why is that? And why is that important? It’s an own-or-be-owned episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. ...

The Problem With the Washington Post Article About Mezcal

February 01, 2024 07:00 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MB

Do you want to preserve the biodiversity of agaves? Or do you want to preserve agaves in the wild? Because those are two different things, often at odds with one another. And you can’t have that conversation without talking about the reasons for the disappearing wild lands in Mexico. But that’s exactly what the Washington Post did last week, when they concluded that the biodiversity of agave is disappearing because “[f]oreign mezcal drinkers have adopted a taste for the wildest, scarcest aga...

How to Take Your Pet on a Road Trip to Mexico

January 25, 2024 07:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MB

Heather Morse traveled to Mexico City with her husband, Aaron. And her dog. And her cat. By car. From Las Vegas. If you’ve ever wanted cross the border in a car, with your pets, and make it back home with everything intact, this might be the episode you’ve been waiting for.  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Heather Morse...

Leave Tequila Alone!

January 18, 2024 07:00 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MB

In a Wine Enthusiast op-ed titled “Is it time to leave Tequila alone?,” spirits and cocktail writer Kara Newman asks, “When it comes to pushing tequila’s boundaries, how far is too far?” Now, I tend to be a “head to the endzone” kind of guy, so I’ve brought in Ana Rita García Lascurain, founder and director of MUCHO, Mexico City’s museum of chocolate, to ensure there’s actual culture in this cultural conversation with Kara.    Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Herita...

The Cultural Heritage of Agave Syrup

January 11, 2024 07:00 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MB

There’s Mrs. Butterworth’s, and then there’s fine Vermont maple syrup. And the same extremes exist for agave syrup. But here’s the thing: the artisanal version of agave syrup has this whole cultural heritage aspect to it. And you’ve probably only been able to access Mrs. Agaveworth’s. Until now! It’s a sticky, chicken-feather-covered episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spiri...

Wild vs Farmed: Last Pulque Standing

January 04, 2024 07:00 - 24 minutes - 22 MB

Gonzalo Alvarez is pursuing his master’s degree in pulque. Ivan Saldana has his doctorate in agave. Both tell me that farmed agave produces better pulque than wild agave. But on trips through Nuevo Leon, Cohuila, and Hidalgo, three pulque producers said the exact opposite. So … what’s the truth? They call me the Seeker, and I search low and high in this episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understan...

What’s Wrong With Your Stomach

December 28, 2023 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB

It started with a rumor I heard as a kid, that Maraschino cherries and bubblegum would stay in your stomach for seven years. Which led to a conversation about digestion. Which led to a conversation about fermentation. And Bloody Marys. And how your digestive system works. All of which is to say, Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Ryan Aycock joins me for a meandering year-end episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that he...

There Is No Coffee in Mexico

December 21, 2023 07:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MB

Well, of course, there is coffee in Mexico. I’ve bought some at Whole Foods in the past. But my friends at Dark Matter — who want nothing more than to source coffee from Mexico — have run into nothing but trouble. So what can we learn from that? It’s a caffeinated, globetrotting episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. Lou Bank hosts this episode alongs...

The Cult of Hospitality

December 14, 2023 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MB

A Liquor.com article I read earlier this year highlighted the number of hospitality workers who grew up in radical churches. That made me think about how hospitality itself is a sort of religion – depending on how you define religion. So this is maybe, to you, a sacrilegious episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank wit...

A Game of Chicken With the Mexican Police

December 07, 2023 07:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Maybe you were speeding. Maybe you weren’t. Either way, the Mexican police have pulled you over. Question now is, what are you gonna do, punk? Do you feel lucky? It’s a dirty, hairy episode of Agave Road Trip!  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. Lou Bank hosts this episode alongside Ismael Gomez of Cruz de Fuego Mezcal while Dr. Steven Alvarez chuckles in the background. Then...

