The Agave Harvesting Process
In addition to increasingly limited supply, harvesting and preparing agave is still a very manual process. Many spirits have seen a mechanization and automation of this part of the process, with the advent of modern farming methods. Tequila making, specifically harvesting blue agave, continues to be a human-driven task.
The process of harvesting agave is still passed down generationally, rather than via a manual or online training modules. Tending to agave is arduous, as the plants require constant monitoring and pruning . Only those who work the agave fields know when it is ready to be harvested, as there are no obvious indicators for those lacking experience.
Harvesting agave is not as simple as observing that a plant looks mature and ready to be turned into a fermented product called wort. The jimadores are experts, with vast experience, in knowing when the agave plant has just enough carbohydrates and just enough sugar to ferment properly.
As you can imagine, with so much experience and manual labor required, a product like agave can be quite expensive. Thus, the labor intensive and specialized harvesting process alone can drive the cost of tequila.
Best For Palomas: Siembra Valles High Proof
Courtesy of TequilaConnection
Region: Jalisco, Mexico | ABV: 46% | Tasting Notes: Licorice, Black pepper, Freshly-cut grass
Siembra Valles boasts a formidable line of classically-produced tequilas, but their high-proof offering is particularly excellent in cocktailsespecially citrus-forward drinks like the paloma. This boldly-flavored tequila is produced very traditionally, with the agave cooked in brick ovens, the crushing being done via tahona, and the fermentation taking place with the bagasse , which adds richness and complexity. Finally, double-distillation in copper stills yields a delicious spirit that’s bottled at a robust 46 percent ABV. Use this in your next paloma, and you’ll be able to look forward to assertive notes of black pepper, citrus, licorice, and freshly-cut grass intermingling perfectly with the grapefruit and lime in your glass.
Region: Jalisco, Mexico | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Pine, Lavender, Vanilla
Exotico Reposado 100% Agave Tequila
BEST PRICE
Surprisingly, reposado tequila doesnt always have to reach a crazy price in order to be tasty, just take Exotico for example. This six-month aged bottle sits typically at the $25 mark, making it an affordable bottle when checking out reposado for the very first time. Its aged in white oak bourbon barrels, imparting a flavor that hits somewhere between boisterous and low-key, giving an all-around blend of vanilla, dry fruit, spices, with an aftertaste of oak, caramel and cinnamon. Youll be confused as to why this one isnt priced higher, thats for sure.
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Asom Broso Silver Tequila Special Features
Here we have listed the special feature of Asom Broso Silver Tequila to help you understand what makes it different from others and why it is desirable among Indians
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This tequila has a unique peppery and astringent flavour
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It has a zesty fragrance which has the essence of fennel, anise, licorice and dried herbs
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It has an after taste of sweet pepper and agave with a toasty finish
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It is a fine blend of gave juice, milk chocolate, olive brine and rye bread
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It has an appealing packaging which makes it look luxurious.
Best Splurge: Don Ramn Limited Edition Extra Aejo
Courtesy of Liquorama.net
Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Vanilla, Cocoa, Dark coffee
Only 5,000 bottles of this limited-edition Don Ramón extra añejo were produced. Made with 100% blue agave from the Tequila Highlands, this expression has been aged for three years in American oak barrels. The tequila provides notes of toasted coconut and vanilla, with some cocoa powder and dark roasted coffee, Hurley notes. But thats only part of the selling point for him.
The tequila is great, but the bottle is whats really gorgeous, he says. The glass is embedded with gold flakes and decorated in wooshing lines composed of Swarovski crystals, which frame the dark amber liquid inside. It makes a showstopping centerpiece for any bar.
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Best For Margaritas: Casa Dragones Blanco
Region: Jalisco, Mexico | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Herbaceous, Green peppercorn, Anise
Instead of sipping this high-end tequila, Volfson recommends trying it in a margarita. A margarita is about the relationship of three ingredients: tequila, triple sec, and limes,” she says. This tequila from Maestra Tequilera Bertha González Nieves gives off flavors of soft herbaceousness and grassy garden crispness, green peppercorn and fennel seed, cardamom, anise seed, and a bit of juiciness, which Volfson feels mingle well with the bright cirtus character of the triple sec and lime juice.
“The layers of orange blossom in Casa Dragones, along with the orange in the triple sec, brings together the drinks fruitinessthe recipe doesnt need as much lime juice as others, so it showcases the spirits with each other. Yana Volfson, beverage manager at Cosme and ATLA restaurants in New York
El Espolon Blanco Tequila
This Blanco tequila is made exclusively from blue agave harvested in the Highlands region of Mexico. The agaves are harvested by experts who hand-pick and use only the best ones after theyve been left to mature for almost ten years.
The clear, fruity tequila offers a sweet aromatic experience with notes of agave, owers, lemon zest, white pepper, and tropical fruits. The palate offers a soft, oily mouthfeel with agave, vanilla, and pineapple flavoring with a hint of spice. The tequila won a double gold medal at the World Spirits Competition and earned 94 points from the Beverage Tasting Institute.
