As we sail on our voyage aboard the MSC Seaside, our next destination was the island of Cozumel in Mexico. Although most of the island is still underdeveloped, the island has seen an explosion in tourism because the island is a popular port of call for cruise ships. When you disembark your ship and walk down the port, you enter a massive shopping mall filled with shops selling tacky souvenirs and other goods. Cozumel is a place that has a similar feeling to going to Las Vegas or Niagara Falls, where the town and your experience walking around the town feels manufactured and devoid of any authenticity.
After boarding our taxi, we set off to go to the tequila tasting facility. When we arrived, a bar served beer for only $1 USD, which was a great start to the day. After we paid for our admission, our tour guide arrived to show us around the facility. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and was able to project his voice so that our large crowd was able to listen.
For the first part of the tour, we learned a little bit about the Mayan people and their lifestyle. Two stalls awaited us, where primitive Mayan techniques led to the creation of chocolate and tortillas. We were also able to taste them as well. The chocolate tasted bitter, while I did not enjoy the tortillas and sauce made from crushed seeds.
After the tasting came the educational lesson on the creation of tequila, which involves the harvesting of the agave plant, only grown in certain parts of Mexico. Although the tour guide also made this entertaining, at this point, I just wanted my mouth to taste some smooth tequila. The building of this facility was with tourists in mind, and I thought it would have been more interesting if this tour were in an actual historical site. However, I am not in a position to choose.
With the tequila making process explained, we were ushered in a room with shelves filled with pristine bottles of tequila. Just like when I went for the tequila tasting last year, we were able to taste all kinds of aged and flavored tequila. Our tour guide explained each kind of tequila in an entertaining way, and made the experience that much more memorable. After two shots of tequila, my mother could not stop giggling throughout the duration of the tequila tasting, which was hilarious to see.
I think this tequila tasting experience was better than the one I had last year, because the tasting came with an educational tour, cheap beer, and an entertaining tour guide. The only negative thing that I will have to say about that experience was that all the tequila we tasted came from one single brand, and I hoping to taste tequila from all different brands. Other than that, I will recommend the tequila tasting tour in Cozumel.
More pictures and a video below:
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