How Not to Bring Mezcal Back From Mexico

November 30, 2023 07:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MB

I used to regularly come back from Mexico with a lot of alcohol — a lot. But in the last few years, it’s become significantly harder to get bottles back. And I think I know why. It’s a smuggler’s-blues episode of Agave Road Trip!    Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

Giving Tuesday

November 23, 2023 07:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

On this Day of Thanks, I ponder why Giving Tuesday isn’t Giving Thursday — why we aren’t giving thanks on Thanksgiving. It’s a thankless episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

The Beautiful Inconsistencies of Coffee and Mezcal

November 16, 2023 07:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

It's impossible with coffee beans to get consistency in flavors and aromas from one harvest to the next. Add in the processing of those beans into that morning drug that starts most of our days and … still more barriers to consistency. Which reminds me so much of the things that I love about agave spirits. It’s yet another inconsistent episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast networ...

How to Welcome the Mezcal Curious

November 09, 2023 07:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

With all the press, all the talk, all the social-media posts, there are always people looking to find out what this Mezcal thing is all about. So what’s the best way to introduce them to these spirits? It’s a welcome-to-the-newbies episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

The Church of Our Lady of Tequila

November 02, 2023 06:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

A preachment, dear friends, you are about to receive, on Mayahuel, nicotine, and the temptations of maguey. I’ve heard that all sorts of things in the world of agave spirits are sacred and should be treated with respect. But that begs the question, what does it mean to respect something? Or, more importantly, what constitutes disrespect? We bat that concept around in this unholy episode of Agave Road Trip! Photo Courtesy of CHema Skandal! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtri...

Mexican Hand Gestures in a Mezcaleria

October 26, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MB

I’m accustomed to people making hand gestures at me, whether in the USA or Mexico. And I’m generally able to understand those gestures in my home country. But just as I don’t understand the spoken language in Mexico, I’m a bit lost on these gestures, too. Luckily, on this specific Agave Road Trip, I have a couple of interpreters to help. Hands are flying in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener support...

Should You Worry About Plastic in Your Water-Bottle Mezcal?

October 19, 2023 06:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

The best stuff is always in plastic water bottles — that’s a thing I hear from a lot of Mezcal geeks. But lately I’ve been reading a lot of stories in the news about how most of us have plastic in our blood stream. And that’s got me wondering … is the stuff brought back from Mexico in plastic water bottles really the best stuff, then? Or am I just drinking myself to death in an unexpected way? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Ryan Aycock plastic-coats this episode of Agave R...

The Best Mezcals for Mixing, According to Agave Road Trip

October 12, 2023 06:00 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MB

Price certainly has to be a factor when considering which Mezcals you stock in your well. And flavor, of course. But what about the environmental impact? Here are six lower-priced Mezcals (and a Bacanora and a Sotol) that you can use for high-volume cocktails that won’t break the bank and don’t threaten the bio-diversity of Oaxaca. It’s a Punch-and-Judy episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonpro...

The CRT Loses Their Tequila Monopoly

October 05, 2023 06:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MB

Back in May 2021, Chava and I recorded an episode titled “The Birth and Death of the CRM.” Alberto Esteban Marina, former Director General of the NOMs for the Mexican government, had provided us with court papers that documented the end of the CRM’s monopoly on certifying Mezcal. Now Alberto’s come back to me with two court decisions documenting the end of the CRT’s monopoly on certifying Tequila. What does that mean for Tequila producers? What does it mean for Tequila drinkers? And what doe...

Espresso Martinis Are a Lie

September 28, 2023 05:41 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MB

The espresso martini is quickly becoming the go-to cocktail at bars. But is it really an espresso martini? Or are they using cold brewed coffee? What’s the difference? And is cold brew really the ideal way to make coffee? It’s a caffeine-fueled episode of Agave Road Trip, featuring Aaron Campos of Dark Matter Coffee as guest cohost! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by b...

How the Hijuelos Killed Tequila

September 21, 2023 06:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

There are three different natural methods agaves use to reproduce, but only one of those methods promotes genetic diversity: growing from seed. And that’s how much agave is grown around Mexico. But Blue Weber agave? The only kind of agave you can use to make Tequila? No one is growing it from seed. It’s all genetically homogenous. So what does that mean for the future of Tequila? It’s another doomsday episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heri...

The Contagious Patience of Mezcal

September 14, 2023 11:37 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

The best agave spirits require a lot of patience. It takes an awful lot of time for the agave to mature, it can take a lot of time to get to the mezcaleros who make the best spirits, and you won’t taste the full complexity of those spirits without taking your sweet time sipping them. Ismael Gomez of Cruz de Fuego Mezcal thinks all of the patience required has had an effect on me. I try to talk him out of it in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroad...