Between the unique texture and simple, fruit flavors, youll enjoy many yummy shots from this high-quality, affordable Blanco tequila.
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Shot Ideas To Make You Fall In Love With Tequila
To many of us, tequila equals the crazy clubbing nights of our university years. We remember it as the shot with a terrible burning aftertaste which can only be improved with a slice of lemon. If you recognize your experience, we urge you to give tequila another chance.
Tequila is, in fact, a versatile liquor used in many great cocktails, like Margarita, Tequila Sunrise or Paloma. Good tequila, if drunk correctly, will give you a smooth peppery aftertaste that does not require any additions, like salt and lemon. But if you dont feel like drinking your tequila straight up, here are some simple and delicious shot recipe ideas.
To begin with, there are five distinct types of tequila that you may come across: silver tequila, gold, Reposado, Anejo, or extra Anejo. Without getting into too much detail about the differences, the tequila that you might want to use for your mixed shots is the silver tequila. The bottle should have a 100% blue agave or 100% agave label these are the purest sorts that will taste great both mixed and on their own.
Casa Noble Anejo Tequila
Casa Noble
When anejo tequila is done right, its at once rich and flavorful, smooth yet complex. Thats what you get from Casa Nobles anejo blend, aged in new French oak for two full years with notes of dried fruit, toasted oak, creamy butterscotch, chocolate and spice. An undertone of sweet cooked agave recalls this tequilas fresh Blanco roots.
Like all of Casa Nobles offerings, this one is certified organic, and took home the Best Añejo Tequila prize at the 2017 World Tequila Awards. Best sipped slow for a warm, inviting mouthfeel.
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The 5 Types Of Tequila
When scanning your tequila options at your local party store, you will find five types of tequila. They are silver, gold, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo.
Silver is a clear spirit that can be either 100%agave or mixto. These tequilas are “aged”âmore like “rested”âno more 60 days in stainless steel tanks, if they are aged at all. The unaged blancos give the drinker the rawest taste of agave available and have a notable earthy flavor that is distinctly tequila. If you have not tasted a blanco, then you are missing out on the pure taste of the agave plant.
Silver tequila is primarily used for mixing and is perfect for any tequila cocktail and often smoother than the gold tequila shots. If you are looking for an affordable, all-around tequila to keep in stock, a blanco is your best option.
Gold Tequilas are the ones that many older drinkers are familiar with, particularly if you spent any time doing tequila shots in the last few decades of the 20th century. Gold tequilas are responsible for many bad tequila.
These are often unaged tequilas that are typically mixtos and have been colored and flavored with caramel, oak extract, glycerin, syrup, and other additives. While many gold tequilas leave something to be desired in comparison to the other classes, there are now a few decent bottlings available. If you are going to drink a gold tequila, stick to heavily flavored cocktails or shots.
Blue Head Blanco Tequila Special Features
Here we have listed the special feature of Blue Head Blanco Tequila to help you understand what makes it different from others and why it is desirable among Indians.
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It is a double-distilled tequila with an intense flavour
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The tequila tastes fruity and sweet taste at first and has a spirit finish aftertaste.
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This tequila has an identical pungent and complex aroma
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It is a great tequila if you like to have crisp and clear tequila.
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Cdigo 1530 Rosa Tequila
Drizly
Smooth and delicate, Código 1530s Rosa Tequila makes for perfect after-work sipping, or used in a hand-crafted cocktail. Produced using the tequila-making traditions of the Los Bajos region and its tequilieras, the tequila is meticulously aged inFrench White Oakred wine barrels from Napa Valley. That gives the Rosa a subtle pink hue, and a sweet yet dry finish.
Country singer George Strait is an investor in the brand, and even wrote a song inspired by the tequila off his 2019 album, Honkey Tonk Time Machine.
Best Blanco: Don Fulano Blanco
Courtesy of Don Fulano
Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Lemon peel, Lemongrass, Cooked agave
“Theres a saying: ‘Whiskey is aged in wood, and tequila is aged in the ground,'” says Hurley. Thats so true because agave takes six to eight years to mature, so you can detect the influence of the terroirthe soil, sun and shade of mountainsespecially in a blanco. He calls this one from the Altos region phenomenal.
Produced by Jaliscos famed Fonseca family using deep well water, Don Fulano Blanco offers “green cooked agave notes, a little bit of pepper and minerality, and hints of lemon peel and lemongrass, Hurley says. Along with those complex layers of flavor, Hurley likes its mouthfeel. It has a nice body all the way through, so its one of the easiest drinking tequilas out there,” he adds.
