Agave Road Trip

I thought this episode was going to be about blind tastings. And it is. Or, at least, it starts that way. But when you’re talking with Marissa, aka @ tequilaencyclopedia , you rarely take as straight a path as you’d expect. So if you want to listen to a conversation about that … or about CostCo … or about the Agavos Awards … or how much I paid Marissa to join me on a trip to 818 Tequila, this epis...

Chuck Cowdery was called “the dean of American whiskey journalism” by no less than Robert Simonson in the New York Times . So when I decided more than 250 episodes into this podcast to finally devote one to Mexican whiskey, I naturally invited my celebrated drinking buddy over. It’s (perhaps) the corniest episode of Agave Road Trip! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast...

Last episode we contrasted the good done through the consumption of heritage agave spirits with the damage caused by same. This episode, we talk about the damage done by the casual consumption of agave spirits. And coffee. And chocolate. And … well, everything. It’s a casual-destruction episode of Agave Road Trip! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx b...

It’s amazing and moving to see mezcalerxs whose lives have clearly improved as a result of the growing interest in agave spirits. But there’s another side to that story – or, really, multiple other sides to it: some good, some bad, and some … well, the jury is still out on those. We talk about those various stories in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, awar...

When I first started drinking Mezcal, I was told that there were some agaves that couldn’t be farmed — that could only grow wild. And I still here that narrative some two decades later. And it still doesn’t make sense to me. So I did the only logical thing: I asked a farmer. Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave...

In my consumer-focused tastings, I tell attendees that one of the big things I hope they walk away with is, they can lead a more delicious life and support a more sustainable ecosystem if they start drinking more than just Blue Weber processed in Jalisco and Espadin processed in Oaxaca – that’s literally 99% of what they drink now, and if they instead drink one of those two eight times out of ten...

Mexico has been purchasing about $3 billion of corn annually from farmers in the USA, the vast majority of that corn having been grown from genetically modified seeds. The Mexican government announced in 2020 that it would, in 2025, ban that GMO corn from the country, which was found to be in violation of the USMCA agreement of 2018. So now, the Mexican government has amended their constitution to...

If you want to listen to that October 2023 episode with Khrys Maxwell, it’s “The CRT loses their Tequila monopoly.” You might also want to check out this episode: “The Birth and Death of the CRM,” in which MIA Chava and I discuss the end of the CRM’s monopoly on Mezcal certification. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s...

Check out Riker’s project, MadAgave , on the Web , on Instagram , and on Facebook — and consider making a financial gift. It will help support this important project and also help mitigate the damage done by the recent cyclone that hit the community. In the episode cover, that’s head distiller Fomesoa, and the other crew members are Samba, Tsimireke, and Freddy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

Marissa is also a board member of Tequila That Cares , a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry! If you missed World Poetry Day , it’s not too late to celebrate. Click here for the archived celebration with Agave Road Trip Poet Laureate Larry Beckett and August Gladstone !   Some numbers I culled from the DISCUS data over the past eight years: If you just...

Shout outs this episode to Cambio Tequila and Puesto ! And Howard Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences” ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

That one hit is from Australian Traveller : “30 of the best bars in Sydney right now.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This episode was inspired by a post that Mexican distiller Tomas Nava made in the Facebook group Mezcal Society . His post was inspired by the entry for “foreshots” at SpiritsBeacon.com . The response from Tom Bartram of Speciality Brands gave me the excuse to reconnect with Tom! Bonus! Tom’s puntas-filled annecdote ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Check out 30A Distilling Co. when you’re in Florida! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

First and foremost, when claims are made about expenses by USAID or any federal agency of the US government, you can research for yourself at usaspending.gov . This is a great tool that is as close to absolute transparency in government as the USA has ever had. In the (literal) days since I recorded this episode (February 17, 2025), President Trump has signed an executive order that requires “radi...

Shout out this episode to Steve Catbagan , Denver, and its groovy agave scene ; Arik Torren and his Lot 001 Brands , and fog nets . And of Cambio Tequila ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Shout out this episode to Quiote Mezcaleria ! And when in Chicago go visit the desert house at the Chicago Botanic Garden . It’s as close to Mexico as anything 1,800 miles north of Mexico! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The previous episode that inspired this episode is “The secret origin of Tequila Oro.” Shout out this episode to Jason Cox at 5 Sentidos ! Shout out to Tequila Cascahuin ! Maybe dibs in Chicago actually was documented…? Click here! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

That incredible beer-not-beer was made by tlachiquero Marco Antonio of pulqueria El rincon de Mayahuel  in San Felipe, Guanajuato. I was introduced to Marco by Malena Villasuso and Juan Pedro Valdes of Mezcal Villasuso . This episode was recorded outdoors at Bárbaro Asador de Campo , an amazing table-in-farm restaurant in Queretaro, where we stopped to have lunch with our travel companions: enviro...

This episode was inspired by a bottle by Victor Ramos , sourced from his tasting room in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca, labeled “Mensoncle de Arroqueno.” It’s the first time I’ve seen that spelling, but it refers to the heart of the agave — like mezontle. mesonte, and Mezonte . (Hi, Pedro!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-...

Shout outs this episode to Oaxacan speakeasy Hembra , Marco Ochoa of Mezcouting , Sylvia Philion of Mezcaloteca , and Enrique Martinez of Metsal! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Check out the diverse selection of Mexican spirits being imported by Lot001 Brands ! They have Mi Casa Tequila , Parejo (which offers Sotol and Lechugilla expressions), Rancho Tepúa (which offers Bacanora, Lechuguilla, and Palmilla expressions), Whiskey Maíz Nation , and Pelacañas Rum ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

Shout outs this episode to Mezonte , Off Premise: Wine, Agave, Whiskey & Craft Beer , and Alambique Serrano Single-Origin Oaxacan Rum ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Mezcal geeks love to run down all the varieties of Agave Karwinskii they can name. And when we talk about Agave Americana, we talk about Arroqueno and Coyote and Sierra Negra. But the most prolific of agaves in Oaxaca is easily Angustifolia, represented exclusively by Espadin. But that’s not the sole variety of the species – at least, outside of Oaxaca. So why don’t we talk about varieties of Angu...

In addition to our quoted friends at Cambio Tequila and Tequila Torrente , we also mention this episode Felipe Camarena of G4 Tequila and Greg Rutkowski of Finca 18 and 30 Topes Mixto de Agave , and Chava Periban of the podcast “Heritage Mezcal.” And Steve Dahl . And Dark Matter Coffee’s Star Lounge . To learn more about the fascinating agricultural practices of Tequila Torrente, read “ A Better W...