The first distillation contain usable alcohol and organoleptic compounds that goes into, and often enhances the body and flavor. Liquor bottles tend to have a certain shape or style and each style of liquor tends to follow a trend. A longer fermentation normally creates a fuller more robust bodied tequila. . Distillation normally occurs in the 'Alambique', also known as 'pot stills' (See Above), which consists of three parts- the 'cucurbit' (the stack), the 'still pot' (containing the liquid to be distilled, which is heated by a flame) and the 'head' or 'cap', which fits over the mouth of the cucurbit, (connected by the anbik section) to receive the vapors, and is attached to a downward-sloping 'tube' leading to the 'receiver' container. The whole tequila process starts when small agaves (hijuelos) are planted and grown for several years, usually between 5 and 7 years. Thanks ! This is important to keep in mind, with the heat in central Mexico. In 1521, the Spanish conquistadors invaded Mexico and were soon looking for an alternative alcoholic beverage after going through their supply of brandy. Very good information on the processes. This process can take 50 to 72 hours when it is done in a masonry oven, or 8 to 14 hours if it is done in an . The first step in this process is to bake the agave. An example of a tequila made this way is Siembra Valles Ancestral. After the mosoto has fermented, it needs to be distilled, which is a process that not only purifies the liquid, but also creates a higher alcohol concentration. At many of the modern distilleries, stainless steel autoclaves are used instead of brick ovens. Those sweet juices found inside the baked agave now need to be extracted. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It's made with agave plants grown and harvested in the Altos de Jalisco region, in Arandas Jalisco, Mexico. Excellent article Grover, I am passing this to my employees, thank you. SEE OTHER GREAT EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES and HONEST TEQUILA REVIEWS along with REAL TOP TEQUILA LISTS- HERE ON- LONG ISLAND LOU TEQUILA - SEE all the tabs above, and PLEASE LIKE on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Long-Island-Lou-Tequila-641682619241422/. there are three different methods being used today to make tequila. 2009-2022, S2F Online, Inc. - Taste Tequila and Tequila Matchmaker are property of S2F Online, Inc. Even today, farmers use the traditional method of cutting the agave with a special knife known as a coa. Hey, we're all about being social! Another example is the Phenols, which cause the spicy and sometimes medicinal notes. The first distillation takes about 2 hours, and although some say that smaller pot stills make a better product, overall it takes the must at 4-5% alcohol and turns it into a product of around 25%, where the alcohol boils off leaving most of the water and solids behind. Siempre Releases Exclusivo-Vivo Tequila Made With Wild Fermentation: Limited to 9,000 bottles. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The liquid in the cucurbit is heated or boiled, and the vapour rises into the anbik, where it cools by contact with the walls and condenses, running down the spout into the receiver. The heart holds the bestliquor. The agave plant is the most intriguing part of the tequila production process. Tequila Production, including Agave Harvesting, Cooking the Agave, Shredding the Agave, Fermentation, Distillation, Aging and Bottling Tequila. Smoking underground imparts a smoky aroma and flavor because wood or charcoal is put at the base of a pit, covered by rocks (usually lava stones). . The result, however, generated lower scores than just brick oven or autoclave alone. Made from 100% blue agave, Tequila Cazadores undergoes a seven-step sustainable, zero-waste production process that includes double distillation, double fermentation and careful maturation. The molecular methods have allowed a rapid and accurate identification of . Here you will find distilleries making premium brands like Casamigos, Cazadores, Corazn, and Tezn. The agave matures for seven And as weve seen, the more exposure the tequila has with copper, the higher the scores. Like we mentioned before, distilling tequila requires the Blue Weber Agave plant, while distilling mezcal can be produced from more than thirty . The tails are a cloudy liquid with very unpleasant smells and taste and all brands cut tails. After the fermentation, dead mosto contains more than 100 compounds. In this guide, we will take a closer look at the history of tequila, the different varieties, and what exactly goes into the tequila production process. The type of yeast most commonly found in tequila is saccharomyces cerevisiae, which contains many strains. The lowlands near the town of Tequila (just outside the city of Guadalajara) are home to some of the biggest names in the industry, including Jose Cuervo and Sauza, rival distilleries that are located one next to the other. We are Grover and Scarlet, tequila fans who just cant seem to get enough of tequila. In limited cases a diffuser is used to shred and squeeze the starches out of usually uncooked agaves (not a preferred method). Instead, it is the culmination of every step in the tequila-making process, from the agave to the barrel, that will affect the final product's quality. This tequila is rare because it must be aged for a minimum of three years. All plants are cut by hand, no machines in sight, and a very sharp coa de jima (similar to a machete) is used to clean up the plant