| TEQUILA | Tequila is named after the town of the same name located about forty miles
west of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. In the language of the local Nahuati tribe, the word ‘tequila’
means volcano. Despite
its lethal reputation, tequila is no stronger than other spirits. Another common misconception is that tequila sometimes
has a worm in the bottle. It is tequila’s relation, mescal, which comes with the worm, which is in any case, not a
worm but a moth larva. Mezcal is a very different spirit with different production methods and an entirely different flavour.
Tequila has a strong, herbal
flavor with a slightly oily consistency. The best wood-aged Tequilas also have complex subtle flavors such as vanilla, a
result of ageing process. | | | ▲ | | | | Around 250-300 AD the Aztec Indians first fermented the juice of the Agave Azul plant
to produce their ceremonial wine,pulque. In 1519, when the Spaniards conquered Mexico, Cortes’ soldiers discovered
that this juice could be distilled. The Spanish introduced distillation to Mexico, and were probably distilling a proto-tequila
within a decade of arrival. | | | ▲ | | | Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol are all produced from kinds of agave. There are said to be over 400 varieties. Despite
the plant appearance is not a cactus, Botanist are still debating the agave’s actual classification. A commonly accepted
answer is that the agave plant is a member of the lily family.
The variety used in tequila
production is known as the blue agave. The blue agave takes 8-12 years to reach maturity. At maturity, a tall flower stalk
begins to sprout from the center of the agave, the farmers the cut the stalk, forcing the sap to be diverted to heart of
the plant, or ‘pina’. Tequila can only originate within five designated regions
of Mexico, being the entire state of Jalisco and specific areas in the four states of Guanajuanto, Michoacan, Nayarit, Tamaulipas. To
make Tequila, harvested pinas of the blue agave plant are traditionally sliced into four pieces before being steam-baked
in a stone oven. This converts the starchy sap contained in the pina into sugars. The sugary sap from the cooked pina is
squeezed out of the pina and transferred with some of the agave fibres to white oak vats, where water is added. The higher
proportion of agave, the better the flavor and aroma. | | | ▲ | | | | | | Tequila is categorized according to percentage of agave spirit and ageing
period. Mixto ▲ - A Tequila that is a blend of
not less than 51% agave spirit and sugar cane spirit. Sugar may be added during the fermentation , or sugar cane spirit
added after distillation. 100%
agave ▲ - A pure agave Tequila, where
no sugar has been added during production and no other spirit blended in after distillation. Blanco ▲ - Also known as white, silver
or plata, this is clear tequila which has not been oak aged, or has been aged for less than sixty days.
Reposado ▲ - Means ‘rested’.
A Reposado Tequila must be matured in oak tanks for a minimum of sixty days and a maximum of one year.
Anejo ▲ - Used on some quality gold Tequilas.
Mexican law states that Tequila bearing this title must be aged in government sealed oak barrels no larger than 450 litres
for at least a year. Curados ▲ - Tequilas flavored with natural
ingredients. Gold ▲ - is produced in the same manner
as blanco Tequila, but with the addition of flavoring and coloring, usually caramel. | | | ▲ | | Some Tequilas | | Cazadores,
Chinaco, Corazon, Corralejo, Don Julio, Gran_Centenario, Herradura, El_Jimador, Jose_Cuervo,
Patron, Sauza. | | | | | | back to top ▲ |
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