Many parents swear that a child’s first car should be a “beater.” First, it teaches them to have something to strive for in life. Second, the kid will probably put some nicks and scratches on the car, so it’s best to start with something where no one will care. Third, the insurance will be cheaper.
Finally, a kid should have to earn having nice things and starting them off with a brand new Mercedes isn’t going to instill much work ethic.
Even though a large number of parents say a teen’s first car should be a clunker, many are applauding Joe Tegerdine, a father in Springville, Utah, and his wife Kerry for buying their son Joseph, 18, a 330-horsepower 2020 Ford Mustang.
Unfortunately, Joseph has osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer and has already outlived his prognosis.
Joseph was working at Sodalicious in hopes of saving up enough money for a Mustang, but time was running out for him to reach his goal and still have the time to enjoy the car. His father shared the reason why he bought the car on X, where it received nearly 14 million views. “For those wondering why I’d buy my 18yr old son a 330hp Mustang, well, he’s been given months to live and can’t work long enough to buy one himself,” the father wrote. “His comment on the way home, ‘Dad, I’m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this.’
For those wondering why Iu2019d buy my 18yr old son a 330hp Mustang, well, heu2019s been given months to live and canu2019t work long enough to buy one himself. His comment on the way home, u201c Dad, Iu2019m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this.u201d #cancersucks
— (@)
“Once he got his terminal diagnosis, I spoke to my wife and said there was no way he has enough time to save money – so I went out and bought him [the Mustang],” he said, according to SWNS.
“He was so excited. He told me he wants to squeeze out a few extra months of life to drive the car,” Joe continued. “He really wants to live life to the fullest. He is not interested in spending the last few months hooked up to machines.”
You are a good man. I wish for you and your family peace, love, and togetherness. And, that your son enjoys driving 130mph with his hair on fire!
In 2019, when Joseph was 13, he began complaining of pains in his knee and it made sense because he was an active athlete who played football and ran track and field. When he went in for an X-ray and then an MRI, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and started chemotherapy 10 days later. In 2022, Joseph would undergo a leg amputation and it was found the cancer spread to his lungs and hip.
Joseph’s uncertain future has brought out the best in the family, inspiring them to make the most out of their time with their son. Their commitment is a reminder for all of us to appreciate the people we have in our lives because you never know what the future holds.
“When my son was first diagnosed, I had to make a decision. Either curse God and die or try to make the best of a really bad situation. With the perspective of what it would be like to experience sudden loss, I decided to be grateful. Grateful that we’ve had the 18 years to build memories and enjoy him,” Joe wrote on X. “Even now, with the only treatments left to prolong life and manage pain, I’m thankful he’s still with us, squeezing out the best that life can offer under less than ideal circumstances. My heart is still broken, but I know it could be a lot worse.”
Recently, the family has been making the most of their time with trips to Tokyo, Japan, Los Angeles to see Taylor Swift and Florida to swim with dolphins. After Joe’s tweet about the Mustang went viral, Ford CEO Jim Farley invited Joseph to visit Ford Performance Racing School, which he plans to attend in April.
Hi Joe, I’m so sorry to hear what your family is going through. Please let me know if you and your son would like to attend @FPRacingSchool to experience a @FordMustang Dark Horse on the track. DM me and we’ll make it happen.
“If you look at my day-to-day life, it’s about as ideal as it gets. I’ve got my dream car. I have a family that I love, a girlfriend that I hang out with all the time and that I love, I play piano, which I love, I read books that I personally pick on topics that interest me. It’s fantastic,” Joseph told Today.com. “Feeling fulfilled in the future is the hard part,” he said. “But I’ve managed to make my day-to-day life fulfilling for however long I have.”
Ally McBeal first brought us the phrase “gives me the ick” back in 1999. And it’s recently had a resurgence, thanks to, you guessed it, TikTok. And while it’s mostly reserved to the dating world, the term can and has been used to describe virtually every red flag or pet peeve under the sun.
And now, thanks to Dr. Frank Bozelka, we can enjoy a veterinarian version of “icks.” And just to be clear, the icks in question don’t come from the patients themselves…but the pet parents.
While Dr. Bozelka is clearly just poking fun, he doesn’t shy away from highlighting some of the choices that pet parents make that cause some serious problems for their furry friends.
Things like trusting a breeder’s opinion over a vet’s. Bolzelka’s number on ick.