and reveal the heart. When the inulin is degraded by May involve dilution, the addition of mieles dulces, other sugars, and/or yeast. Autoclave (post diffuser) (70.82): Heres where it gets interesting. Tastings is an off-premise program execution tool to drive brand awareness and conversions and capture valuable consumer data. Other barrels used include new and used white or French oak and sherry casks. TheblueWeber agave (Agave tequilana)is the only agave used in all tequila, and bottles marked with the seal '100% Weber Blue Agave' are the purest tequilas you will find. The fermentation process follows. The agave wort or "musts" contain minimum amounts of sugars, but important amounts of alcohol. Do tequilas from an autoclave have a diminished flavor. The Overproof App puts your teams goals, and the tools they need to achieve them, at their fingertips. It is one of the signatures in making Tequila Tezon. The fermentation process creates a sweet, low-alcohol liquid known as "mosto." prevent and help treat . The limits are +-.5% abv except for the limits of 35% abv Minimum and 55% Max. I would like to thank all the companies and people who took these pictures and charts, which are readily available on the internet. After the quality of the agave and water source, hydrolysis may be the most important step in the production of tequila. This keeps the drink from having these potential benefits ( 1 ). . Diffuser (67.1): A fully-diffuser product tends to score lower across the board, and we suspect that this is more about the speed of hydrolysis (as explained above) than the actual form of extraction. Horno is the traditional, old world 'time tested' cooking method. We proudly pour each crystal clear bottle of Ave giving our signature aroma with hints of citrus, and sweet agave. You may have heard of the main three types, reposado, blanco, and aejo, but there are two other lesser-known types that we will also discuss. The global tequila market was $9.89 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $15.57 billion by 2029. Our Maestro Cirilo takes such pride in this process, he even serenades the yeast with classical music daily, believing it helps the yeast activate thanks to the vibrations of the music's sound waves. Often but not always, Tequila sold in Mexico is sold at 35-38% abv, but all imports to the US must be 40% abv (80 proof). . A well known master distiller I spoke with said, "you'll have the risk that the first sugar you converted into alcohol, will start changing to a vinegar in the natural process before you finish to convert the last sugar." Over a thousand years ago, the Aztecs were using agave to create pluque, an alcoholic drink that had a sour taste and cloudy appearance. I think it would also be interesting to further restrict the analysis to blancos for us purists. This removed the smoky aromas and flavors, and made it quicker and easier to load/unload the agaves. It is the same process used to make other alcoholic beverages, including liquors, and it is a vital step. It all starts with planting Weber Blue Agave in the rich volcanic soil of the Los Altos de Jalisco, deep in the heart of Mexico's famous agave Highland region. I'm a Tequila/Agave Connoisseur, Taster & Reviewer. The length of the aging process will vary based on the type of tequila being created, however, all tequilas must age for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Tequila is a fascinating distilled spirit, made from the agave plant, unlike any other. Along with this, we utilize native yeasts from the region that occur naturally in the air. Copper Pot/Filipino (86.71): Once again, Siembra Valles Ancestrals ancient method of distillation score the highest of all distillation methods in our database. A second distillation is what brings the alcohol . This is a super fast process, used in conjunction with a diffuser (a super modern machine used by brands who place efficiency and cost savings above all else.) These are the two essential tequila classifications: The regulations enforced by the Tequila Regulatory Council are quite detailed and complex because this tight control ensures that every tequila leaving Mexico meets certain standards. An agave plant can grow to a height of 5-7 feet and have a similar span. Fermentation is simply converting sugars and/or carbohydrates to alcohol, by using yeast in anerobic (non-oxygen) conditions. Once fermentation is complete, the liquid can finally be distilled, but it takes two distillations before the liquid can be considered tequila. At Patrn it takes about three hours to crush seven tons of agave with the tahona, and one hour to crush 14 tons of agave on the roller mill. Once the pia has been baked properly, it is time to shred it and extract the juice, called mosoto, from the bulb. Some fibers are broken in the process, but not as much as the roller. Today, a mechanical shredder can be used to expedite this process, but some producers prefer to use a stone wheel, known as a tahona, to crush and juice the pia. Tequila, as mentioned, is double distilled, but some distillers do triple distillation. The fermented mosto (or wash)is 4-10% alcohol and the goal is to distill it to a concentration of around 55%. I am totally independent & honest. Above ground, long spikes grow in rosettes. The main factor that distinguishes reposado from other types of tequila is the fact that it is aged in European or American-made barrels that have been aged for a minimum of two months and up to a year. 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