Fast Mezcal and Slow Bars

September 07, 2023 06:00 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

The amount of time that mezcaleros take to make their spirits is an essential ingredient in the process. But it’s also in stark contrast to the amount of time that gringx bartenders have to share those agave spirits with their guests. What does that mean for those guests? And the future of those spirits? We’re running hot in this episode of Agave Road Trip! This episode is hosted by Lou Bank, Dr. Steven Alvarez of St. John’s University, and Ismael Gomez of Laika Spirits and Cruz de Fuego Mez...

The Bartender’s Guide to Skittles

August 31, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

I’ve been reading lately that Skittles are being banned in parts of Europe. That made me think of all the bottles of vodka I’ve seen in bars in the USA that are being infused with the colorful candy. So is this a way to make alcohol even more dangerous? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Ryan Aycock doesn’t candy-coat his response in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonpro...

Chill Filtering: Threat or Menace

August 24, 2023 06:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

Almost all alcohol goes through some kind of filtering, and chill filtering has been one of those methods for … well, forever. But recently, some folks have been flagging this as an unacceptable practice. And if it’s considered unacceptable, you know I want to give it a try. It’s an anything-but-chill episode of Agave Road Trip! Featuring Linda Sullivan, of seynasecreto, and Carlos Soto, CEO & Founder of Nosotros Life and Spirits. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com H...

Mezcalarrhea: Some People Think it’s Funny, But it’s Really Hot and Runny

August 17, 2023 06:00 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

There are often-repeated inaccuracies that cause the general public to greatly misunderstand Mezcal. I call them “mezcalarrhea.” You know, like Mezcal + diarrhea? Because it’s usually people talking out of their butt. And because it makes me laugh. It’s a hot-and-runny episode of Agave Road Trip featuring Dr. Steven Alvarez, professor at St. John’s University and Ismael Gomez of Laika Spirits and Cruz de Fuego Mezcal! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio ...

The Differences Between Tequila and Whiskey

August 10, 2023 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

I’m asked all the time what the difference is between Tequila and Mezcal. But, for my money, the more interesting questions is … what’s the difference between Tequila and whiskey? It’s a grains-versus-succulents grudge match in this episode of Agave Road Trip featuring Jay West of Whiskey Raiders! You can find more from Jay at @t8ke.review, @aficionadosgroup, and @weekly.whiskey Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprof...

Chocolate and Coffee Are Antioxidants, but What Does That Mean?

August 03, 2023 11:21 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MB

For years I’ve heard that cacao and coffee are antioxidants, but I’m left wondering … what exactly does that mean? Are they healthy? Is there a limit to how much you should consume? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Aycock, breaks it down in this free-radical episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member! Agave ...

Tequila is Doing Fine but Mexican Beer is Killing it

July 27, 2023 05:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB

There’s been a lot of talk about the environmental damage being done to Jalisco and Oaxaca as a result of global demand for Tequila and Mezcal. Hell, we’ve been doing a lot of that talking. But … man, have you read about what beer is doing? You’re gonna want to set down that Modelo Especial for this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

Spirits as Landscapes

July 20, 2023 05:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

In this conversation with Eric Zandona we try to address one of the elephants in the room: can mezcal flavor be powerful enough to convert a non-believer? Are these plants communicating a full culture through a glass or is this just a blatant exaggeration? Eric has been lucky enough to have tasted hundreds if not thousands of spirits from all around the world and he was generous enough to try and tackle why this may or may not make sense. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip...

Rules of the Road Trip

July 06, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MB

This week’s episode marks the third anniversary of Agave Road Trip! Chava and I celebrate by sharing the many rules we’ve learned for making a great road trip — and we get schooled by road-trippers Ben Schroder (Pensador Mezcal), Craig Thompson, Dalton Kreiss (Maguey Melate), Ismael Gomez (Mezcal Cruz de Fuego), Jon Darby (Sin Gusano), and Sergio Garnier (Mezcal Ultramundo), who have their own rules! Strap yourself in, because that’s the first rule of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and ...

