Tequila is a Mexican spirit. A National beverage that transmits Tradition and History. An Aguardiente of inimitable taste. We could describe it as “the water that burns”. To drink it is to drink a world of legends and Mexican traditions.It is originated from a plant that decorates the Mexican country, the Blue Agave.
The name Tequila comes from a little town in the Jalisco valley where many producers have their Haciendas.
The Nahuatl origin of the word is Tequitl meaning `”work” and Tlan meaning “place”- So this is “A place of work”, the word Tequio was used to name the work of the men on the Agave fields.
Decades after the Spanish conquered this land, Tequila was born. It´s origin is a combination of both prehispanic and hispanic heritage.
The Prehispanic heritage of the American plant, the Agave; that had already been used by the Indians to get fermented beverages and the Hispanic and Arabic heritage that contributed with the way of destilation that was newly introduced to the South American continent.
For many years this liquor was known as “Mezcal wine or Tequila Mezcal” because Mezcal or “Mexcal” was the name of the plant, the Agave.
The Blue Agave, or Tequilana Weber Blue Agave is one of the 136 species called Agave that grow in the Mexican fields. This plant can be distinguished by the intense blue color of the long, pointed leaves. When the Agave is completely ripe, a high sprout with flowers, called “Quiotes” grows from the center of the plant. This floweration means the life of the plant culminates. The Quiotes, can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
The Blue Agave grows in places like Amatitan, Arenal, Tequila, Ameca, Atotonilco, Zapotlanejo, Arandas, Jesus María and Tepatitlán all towns of the Jalisco state in the Occident of México.
The cultivation techniques have been the same over the centuries and they keep being she same till now and the workers keep learning them from generation to generation.
The beginng process of making Tequila starts by cutting the leaves or “pencas” of the Agave. Once all the leaves are removed, what is left is the heart or “Piña”. It really does look like a giant Piña or pineapple and some of them can weight up to 150 kilos! This procedure or taking off all the leaves and taking out the piña, is called “Jima” and the expert guy that does it is called “Jimador”. The instrument used for this is called “Coa” a very sharp instrument with a long handle.
Once the Piñas are peeled off, the workers carry them on their heads to the truck that will take them to the destilery. Once there, they are piled in front of theovens. Then other workers cut them in halves or quarters and put them inside the ovens that will cook them to transform the starches into sugars.
Once they were cooked, they are sent to crush. The mosto or nectar is fermented in special vats. During the fermentation process, the sugar becomes ethilic alcohol.
The ferments are passed to the special distiller containers where they are cooked at very high temperatures, evaporate and then condensate becoming again liquid, this is already a Tequila; however, this first destilation process is full of impurities, that´s why a second distilation is required to get a better quality product: the white Tequila.
There are 3 main Tequila types: White, Reposado and Añejo, the new addition is the Extra Añejo.
The white Tequila is transparent as crystal clear water. The white Tequila is obtained immediately the second destilation process, giving it a pure, strong, crispy, more herbal taste.
The Reposado is obtained after having the white Tequila in Oak or Encino barrels for at least 2 months; the color is darker, more golden and the flavor is lightly softer than the white one.
The añejo stays in the aging process inside the barrels for at least one year. It is even darker than the reposado and the wood flavors are much more intense.
The Ultra Añejo or Ultra-Aged, this tequila has been aged for a period of at least 3 years in Oak or Encino barrels and it has an amazing bronze color and a wood perfumed accent with a velvet taste that can compete with the finest liquors in the world.
The 100% Agave print on a bottle means that during the process to keep the pureness of the product it was only used Blue Agave Tequilana Weber. When this words are not printed in a bottle, it means it has other blends, it means other sugars were mixed during the fermentation proces, like sugar cane for example.
The official norm of the Tequila says that for a Tequila to be called “Tequila” needs to have at least 60% of Agave in this process. But with the prestige and fashion of producing and drinking better Tequilas, most producers use 100% Agave to increase the quality and pureness.
The Tequila Regulator Council (Consejo Regulador del Tequila) is the maximum authority in México for our National beverage and it is confirmed by agave planters, tequila producers and government, this council is the one that supervises the quality of a Tequila. Only this certification guarantees that a product is 100% Agave, that is bottled by Origin and that it is really a reposado, añejo or extra añejo.
The Origin denomination of Tequila started because when the demand of this great destiled started to grow, many countries were bottling “Tequila” that is not really one. Now, the council and the government only allow to name it Tequila, if its produced with Blue Agave Tequilana Weber, it it respects the quality norms and if it is produced only in certain states of México like all Jalisco and parts of Michoacan, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas. In May 1977 México signed with the European Union an agreement to protect the Tequila Origin Denomination.