As he points out in his video caption, breeders “are not medical experts.” He added that while there are certainly knowledgeable breeders out there—even some who taught him breed specific tidbits—”most of the time you’re dealing with a backyard breeder who is literally just trying to dodge any responsibility.”
Hence why his gut reaction when he hears someone refer to a breeder’s opinion as gospel is to “cringe.”
Even breeders agreed on this one. One wrote, “as a breeder I never give medical advice. I say: ‘please go see your vet.’ Maybe because I’m also a vet tech.”
Next on the list: when someone asks “if this were your dog what would you do?” then proceeds to do the opposite of what he’d do.
“Bro, why did you even ask me?” he says in the clip.
Ick #4: include buying a pet after doing zero research on the specific needs of the breed, which kind of goes into ick #3: getting a dog that needs lots of activity and making no lifestyle changes to accommodate…while also wondering why the poor thing is tearing up the house.
“I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT JUST BUY A BREED BECAUSE IT’S CUTE! DO! YOUR! HOMEWORK!” Bozelka wrote in all caps.
And then there complaining about wait times at the ER. “We know it’s frustrating,” Bozelka writes, “The dirty truth, however, is the vast majority of the time it’s NOT the fault of the hospital staff. It’s the other owner and the cases we are seeing.”
Lastly, Dr. Bozelka listed retractable leashes as an ick, simply because they’re so dangerous. He’s seen “far more injuries caused” by them in comparison to other leashes, so better to be safe than sorry.
@dr.bozelkaervet While there certainly are breeders that know their stuff, they are still not medical experts! Sure I’ve learned a few things from breeders about unique breeds I didn’t know, but it’s not very common. And the harsh reality of being a vet is that most of the time, you’re dealing with a backyard breeder that’s literally just trying to dodge any responsibility. So yes, our gut reaction when people say that is to cringe, sorry. I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT JUST BUY A BREED BECAUSE IT’S CUTE!!! DO! YOUR!! HOMEWORK!!! Make sure the breed is a good fit for your lifestyle, and make sure your lifestyle is a good fit for the breed! And for retractable leashes: I’ve seen far more injuries caused to dogs and humans from retractable leashes compared to other leashes. End of explanation. For number 6: stop complaining about the wait times. We know it’s frustrating. The dirty truth, however, is the vast majority of the time it’s NOT the fault of the hospital staff. It’s other owners and the cases we are seeing. #fyp#comedyvideo#satire#doglover#catlover#petlover#vetsoftiktok#drbozelka♬ Funny video “Carmen Prelude” Arranging weakness(836530) – yo suzuki(akisai)
While not every vet might have the same icks as Bozelka, it’s easy to see how any one in his situation would be aggravated. Vets undergo years of education and training to help give our pets the best life possible. And when we make their job even harder, frustration is inevitable.
According to the website KeepingItPawsome.com, there are a few other behaviors that vets hate, including:
Overfeeding, trusting “Dr. Google” over their professional opinion, being verbally abusive or getting hysterical in the waiting room, not having pet insurance or an emergency fund, waiting too long before brining the pet in to get a check up, expecting free treatment or reduced fees, giving up on sick or old pets, trying medications or supplements without consulting them (again, Google can’t always be trusted), and last but not least—expecting a quick and easy fix.
Vets also want what’s best for our fur babies. So these are good things to remember as pet parents, so that we may better help them help us.
The history of colonialism and the stealing of lands from indigenous peoples in the Americas is fraught with pain and suffering that has gone unseen by many. A growing Land Back movement has been fighting, in part, for indigenous people’s reclamation of their ancestral homelands and the restoration of land management based on Native knowledge and practices.
One small but significant move in that direction has taken place in the redwood forests of northern California. The Yurok Tribe, who had 90% of their homelands stolen during the Gold Rush, has joined the Redwood National and State Parks and the nonprofit Save the Redwoods League in an agreement that will give ownership in 2026 of 125 acres (50 hectares) of land near Orick, California to the tribe.
According to the AP, the land is named ‘O Rew in the Yurok language, and the tribe’s cultural resources director Rosie Clayburn said the return of the land is proof of the “sheer will and perseverance of the Yurok people.”
The site being returned to the Yurok is about a mile from the Pacific coast and sits adjacent to the Redwood National and State Parks, home of the world’s tallest trees. The Yurok people have always utilized the redwoods for building plankhouses, sweat lodges and canoes, though they traditionally only use trees that have fallen naturally.
Clayburn explained what the memorandum of understanding between the tribe and the parks service means.
