Let’s go…

• In 1521, the Aztecs had been drinking the fermented juice of the agave for centuries.

• A beer-like drink octli poliqhui was used in rituals and ceremonies.

• The Spanish bastardized the name of the drink into pulque.• The blue agave grows best in state of Jalisco, and it was there

that the Spanish first produced tequila in 16th Century, thereby creating the first indigenous distilled spirit.

• Around 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle mass produced tequila near what is now Jalisco.

• Later, King Carlos IV granted the Cuervo family the first license to make tequila commercially.

Brief History …

Harvesting

Cooking

Extraction

Fermentation

Distillation

Aging

Bottling

How it is made ???

Harvesting…

• The plants grow in neat rows for six to ten years and are meticulously tended until they are ripe and ready to harvest.

• The harvester, or “Jimador” removes the agave leaves with a sharp curved tool called a Coa.

• 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.

• Mature piñas weigh in between a hefty eighty and three hundred pounds; however, the size of the agave heart is not nearly as important as its sugar content.

• Approximately, 15 pounds of agave piñas are required to produce one liter of delicious tequila.

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.

Extraction …

• The agave heads are transported to a milling area for sugar extraction.• The cooked piñas are crushed in order to release the juice 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. • Once the piñas are minced they are washed with water and strained to

remove the juices.

Fermentation …

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

the method used.

Distillation …

• 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.

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.• Extra Añejos are aged for over three years.

Bottling …

• 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.

• The two main types of Tequila are :-1. 100% Blue Agave

2. Mixto (Mixed)• Mixto Tequila contains a minimum of 51% Blue Agave, and

the remaining 49% from other sugars.• By reading the label on the bottle you can tell which

clasification it is in, as all Tequila that is made from 100% Blue Agave will say "Tequila 100% de agave” or "Tequila 100% puro de agave".

• All other Mixto Tequila labels will only read "Tequila".• The above two categories of Tequila are then divided into

the following five types of Tequila and are labeled as such:

(1) Tequila Silver - Blanco - Plata - White – Platinum

• Typically un-aged• Intensity of the Agave are present

• Natural sweetness• Can be bottled directly after distillation, or stored in

stainless steel tanks to settle for up to 4 weeks. • There are some Blanco products that are aged for up to 2

months to provide a smoother spirit.

(2) Tequila Gold - Joven – Oro

• Typically a Mixto• Colorants and flavorings have been added prior to bottling• These "young and adulterated" Tequilas are less expensive

and used in many bars and restaurants for "mixed drinks“• There are exceptions however, as a "Gold" or "Joven"

Tequila can also be the result of blending a Silver Tequila with a Reposado and/or Añejo Tequila, while keeping the

100% Agave classification

(3) Tequila Reposado

• A Reposado Tequila is the first stage of "rested and aged“• Tequila is aged in wood barrels or storage tanks between 2

months and 11 months• The spirit takes on a golden hue and the taste becomes a

good balance between the Agave and wood flavors.

(4) Tequila Añejo

• After aging for at least one year, Tequila can then be classified as an "Añejo”

• The distillers are required to age Añejo Tequila in barrels that do not exceed 600 liters

• This aging process darkens the Tequila to an Amber color, and the flavor can become smoother, richer, and more

complex Añejo Tequilas are also referred to as "aged" and "extra-aged"

(5) Tequila Extra Añejo

• A new classification added in the summer of 2006, labeling any Tequila aged more than 3 years, an "Extra Añejo".

• Following the same rule as an "Añejo", the distillers must age the spirit in barrels or containers with a maximum

capacity of 600 liters.• Extra Añejo Tequilas are also referred to as "ultra-aged".