Blancos showcase the terroir and the agave, but they also show any imperfections. Look for spirits with a medium to full body, a bit of attitude, minerality and brightnessand not much ethanol burn. You can tell an impure spirit if you get that. Morgan Hurley, Marketing and Beverage Director, Mex 1 Coastal Cantina
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What’s The Difference Between Tequila And Mezcal
You may have heard the rumor that the spirit known as mezcal is simply a smoky version of tequila. In fact, the truth is closer to the reverse of that: the term “mezcal” refers broadly to any distillate of the agave plant produced in Mexico, so the spirit called tequila is simply one specific type of mezcal. While government regulations allow for the production of mezcal in nine different Mexican states, tequila may only be produced in five states: Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Guanajuato, and certain parts of Tamaulipas. Addionally, while mezcal may be produced from dozens of different agave varietiesresulting in numerous distinct styles and flavor profilestequila may only be produced from the blue Weber agave.
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How Do You Make Alcohol Shots Easier
So, here are five tips and tricks to help you become an ultimate shots champion:
Cazcabel Coconut Tequila Liqueur: Best Tequila Liqueur
Price: £25 |
If you’re looking for the perfect liqueur for those fruity cocktails, this coconut delight from Cazcabel is a delicious alternative to classic tequila. Coconut fans are guaranteed to love this, as it has an incredibly strong coconut flavour and a smooth, easy-drinking finish. It makes a fantastic frozen coconut margarita and, as there’s a touch of sweetness there, also tastes great on its own with ice. It’s made with tequila blanco that’s been distilled for a short time, for a clean and authentic taste.
We’re also big fans of Cazcabel’s coffee tequila liqueur, which is incredibly sweet and coffee-heavy. Fantastic over ice in a creamy espresso-martini style cocktail.
Key specs Alcohol content: 34% Bottle size: 70cl Type: Blanco
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Tequila Definitely Not Just A Shot
Tequila means different things to different people.Whether you prefer your tequila neat, in a Margarita, a shot with a lime, or enjoyed on the beach, itâs a spirit thatâs easily enjoyed in many situations.
Tequila snobs will absolutely turn their nose up to those that do that salt, lime, shot, oblivion thing. Not that shots donât have their place, but whatever tequila youâre shootingâeven if itâs a blanco, actually took a minimum of eight years to get to the glass. To say the least ,tequila definitely deserves some respect.
Tequila is made from blue agave a plant and not a cactus and by law must be made in Mexico. There are five types of tequila silver, gold, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo.
It is primarily produced in Jalisco from the succulent blue agave plant after maturing for 8 years. These agave plants are of a one-time use and the heart is cut out and processed to make tequila or Mezcal. Flavors vary from the fermentation process, itâs surrounding and whether itâs a high or low land plant.
After the hearts are cut out of the blue agave plant, they are then steam-cooked to prepare for fermentation. And while tequila, like vodka and gin, is a clear spirit, it is actually pot-distilled at least twice.
How To Choose The Best Tequila For You
The name tequila is protected, so all brands and types come from Mexico. The spirit is mostly produced in the area surrounding the actual city of Tequila, and in the highlands of the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco. Here, the blue agave plant needs at least eight years to mature, after which harvesters extract the piña from the plants core, stripping it of its leaves before distilling it.
What types of tequila are there?
There are four main types:
Blanco a white-coloured spirit, bottled or stored straight after distillation or aged less than two months in stainless steel or oak barrels.
Reposado literally, a rested tequila, which has been aged in oak barrels for between two and 12 months.
Añejo is aged tequila. This stays in the barrels for longer generally between one and three years and the barrels themselves are smaller, which adds to the flavour.
Extra añejo tequilas that remain in the barrel for at least three years.
The different tastes are quite distinctive. With blanco, the agave flavours tend to be more intense, while reposado or añejo are usually smoother, mellower and more complex and just like other spirits aged in casks, they can take on the flavours of the wood.
How do I know it’s tequila?
Look for 100% agave tequila printed on the bottle label. This designation is only allowed to appear on bottles containing tequila that have no added sugars. When sugar get added to the fermentation tank, the tequila style is called a mixto.
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The Best Tequila Chasers
Though a popular choice, straight tequila can be intense, especially if youve got one that burns a little. Dont let the burn dissuade you from partaking, though, because there are solutions. Many go right for the lime and salt, but plenty of other things work just as well and offer a different experience.
The ideas below can be used to chase a shot of straight tequila, or mixed with tequila to create a shot with a brand new taste.
El Rayo Reposado: Best Mild Reposado Tequila
Price: £37 | Buy now from Master of Malt
This reposado tequila is just the ticket for anyone who wants a wonderfully smooth and equally mild drinking experience. El Rayo Reposado has a very subtle sweetness when first sipped, which quickly turns into a mild spiciness on the finish. Its made from 100% Blue Weber Agave and is distilled in 105-year-old copper stills, before being matured for seven months in whisky casks.
This shorter maturing process is what gives this tequila its lovely mildness, but it does mean the flavour is somewhat lost when used in cocktails. This one shines brightest on its own. So if you want something that packs a bit more punch, we suggest choosing an añejo tequila instead.
Key specs Alcohol content: 40% Bottle size: 70cl Type: Reposado
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