“As the original stewards of this land, we look forward to working together with the Redwood National and State Parks to manage it,” she said. “This is work that we’ve always done, and continued to fight for, but I feel like the rest of world is catching up right now and starting to see that Native people know how to manage this land the best.”
The tribe plans to build a traditional Yurok village on the site, as well as a new visitor and cultural center displaying sacred artifacts, sharing information on redwoods and forest restoration and serving as a hub for the tribe to carry out Yurok traditions, Clayburn said.
The site will also serve as a new gateway to the Redwood National and State Parks, with more than a mile of new trails that will connect to existing trails inside the parks. The trails will include a new segment of the popular California Coastal Trail with interpretive exhibits.
The agreement also sees the restoration of a salmon habitat in Prairie Creek that had been buried by a lumber operation. The Yurok have been working on restoring it for the past three years, bringing thousands of juvenile coho and chinook salmon and steelhead back to the stream where salmon traditionally swam upstream to spawn.
In this historic collaboration, the Yurok will be the first indigenous people to co-manage National Parks land. But there are many more examples of Native American and First Nations people working with government institutions and municipalities to return land and pass management back to the people with centuries of proven sustainable relationship to the land.
Another significant move toward the legal recognition of Native lands was the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling that the eastern half of Oklahoma, including much of Tulsa, is on tribal land. The ruling was deemed a huge win for tribal sovereignty and territorial boundaries, but the fact that the battle made its way to America’s highest court (and had limitations placed on it in 2022 by the same court) is indicative of the struggle indigenous people face in reclaiming their ancestral lands.
The logistics of land rights, restoration and reclamation are complex from a legal standpoint, so it’s heartening when an agreement can be made without protracted legal battles. Such agreements depend on the people engaged in them acting in good faith, which appears to have made this Yurok Tribe agreement successful.
As Redwoods National Park Superintendent Steve Mietz said, the restoration effort and partnership with the Yurok Tribe, it is “healing the land while healing the relationships among all the people who inhabit this magnificent forest.”
Last December, TMZ approached (read: accosted in a parking lot) Big Sean and asked him several questions about the term “rizz” before sneaking in a more pointed question about “the Kendrick diss,” a reference to Kendrick Lamar’s leaked alternate version of “Element,” an unreleased diss track that found Lamar (allegedly) roasting several of his contemporaries, including Sean.
“Ain’t no diss,” Big Sean told TMZ, ensuring everything was cool between him and K. Dot. And that may very well be true, but Big Sean seemed to allude to Lamar in a new freestyle posted on Wednesday, March 20.
“Look I been in the crib getting over this food poisoning (Norovirus),” Sean captioned his Instagram video. “I figured if Jordan can play in the Finals w/ food poisoning, least I can do is drop some bars! WE LETTING MORE FLY TOMORROW!!!”
Big Sean rapped “over this J Dilla flip Boi-1da, Leon Thomas, and Jahaan Sweet” sent him, as he explained on X (formerly Twitter): “I think where I lack most as an artist is consistency / I just haven’t had the energy to compete with enemies / Or y’all so-called Bigger Three.”
On March 15, Big Sean teased “new music [is] on the way” in the caption of a five-minute mini-documentary entitled “Clarity,” capturing him reflecting on becoming a new father and staying grounded. The video shows behind-the-scenes footage of Sean presumably working on his next album, including footage in the studio with the likes of Cole Bennett, Hit-Boy, Lil Yachty, and Tyler, The Creator.
Shortly after posting his freestyle, Big Sean also wrote on X, “This next run personal, LFG!!!” So, it would appear there is more where that “so-called Bigger Three” bar came from.
The time has finally come for the city of Miami to let loose(JKJK, it’s like the third time already in 2024). Yesterday, the city kicked off around-the-clock programming for its famed Miami Music Week. While the city is always down to show off its exclusive club scene, thriving art community, diverse selection of culinary options, and beaches — Miami Music Week takes all of those aspects to a whole other level.
While beaches, hotels, and venues across the city will ignite with nonstop electronic music programming soundtracked by global producers and DJs, it’ll be the moments in between the sets that make or break the experience for travelers. That’s why we asked some of our favorite artists slated to make appearances in Miami this week for their favorite places to eat, party, and play in the Spring Breaaaaaaaak-hating city.
Whether you plan on partying with Wax Motif at his House of Wax curation with Westend, Crusy, San Pacho, and more or want to hit up Rezz’s “Can You See Me?” showcase at Mana Wynwood with sfam, Blanke, EDDIE, and the crew, let’s make sure that you’re hitting all the good food and chill spots during your downtime.
