We argue a lot about which element in the production of agave spirits contributes most to the flavor of that spirit: the agave itself; where that agave was grown and what grew around it; the cooking process; the yeast that converts the sugar to alcohol, or the mezcalero who oversees...

Today Zarela and Aarón are joined by their friend Yira Vallejo. Yira spent ten years as a brand incubator in the wine and spirits industry of New York City, before returning to Oaxaca in 2014. Now she works to preserve the cultural and biological diversity of Oaxaca through a number...

Tequila collectors the world over hate the diffuser, the industrial machine that is used to turn blue weber agave into tequila. So Chava and I attempt in this episode to show that the diffuser can be nature's way to make a better, more accurate tequila. Maybe because we're contrarians. Or...

Today's episode is wall-to-wall listener questions, bookended by Catastrophic Connection Issues. Fun! Dave, Nastassia and The Rest go through so many topics: coffee clarification; salt absorption over time; instructions for sous-vide tenderloin; what Dave means when he writes about "dilution"; the rules for re-using fry oil; and more! Plus, Dave...

Most people think that when you distill a spirit, what comes out of that still goes directly into the bottle. But, in fact, different distillers make different decisions about which parts of the distillation they keep and which parts they leave out — and those decisions have a profound effect...

Maybe someone told you that all tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila. Hell, maybe you read it in the New York Times, USAToday, the Daily Mail, or the Chicago Tribune, or on VinePair, Thrillist, Chowhound, or Science 2.0. They’re all wrong. Find extra photos and related links...

This week we're presenting another episode of Agave Road Trip. On this episode, Lou Bank and Chava Periban talk about the distillation process. Though a simple process, it is an essential step in production. We'll be presenting an episode of their first season every Sunday this summer, but if you...

This is where we separate the alcohol from the water – we talk about distillation with mezcalero Jesus Franco. And traditional ceramics. And Oaxaca tour guides. And not a single poop joke. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is powered by Simplecast.

Today on Cooking Issues, Dave and Nastassia tackle coffee roasting, cast-iron care, yeast separation and, once again, a spirited discussion of beta males. And Kat Johnson drops by to tell listeners about HRN's fundraising gala on December 3rd, 2018. Cooking Issues is powered by Simplecast.

Stephen Lyman, Cool Japan Ambassador - Honkaku Shochu, Certified Shochu Adviser - Sake School of America and founder of Kampai.us, joins Mary, Chris and Rachel in the studio. We delve into the fascinating world of shochu, a traditional distilled beverage from Japan. Shochu is made from a variety of sources...