Regenerative agriculture? Biodynamic agriculture? Climate-smart agriculture!
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!
What Oaxaca’s new mezcal tax means for you
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!
The Cow/Mezcal Connection (No Bull)
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!
Mezcal sales in 2022 were … terrific? Daunting? What, exactly?
The Distilled Spirits Council of the US released their 2022 report detailing who sold what, how that changed from the previous year, and suggesting where the market is going. Such great information! So Chava and I went through the report separately and each identified three facts in the report. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we bicker over what those facts mean, what they don’t mean, and where we really think everything is headed
A Fistful of Pesos (or How to Pay a Mezcalero without Going to Jail)
We’ve had any number of conversations about what it means to pay a mezcaler@ fairly. But a better question is, once you know the fair price, how do you pay them? It’s a cross-border banking episode of Agave Road Trip!
Do you prefer to drink your calories?
How many calories do you consume daily? How many do you consume through alcohol? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Aycock, tells us about the philosophy, “I’d prefer to drink my calories.” And he tells us about all the reasons that is wrong. It’s another uplifting Cocktail MD episode of Agave Road Trip!
Can alcohol warm you up? Or cool you down?
Alcohol is nature’s great temperature regulator — it warms you up when you’re cold, and cools you down when you’re hot! Or … does it? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Aycock, sets the record straight in this week’s episode!
Will drinking snake-venom mezcal kill you?
If drinking mezcal that has snake venom in it killed you right away, there’d be a lot of dead people on the floor of the mercados around Mexico. But … could it be doing damage you don’t see right away? Our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr, Ryan Aycock, the Cocktail MD, checks in for a check up in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Chocolate and coffee road trip!
Lou and Chava got to go on a week-long trip through Tabasco and Chiapas …. visiting cacao and coffee farms … with Dark Matter Coffee and Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo crew … and all you get is this stupid travelogue.
Can mezcal help you sleep?
Having trouble sleeping, pal? Think twice before you reach for that bottle of mezcal. Or tequila. Or whiskey. Or whatever. It’s a nightcap episode of Agave Road Trip, featuring our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr, Ryan Aycock, the Cocktail MD! And it’s way better at inducing sleep than alcohol is!
What does it mean to support mezcal communities?
It’s not uncommon when a new tequila or mezcal launches that buyers will ask the brand what they are doing to support the community from which they’re sourcing their spirits. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we talk through what that means – and what it can mean – through the lens of Chris Pastena, former co-owner of Calavera, a restaurant in Oakland that he and his business partner and wife handed over to their employees.
This car runs on mezcal – agave as biofuel
There’s a project down in Brazil that’s investigating agave as a source of biofuel. It’s funded and organized by Shell, and is a sort of extension of the biofuel project they started years ago that uses biomass from sugar cane in a similar manner. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we speak with Fabio Raya – a PhD candidate involved in the program – about how it works, when it might be a real thing, and what our cars might smell like when they’re fueled by mezcal!
Do consumers really care if mezcal is sustainable? (Sustainability miniseries, part 3 of 3)
This series on sustainability was sparked by all the industry talk about consumers only supporting sustainable mezcals. And the IWSR released a report that supports that notion, claiming that nearly half of alcohol consumers say sustainability practices influence whether they buy from a company or not. But … do they? We get real in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Is anything sustainable? (Sustainability miniseries, part 2 of 3)
Last week we bickered about whether or not mezcal is sustainable. But maybe the bigger and more important question is, is anything sustainable? We get bleak in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Is mezcal sustainable? (Sustainability miniseries, part 1 of 3)
There’s a lot of industry talk about only supporting sustainable mezcals. But … none of them is sustainable. Or, at least, none of the brands that is being exported is sustainable. How can that be? What does that mean? And how does that inform what you should drink or not drink? Chava and I bicker it out in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Mezcal is a nine million-liter monster!
VP Pro shared out a story about the “impressive” growth that mezcal has been experiencing for many years. Yet, for all that growth, it’s still just 9 million liters annually. Compared to the 527 million liters of tequila that are produced in Mexico, let alone the 13.5 billion (with a “B”) liters of beer…? It’s a literal drop in the bucket. But could it be on its way to something bigger? How will it get there? And what could that mean for Mexico? We prognosticate and procrastinate in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
The rainbow of problems with food coloring
There are a lot of distilleries referring to themselves as “craft” distilleries. But … are they? Who defines craft? And is craft a reference to flavor or to process? It’s a(nother) judgmental episode of Agave Road Trip!
What’s the craft in craft spirits?
There are a lot of distilleries referring to themselves as “craft” distilleries. But … are they? Who defines craft? And is craft a reference to flavor or to process? It’s a(nother) judgmental episode of Agave Road Trip!
What’s the big deal about bats and agave?
So we say it's about bats, but it's really about pollination. And we talk about all these other creatures that can do the job, but then … how would it damage the ecosystem if bats became extinct? Are they the only thing standing between us and mosquitoes? Dr. Kristen Lear, Agave Restoration Program Manager for Bat Conservation International, tells us what all the hubbub is about in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Can coffee supercharge mezcal?
Irish coffees, espresso martinis, carajillos, vodka and Red Bull … there are so many examples of drinks that combine caffeine with alcohol, with the theory that this will be the pick-me-up that helps you extend your best-night-ever. But do they work? We ask our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Aycock, otherwise known as the Cocktail MD … otherwise known as the guy who punctures holes in all of our best fantasies. We’re wide-awake drunks on this week’s episode of Agave Road Trip!