If you’re in Miami, then you know that you get to start your mornings with some of the best coffee. La Colada has a tres leche coffee that can’t be beaten. From there, having breakfast at Pura Vida will make you feel refreshed and awake with their selection of acai bowls, green juices, and avocado toasts.
During the day, I love just going for a walk by the beach followed by a daytime pool party at Strawberry Moon. In my opinion, the best beach is South Beach; it simply has a little bit of everything. After a daytime hang, snag your lunch at American Social. It’s a great place to grab food and drinks while watching a game or sports event. The atmosphere has a cool vibe to it and the goat cheese croquettes are a must-try. For dinner, it’s almost a sin if you don’t finish the night off with Cuban food. Marabú Cuban Restaurant in Brickell is one of my favorite spots. You can’t go wrong with their traditional Cuban bowl as it truly gives you a taste of authentic food and flavors while not overdoing it.
Of course, Miami is known for its club scene, so you can’t go wrong heading to Club Space and Factory Town. They are run by the best teams and best programming, always.
Must-see Miami Music Week Show:
House Of Wax @ MAD Club on March 22nd, of course! I’m excited to bring the debut House of Wax showcase to the iconic Miami Music Week alongside Westend, San Pacho, Ayybo, Crusy and many more special guests. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Miami will dazzle you with sights and sounds, but due to the crush of MMW and Ultra Music Festival, most visitors to the city will be locked into Bayfront Park or the hip Wynwood district. Those are fine and lovely places but wander just a bit north into Little Haiti, and you’re going to be able to find some of the best food in the city at a fraction of the price of your typical trendy restaurants. Clive’s Cafe is a modest joint at a sleepy intersection, but the fare is head and shoulders above a lot of the Jamaican food you can get in Miami. Don’t skip the oxtails or the goat curry. Portions are at that perfect Goldilocks level; it’s not a tasting menu, but it won’t have you rolling out the door in a gurney. The generous but not table-breaking entrees are a bonus because you can sample a number of the proteins and save some room for a variety of in-house desserts.
Must-see Miami Music Week Show:
HypnoVizion Presents: CAN YOU SEE ME? at Mana Wynwood on March 23rd. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
So, I’ve been to Miami for MMW three times now and I’ve been to countless clubs/bars… all of which are vast and epic… BUT, something that blew my mind was checking out the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) I’ve always found going to museums or art exhibits is extremely inspiring, not just as an artist but even for your normal day to day inspiration. I’ve also yet to try coffee in Miami and I’m a BIG coffee guy so I’ve gotten one on my radar for this week and it’s called “GROU coffee“ I shall report back on this through my socials!
Must-see Miami Music Week Show:
HypnoVizion Presents: CAN YOU SEE ME? at Mana Wynwood on March 23rd. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
When renting out blades in Miami there’s a fine line between getting it right and wrong. I’ve been up and down South Beach in some overpriced kit that’s given me a bumping ride and blisters for good measure. I highly recommend renting blades from 305 Tours & Rentals. they’re a fair price with a good quality boot and wheel bearings for a smoother glide. At most points in the day – especially following skating – I’m up for a little Tex Mex. Don Sombrero is my favourite spot and I always make sure it’s a short walk away. Their beef fajitas along with their extensive hot sauce collection is a big yes from me.
Must-see Miami Music Week Show:
Higher Ground at Medium Cool Cocktail Lounge on March 21st. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
If you’re looking for great coffee, head to Panther Coffee! It’s an amazing spot in Miami Beach. From there, Bacon Bitch SLAPS! I’m obsessed with breakfast sandwiches and they’ve got an incredible sausage egg and cheese on a croissant.
Miami is full of things to do and every day can look different. Personally, I love walking down Collins Ave and stopping in hotel lobby bars. My favorite is starting at the W and ending at Lowes. I love to make my way to Espanola Way for an aperol spritz too! They have great bartenders that make some fire espresso martini shots. Also, I like to switch up the typical Miami vibe and play pool/arcade games at Lost Weekend.
For lunch, I love snagging a bite at Sweet Liberty. It’s great for large groups and has so many good options for food/drink. It pops off at night too. Take it to-go to South Beach to get some sun rays in.
For the evening, I love having dinner at Carbone. I had one of the best meals ever here. HINT – don’t go crazy on the pasta, it is really filling and it’s best to get a little bit of everything on the menu. The bread they bring out is WILD! For evening shenanigans, everyone will say to go to Club Space…and it’s absolutely incredible but I love Toejam. It’s VERY Miami and the indoor stage is an entire vibe.
