tequila production and its types

Tequila

Tequila

What is tequila?Tequila is a regional specific name for a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.Although tequila is similar to mezcal, modern tequila differs somewhat in the method of its production, in the use of only blue agave plants, as well as in its regional specificity. Tequila is commonly served neat in Mexico and as a shot with salt and lime across the rest of the world.

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 1 – Harvesting: • Harvesting the agave plant

remains a manual effort, unchanged by modern technologies and dating back to hundreds of years. The agave is planted tended and harvested by hand.

• The men who harvest it are called ‘Jimadors’, and have a vast knowledge about the plants and the way it has to be harvested.

Tequila

Tequila making process !• The jimadors must work swiftly

to clear the pinas. (spanish for pineapple). They usually make use of a tool called the boa for cutting away the leaves of the pina.

• He trims the 200 plus leaves that protect the heart or piña of the agave until the whole heart is extracted from the ground. Only the heart, or “piña,” of the agave plant is used to make tequila.

• The pinas are then cut into halves or quarters and then sent for baking

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 2 – Cooking• During this step, steam injection

within traditional brick ovens or stainless steel autoclaves is used to activate a chemical process within the piña that converts complex carbohydrates into simple fermentable sugars.

• Cooking also softens the piña, making the process of sugar extraction easier.

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 3 – Extraction• Once cooked, the agave heads are

transported to a milling area for sugar extraction. The cooked piñas are crushed in order to release the juice, or “aguamiel,” that will be fermented.

• The traditional method is to crush the piñas with a “tahona,” a giant grinding wheel operated by mules, oxen or tractors within a circular pit. Modern distilleries now use a mechanical crusher to separate the fiber from the juices.

• Once the piñas are minced they are washed with water and strained to remove the juices.

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 4 – Fermentation• During the fermentation process

the sugars are transformed into alcohol within large wooden vats or stainless steel tanks. Yeast may be added to accelerate and control the fermentation.

• Traditionally, the yeast that grows naturally on the agave leaves is used; however, today many distilleries use a cultivated form of wild yeast.

• Fermentation typically takes seven to twelve days, depending on the method used.

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 5 – Distillation: • The fifth step of creating tequila is

distillation, in which ferments are separated by heat and steam pressure within stainless steel pot stills or distillation towers. While some tequilas are distilled three times, the majority are only distilled twice,

• The first distillation, also known as “deztrozamiento” or “smashing,” takes a couple hours and yields a liquid with an alcohol level of about 20% known as “ordinario.”

• The second distillation, known as “rectification,” takes three to four hours and yields a liquid with an alcohol level near 55%. After the second distillation the tequila is considered silver, or “blanco,” tequila

Tequila

Tequila making process !Step 6 – Aging• Almost all containers used in tequila

aging are French or American white oak barrels that have previously been used to age bourbon.

• Reposados are aged between two and twelve months,

• Añejos are aged between one and three years and

• Extra Añejos are aged for over three years.

• The longer the tequila ages, the more color and tannins the final product will have. The condition of the barrels (such as their age, previous use and if their interiors have been burnt or toasted) will also affect the tequila’s taste

TequilaTequila making process !Step 7 – Bottling• Like champagne, tequila is assigned an

Appelation of Origin status, which limits production to five Mexican states: Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.

• The state of Jalisco is very proud to be the center of Tequila production. It is the only state that as a whole has the status of Appellation of Origin. It is considered the place where tequila was first made and where the standards are defined. The other states are only permitted to grow Blue Agave in small and defined regions. All 100% agave tequilas must be bottled in the designated Mexican regions and must bear on their labels “Hecho en Mexico / Made in Mexico.”

• Non-100% agave tequila, or “mixtos,” can be sold and bottled anywhere throughout the world.

Tequila

TequilaClassification of tequila:

There are two main classifications of tequila, mixto and 100% agave.These two categories of tequila are further categorised according to wheter or not the tequila has been aged, and if so for how long.


Blanco tequila (Silver or plata tequila) : it is a colourless transparent tequila that are unaged and often rested in stainless steel tanks to allow oxidisation.


Joven tequila (Gold or Oro tequila) : They too are a non aged tequila produced in the same manner as blanco tequila but given a golden hue by the addition of colouring usually caramel with additives added for flavor.


Reposado tequila (Aged for 60+ days) : The term reposado means rested. A reposado tequila must be matured in oak casks for a minimum of 60 days.


Anejo tequila (Extra Aged for 1+ years) : Literaly means old tequila which has been aged in sealed oak casks for atleast a year. Caramel may be added to adjust the colour and additives added to enhance the flavor.


Extra anejo tequila (Ultra Aged for 3+ years) : It is a comparitively new tequila category introduced in March 2006. This tequila has to be aged in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years and above.


Curados :They are tequilas flavoured with natural ingredients such as lemon, orange, tangerine, strawberry, pineapple, and pear.

TequilaHow to drink tequila????• Shoot with salt and lime. The salt-and-lime

method of shooting tequila has been around for a while, though it's not clear that it's a popular way of shooting tequila in Mexico.

• One report suggests that the oldest known mention of the salt-and-lime technique, from 1924, reverses the order: First lime, then tequila, then salt.

• Lick the skin between your thumb and index finger. Shake a little bit of salt on your skin, which should stick to the moisture.

• With a tequila shot and lime wedge in hand, lick the salt on your hand and shoot the tequila. Try to get the tequila down in one gulp if you can.

• As a "chaser," suck on the lime wedge after shooting the tequila. The acidity of the lime won't taste as sharp after the alcohol.

tequila production and its types

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