Every Agave Landscape Tells a Bigger Story

June 29, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

Gringx bartenders like to tell the bigger story of mezcal, the story that goes beyond the delicious spirit to explain why it’s delicious — the thing that gives it that pulse. One of those things is the landscape from which the agave comes from. Eating to Extinction author Dan Saladino prods us to talk about the beautiful landscapes we’re taking him to on this Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

Never Use Espadin Mezcal to Make Cocktails

June 22, 2023 05:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

There’s this idea that’s been circulating around USA bars that you should only ever use espadin mezcal to make cocktails. But there’s this idea that’s been circulating around in my head that we should never use espadin mezcal to make cocktails. It’s yet another contrarian episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

Some Drinks Don't Travel -- Pulque with the Hadza

June 15, 2023 08:51 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MB

Pulque is a drink of place — something you have to have near or where it is made. It doesn’t travel. But it’s not the only such drink in the world. Eating to Extinction author Dan Saladino compares pulque to a drink made by the Hadza hunter-gatherers. It’s a cross-cultural episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

1% for the Bats

June 08, 2023 10:33 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB

Our friends at Bat Conservation International have teamed with a number of other organizations to launch “We Belong Together,” a campaign in support of their Agave Restoration Initiative. The goal is to redevelop the foodways that allow bats to migrate from the southern USA to southern Mexico. So they connected us with Valeria Cañedo from Colectivo Sonora Silvestre and Centro de Colaboración para la Ciencia y Cultura S.C. to wing another episode of Agave Road Trip about bats and agave! Find...

To Keep Community Viable, You Have to Save the Water

June 01, 2023 05:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

Dan Saladino has traveled the world documenting the stories of our most endangered foods. He would argue that we need to protect them, for our future food security, for the good of the planet, and for the good of our own health. And Chava and I are all for that — but we’re also all for another person in the car to argue with. So we took Dan on an Agave Road Trip, and all you get is this episode. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simpleca...

Can Plastic Save the World?

May 25, 2023 05:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

Yeah yeah yeah. I know. Plastic is killing the world. But it’s hardly the only thing. And in the case of ecoSpirits, it’s maybe also saving the world. We talk about the complicated path of sustainability in what’s sure to be another contentious episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

What Do You Do With the Tiny Sips of Mezcal Left in Your Bottles?

May 18, 2023 05:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MB

There’s this concept of the infinity bottle in other spirits – where you take the last bits of favorite bottles, pour them together over time to make this ever-changing blend. But … can you do that in mezcal? Without getting kicked out of a Facebook group? We tamper with the forces of nature in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

The Ever-Popular Tortured-Agave Effect

May 11, 2023 06:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MB

There’s an idea that mezcal made with wild agave is more delicious, because the agave lived in a hostile environment. But in the world of pulque, there’s an idea that the most delicious batches of that fermented beverage come from pampered, farmed agave. We check in with Gonzalo Álvarez-Ríos (who we call Dr. Pulque) and Dr. Iván Saldaña Oyarzábal (who we all Sir) to better understand the why and how and what of it all in this 150th episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related l...

Let's Talk About Maguey Salmiana

May 04, 2023 05:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

Chava says this is the first of a series of episodes where we take a close-up look at specific agaves. I'm not as confident that this works. But, hey, you tell us. It's a Choose Your Own Adventure episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

Regenerative Agriculture? Biodynamic Agriculture? Climate-Smart Agriculture!

April 27, 2023 05:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

There are so many different approaches to farming these days, and so many different terms that, from the outside, feel like they mean the same thing. But how do they look from the inside? And which one best describes the agaves you’ve seen in rural Mexico? It’s a rhetorical episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

What Oaxaca’s New Mezcal Tax Means for You

April 20, 2023 11:31 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

The average consumer doesn’t understand how the established taxes on mezcal in Mexico affect the producers, who pay a VAT of 16% plus a separate tax of 53%. Now the state of Oaxaca is adding a 4.5% tax to that – but only for some mezcaleros. And that’s going to have an even greater impact on these families. How? We break it down for you in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

The Cow/Mezcal Connection

April 13, 2023 05:00 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MB

Cows, goats, sheep — it’s not at all unusual to see livestock roaming around fields of agave in rural Mexico, especially up north. And it’s such a happy, peaceful, idyllic scene. But how are those animals being cared for? How does that impact the agave? It’s a mez-cow episode of Agave Road Trip, and you maybe won’t want that burger with the works! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.