Must-see Miami Music Week Show:
The best party of the week will be at Paraiso Estereo in downtown Miami Friday March 22nd 3pm-10pm. Why? IT’S THE HOOD POLITICS RECORDS MMW PARTY AND IT’S FREE until 6pm. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Miami is known for its cuban coffee just as much as its music scene. Start your day at Cafecito at Enriquetas! Their coffee gives you the jolt, plus the Cubano is a staple. Then, head to Soho Beach House patio for breakfast. That patio is a peaceful way to start the morning.
Whenever we’re in Miami, we like to spend our day anywhere on a boat, we love all invites to come spin! Also Reserve Padel Club, what a vibe over there. For a beach hang, nothing quite compares to Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne. It is great to unwind down there after a hectic Miami Music Week. Snag an Italian sandwich or Cubano from La Sandwicherie South Beach before basking on the beach!
Once the sun sets, start your evening with dinner at Phuc Yea. It has incredible Asian fusion food that’s just North of the Wynwood area. Immaculate food and drink menu. Then dance the night away at The Elrow party at Factory Town. It’s always a wild time! And E11EVEN with a fun crew 😉
Must-see Miami Music Week Show
Breakaway Beach on March 21st! We will be closing the show after Kaskade. Who doesn’t love a pool party? We will be bringing the heat! Tickets and additional information can be found here.
On March 1, Porter Robinson wrote across his social media accounts, “The album is done.” Robinson didn’t make his fans wait too terribly long before releasing the lead single off his forthcoming third LP, as “Cheerleader” arrived alongside a Hugh Mulhern-directed video on Wednesday, March 20.
“When I got back in the studio for ‘Cheerleader,’ I asked: What would be something that people could love with zero context — just instantaneous, universal, explosive connection?” Robinson said in a statement, as per a press release. “‘Cheerleader’ is my take on bottling that feeling.”
The video begins with a life-size doll eating some sort of gummy, and then it cuts to Robinson jamming on keyboard and guitar as a now-doll-sized doll dances along. Robinson is alone in a room — which is mostly bland, except for a giant pink-tinged painting of a cat — before joining a group of life-sized dolls dressed as cheerleaders at what appears to be a karaoke party.
“Cheerleader,” Robinson sings. “Thought she needed me, but I need her.”
Simultaneously, the original life-sized cheerleader doll is on the computer playing with a program called “Porter builder v3,” using a 3D printer to build her preferred version of Robinson, which comes to life when Porter reappears dressed exactly like the figurine in a glittery room. Eventually, a Godzilla-sized Robinson discovers the doll controlling him in her tiny apartment and swallows the doll, which predictably causes him to collapse.
The dolls multiply and conquer until Robinson is back alone in a bedroom, strumming his guitar and slowing down the song’s otherwise manic pace to sing the bridge: “Somehow, I don’t even know what she does now / But do I wish her the best or do I actually miss her? / She had hearts in her eyes, she was rootin’ for me all the time / Her love, the type that makes you dedicate your life / Oh, my cheerleader / Thought she needed me, but I need her.” The dolls calmly watch Robinson through the window, but they get the last laugh — breaking the window and all of his belongings. The four-minute-long chaos is punctuated by Porter being burst open like a piñata.
Robinson’s forthcoming album will be his first since 2021’s Nurture.
There isn’t a single expression that captures all the magic of tequila like blanco. I love the mellow vibes and complex character of reposado, I can appreciate the sip-worthy sometimes dessert-like quality of a beautifully aged añejo or extra añejo tequila, and cristalino…certainly is drinkable (I get the hate, it’s not for everyone). But nothing hits quite like an un-aged blanco.
A great blanco is wonderfully agave forward, vegetal and grassy, bright, a little ~spikey~, zesty, and has this wonderful and pleasing burn — it’s a whole world of flavors that sends your palate on a journey. It’s also tequila at its purest and, to my palate, most delicious. And it’s incredibly versatile. You can sip the best bottles, mix them up in high-end cocktails, and even shoot ’em (although… don’t shoot the best stuff — taste it!).
In celebration of my favorite tequila expression, we’re shouting out the 10 absolute best bottles you can pick up for under $50. This is a greatest hits list — meaning any of these bottles are worthy of gracing your bar cart — so if you see one of them on sale, don’t hesitate. They’re all winners.
Here are the best blanco tequilas under $50, ranked.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Tequila Posts Of The Last Six Months
Tepozan is a small batch tequila hailing from NOM 1584, Tequila El Tepozan, and is made from estate-grown blue agave that is hand-harvested and peak maturity and cooked in a pressurized brick oven.
The juice from the cooked agave is extracted with a roller mill and fermented in open-air still tanks before being twice distilled. After the first distillation, the tequila is clarified using volcanic rock water, and then further refined.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Roasted agave gives way to clay and wet earth and a bit of cinnamon. You can almost taste it before it hits the palate, serving as a nice teaser of what is to come.
Palate: An initial spicy hit kicks the palate awake with cooked agave notes, a hint of cracked black pepper, cinnamon, and vegetal brightness.
Finish: That vegetal quality dominates the finish with some minerality and a buttery aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Natural and earthy with an agave-forward character. Very pleasant for those looking for high minerality in the flavor profile.
Mijenta is produced at NOM 1412, Destiladora de Los Altos, using agave harvested from the highlands of Jalisco, cooked in a low-pressure autoclave, and roller mill extracted before being fermented in stainless steel tanks and distilled in a stainless steel pot.
There is a clean purity here that I love for cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: White pepper and agave. There is an initial funkiness to this that shifts into a floral honey tone as you inhale deeper. That might read as a turn-off, but the funk doesn’t translate to the palate.
Palate: Rich and buttery with cooked agave, black pepper, and a dash of vanilla. Elegant and dessert-like without being overly sweet.
Finish: Cinnamon and anise with a slight fruitiness that lives on the aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Buttery and earthy with a nuanced sweetness. A perfect base for a truly astounding cocktail.
Produced at NOM 1139, the famed La Alteña distillery, Tapatio is made from agave harvested at peak maturity and slow-cooked in masonry ovens. Tapatio removes the bud in male plants, which the brand claims “adversely affects the flavor of tequila.” Is there any truth to that? We’re not sure, but Tapatio tastes good so we’re not about to criticize the process.
The cooked agave is roller mill extracted and fermented in open-air wood vats with native wild yeast for 72 to 96 hours, and finally distilled in copper pots.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Carmelized agave leads to wet grass and a hint of juicy key lime. Very green on the nose.
Palate: A medley of citrus notes dominates the palate, I’m tasting tangerine, grapefruit, and a bit of orange. There is also a subtle hint of licorice.
Finish: Long and peppery. It sticks to the palate in the best way.
The Bottom Line:
Grassy and heavy on the citrus, with a really interesting licorice quality. There is a lot of distinct character to this one.
Siete Leguas’ Blanco tequila is produced at NOM 1120, at Tequila Siete Leguas, the brand’s namesake, which is usually a good sign. It’s also the only brand in production there, another great sign!
The agave is cooked low and slow in stone brick ovens, tahona, and roller mill extracted, and made with natural spring water. The juices are fermented in stainless steel tanks and twice distilled in copper pots with no additives.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Warm inviting agave notes with a noticeable wet rock and soil character.
Palate: Earthy and highly vegetal with a strong green grass flavor and some cracked pepper spice.
Finish: Citrusy with a hint of vanilla and some cool mint on the backend.
The Bottom Line:
Grassy, vegetal and bright. If you’re all about tequila where you can really taste the agave, this one is an ideal choice.
Before I get into this tequila I want to give special mention to Cascahuin’s reposado. I know this is a list of blancos, and while that remains my favorite tequila expression, Cascahuin’s reposado is my preferred expression from this brand. I like the level of complexity there, so if you end up loving this bottle, give the repo a try, even if you’re a blanco-purist.
Produced at NOM 1123 at Tequila Cascahuin, this additive-free tequila is cooked low and slow in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted, and fermented in stainless steel tanks before being twice distilled in a stainless pot with copper coil.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Roasted agave, citrus, and warm wet soil.
Palate: The humid warmth from the nose translates to the palate, with some caramelized agave sweetness black pepper, the slightest hint of vanilla, and a mineral quality.
Finish: There is a mintiness that peaks out at the finish balanced out by citrus and black pepper.
The Bottom Line:
Well balanced with sweet and vegetal qualities with a bit of warmth to it. Surprisingly mellow despite the lack of aging.
LALO has a strict commitment to tequila blanco, so naturally, they needed to be part of this list. The agave for this tequila is hand-harvested at 6-7 years maturity from the highlands of Jalisco, it is then cooked in brick steam ovens for 20-32 hours and rested an additional 18 before being roller mill extracted.
The juice is then fermented for 3-4 days using a proprietary Champagne yeast. The result is a wonderfully bright and pure-tasting unaged tequila.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cool refreshing cucumber balanced out by warm zesty citrus rind, there is a noticeable juicy green freshness here.
Palate: Agave and citrus with some light caramel notes, a bit of vanilla, and cracked cinnamon.
Finish: The vegetal quality of the finish is strong here. It feels fresh and grassy with more citrus at the back end and some roasted agave.
The Bottom Line:
A pure-tasting, well-balanced, and additive-free blanco, it’s relatively inexpensive for the quality on display here.
Tequila Ocho’s agave is hand-harvested sometime between 7-10 years and slow cooked in brick ovens for 48 hours and rested for 24 before being crushed by a roller mill. The juice is then fermented in wood vats and twice distilled, the second time in a small copper pot.
For the price, it’s amazing. You’re getting an additive-free tequila that utilizes a slow preparation process giving the tequila a silky and luxurious quality without breaking the bank. For that alone, this very well may be someone’s favorite.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh-peeled orange rind and roasted agave dance on the nose in equal parts.
Palate: Zesty and earthy, I’m getting cracked black pepper and a rush of fresh herbal flavors. Almost cilantro-like.
Finish: Mint and pepper with a gentle spice that builds on the aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Lots of natural sweetness and fruity character here. A true joy to sip which is a rarity at this price point.
G4 comes from fourth-generation master distiller Felipe Camarena and is produced at NOM 1579, Destileria El Pandillo. The agave is cooked in stone brick ovens, tahona extracted, and made with natural spring and rainwater.
If you’re willing to spend a bit more money, I think the 108-proof is a great option due to its wonderful herbaceousness. That isn’t to say the regular blanco isn’t good, I just feel weird talking about G4 without mentioning the excellent high-proof version.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A warm and inviting agave aroma swirls above this pour with some sinus-tickling black pepper and citrus notes.
Palate: That smell perfectly translates to the palate, I’m getting a lot of black pepper and citrus, with lush green grass notes to balance it out.
Finish: Warm and slightly nutty with a silky luxurious mouthfeel.
The Bottom Line:
Warm and agave rich, with a luxurious finish. For the money, I think this is hands down one of the best bottles of tequila on store shelves right now.
Fortaleza can sometimes be incredibly hard to find because it’s widely considered the best tequila by tequila snobs and people beginning their deep dive into the spirit. Believe the hype, this is truly great stuff, if you see a bottle on a store shelf, buy it, don’t hesitate. Is it going to change your life though? No.
Produced at NOM 1493, Tequila Los Abuelos, the agave here is slow-cooked in stone brick ovens, tahona crushed, fermented in open-air wood fermentation tanks and double distilled in copper pots before being poured into hand-blown bottles. It’s a traditional process that results in a no non-sense additive-free tequila.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Even on the nose, you’re going to get some complexity here. A bouquet of roasted agave, vanilla bean, citrus, and salt. On the smell alone, it’s mouthwatering.
Palate: Luxurious caramelized agave with warm vanilla, a hint of lemon, herbs, and a bit of grassiness.
Finish: Buttery with a dry earthy finish and a slightly bitter aftertaste.
The Bottom Line:
Bright and citrus-forward, it captures all the magic of blanco perfectly.
Am I going to get killed by tequila snobs for placing El Tesoro’s blanco above Fortaleza’s? G4s? Maybe, but I’ll take it because this is the tequila that opened up my world to what tequila should be, and for that, it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
El Tesoro is produced at NOM 1139, Tequila Tapatio (La Alteña) where it is one of three brands produced. The agave is cooked in stone ovens, tahona extracted, and fermented in open-air wood tanks before being twice distilled in a copper pot.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Juicy raw and warm caramelized agave in equal balance with a hint of fruity mango interest.
Palate: Rich agave, cracked black pepper, fresh flowers, baking spices, a hint of salt, grass, and minerals. The flavor shifts between sips, always leaving something new to latch onto.
Finish: Remarkably clean. Agave and grass with no lingering flavor.
The Bottom Line:
Juicy, agave forward, floral and fruity. One of the finest blancos you’ll ever drink.
On Wednesday evening, March 20, Post posted an Instagram Reel teasing a snippet of an unreleased single featuring Wallen. “Let’s go with the real mix this time @morganwallen [cry-laughing emoji],” Malone captioned the video, which shows him drinking a Bud Light and giddily singing along. Wallen commented, “I had some help getting to the point of posting it at 4 am [three cry-laughing emojis] this song is one of my favs in a long time. Proud to be on it w u bub!!”
This is just the latest in a string of posts hinting at an imminent Post Malone country album. Earlier this week, he posted photos of a session with Luke Combs, roughly one month after sharing an unreleased snippet of his song featuring Combs. Last week, Malone shared another snippet of a country-adjacent ballad alongside the caption, “missin you like this [blue heart emoji],” which people presumed is the title of the song.
During a Twitch livestream last November, Malone assured,” Country record is coming. I keep singing a song that we made while I was in Nashville, and it’s so f*cking sick, but it’s not out,” as relayed by American Songwriterat the time.
In the meantime, Posty fans can look forward to hearing him as the featured artist on “Fortnight,” the opening track on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which is due out April 19.
Humans weren’t the only ones celebrating St. Paddy’s Day last Sunday. Penguins at the Detroit Zoo got in on the fun as well, only with more Valentine’s vibes.
“Love is king during penguin nesting time,” read the onscreen text for a video posted to the zoo’s TikTok, as the aquatic love birds scanned through a pile of colorful pebbles, searching for the perfect gift to present their partner. How romantic.
Out in the wild, this adorable courtship ritual is pretty standard, at least for Gentoo penguins. Male gentoos find a polished stone or pebble to offer their potential mates—Mother Nature’s engagement ring, if you will.
Luckily for the penguins at the Detroit Zoo, they had plenty of beautiful options, aka “lucky charms” to choose from. And the zoo explained in the clip, each stone was “lovingly painted with non-toxic paint” by their Tots and Teens program.
Folks who watched the sweet pebble procuring were instantly enamored.
“Oh to be a little penguin picking out a pretty rock for my love,” one viewer wrote.
“Imagine painting a rock and then finding out a penguin uses it as an engagement rock,” wrote another.
Naturally, many were reminded of the 1995 cartoon “The Pebble and the Penguin,” starring Martin Short, Jim Belushi and Tim Curry.
Watch below, and marvel at these little creatures whose love language is obviously gift-giving.
Sigh. Here we go again. After Beyoncé shared the cover of her upcoming album Cowboy Carter, fans were rightfully fascinated by its symbolism and the events that apparently inspired it. But, of course, there was one commenter who had further thoughts — and didn’t hold back on sharing them.
Azealia Banks, who previously called Beyoncé’s new singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” a “big-time musical grift” (lol, girl, knock it off), went all the way in on the Cowboy Carter cover, deriding it for a lack of creativity. The covers features a beauty-queen Beyoncé sitting side-saddle on a white stallion, clad in a red, white, and blue Nudie suit with a sash bearing the album’s title holding an American flag. Here it is:
Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records
Banks declares herself “ashamed at how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick-me stuff.” She doesn’t exactly explain what any of that means across no fewer than four Instagram Story slides. Side note: Just those four clock in at a full 900 words — if sis could pitch to an outlet, she could be getting paid to be a hater instead of just doing it for free (however unlikely it’d be that any editor would want to put up with her shenanigans).
There’s a lot to parse here, but it seemingly boils down to Banks’ view that Beyoncé, with all her culture-shifting power, could have yanked the visual aspects of country music closer to an aesthetic like that of her diaspora-dabbling Black Is King imagery. To be clear, Banks called that aesthetic hypocritical at the time, as well. She also picks on Beyoncé (inaccurately) for deigning to collaborate or share her platform with exclusively white artists — which… just, no. No. If you’re going to lie, do it convincingly. You can read the rant in full below.
I’ll take a shot at extracting some meaning from the bloviating above… Azealia Banks is still looking for someone to blame that she tanked her own career with all that mean-girl energy, and enjoys the attention she gets from flaming other artists who are more successful than her. Well, here you go, Azealia. Take it to the bank.
Azealia’s music is infinitely better than any of her cultural commentary and it really irks me that the only time people talk about her now is when she is pretending to be Khia on her IG stories
One thing About Azealia Banks is she will give her critique about another artist’s SUCCESSFUL career, but don’t have one solution for how to get her own career out of the lowest depths of hell… pic.twitter.com/yE8MHf8Glq
Took a nibble of the Azealia rant cause I keep seeing “points were made” on the TL and it’s just her projecting cause she let some crooked men in the industry railroad her career. Not quite what’s happening over here sis!
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(@KeesSweat)