7 - Tequila and Mezcal Flashcards
What are the most important types of agave spirits?
Tequila and Mezcal
To where are agave plants native?
Central America
How many different species of Agave are there?
Hundreds
Briefly describe Agave plants (of all species)
The roots grow into the ground from a hard central core
The core is covered with long, spiky, waxy-textured leaves
Name carbohydrate reserves in Agave
Fructans
Name a commonly occurring fructan in Agave
Inulin
To what age can Agave plants live?
15-20 years
How does the Agave plant change during its lifetime?
The central core grows as the plant fills it with fructans
What happens when the Agave plant reaches maturity?
It flowers, using up its carbohydrate reserves, then dies
How do distillers use Agave to create alcohol?
They use the fructans, once they’ve been converted to fermentable sugars
When is the best time to harvest Agave?
Just before it flowers as the plant will contain the greatest quantity of fructans
When are agave’s aromas at their most interesting and complex?
Just before flowering
Name some aroma descriptors derived from agave
Bell pepper
Vegetable
Olive
Black pepper
Describe harvesting agave
The plant is cut from its roots
The spiky leaves are cut away and discarded, leaving the central core/piña
What happens once the piña has been delivered to the distillery?
It’s usually halved or quartered, then cooked
What is the goal of cooking the piña?
To convert the fructans into fermentable sugars
To develop flavours within the piña
To soften the piña
What are the two traditional methods of cooking agave?
Steaming
Roasting
How is agave cooked in traditional Tequila production?
It’s slowly steamed in brick ovens
Describe the benefits of steaming the piña
It’s relatively gentle
It develops aromas and flavours that are native to the agave
Name a modern technique for cooking agave
Name it
Cooking in pressurised steam ovens
Autoclaves
What are the potential pitfalls of Autoclaves?
They can burn the piña
Are Autoclaves better or worse than traditional ovens?
They can be just as good
Is Tequila made from agave exclusively steamed in brick ovens?
Rarely
How is the piña cooked in Mezcal production?
Steaming
Roasting
Where is the majority of Mezcal made?
Oaxaca
How is agave often cooked in Oaxaca?
Roasted in stone-lined pits
Briefly describe the typical cooking process in Mezcal production
A fire is lit to heat the stones
Once the fire is out, the pit is lines with piñas
The piñas are covered in earth and left to cook
What effect does the firepit have on Mezcal?
It creates smoky aromas (from subtle to pronounced)
Is all Mezcal smoky?
No
What happens after the piñas are cooked?
The sweet juice is crushed out of them and separated from the fibres within the piña
What’s the most traditional way to crush the piñas?
By hand
What’s the simplest and most common way to process cooked piñas?
To use a large stone wheel called a tahona
Briefly describe crushing using a tahona
It’s rolled around a fixed path within a circular stone pit
Piñas are placed in the path of the tahona stone to crush them
Describe the use of tahonas between Tequila and Mezcal
Widely used in Mezcal production
Their use is limited in Tequila
How are cooked piñas most commonly processed in Tequila?
With complex mechanical milling machines
How is the maximum juice extracted from piñas after crushing?
The crushed fibres are flushed through with water to make sure as much sugar is extracted as possible
Name a new piece of equipment for extracting maximum possible fermentable sugars from agave
Diffuser
How are diffusers used in Tequila production?
Whole, uncooked piñas enter the machine and the output is a liquid rich in fructans
This liquid is then cooked to make the fructans fermentable
What is the major disadvantage of using a diffuser?
Not all of the desired aromas are created in the resulting liquid
Why are diffusers controversial?
Because they fundamentally change the sequence of production
What in the process of creating Tequila, is formulation?
Creating the sweet liquid for fermentation
Who may NOT add non-agave sugars?
Mezcal producers
How much sugar can come from non-agave sources in Tequila?
Up to 49%
What is the major disadvantage of using non-agave sugars in making Tequila?
The result can be less intense agave flavours
What is the effect on quality of using non-agave sugars?
It does not mean the spirit will be poor
How might agave fibres be used in production
They may be discarded
They may be added to the fermentation vessel to add agave character
Apart from using fibres, how might further complexity be added to Tequila/Mezcal during fermentation?
By using ambient yeast
How are fermentation enhancements used among Mezcal and Tequila?
They are widespread in Mezcal but only used in some higher quality Tequilas
In which stills are agave spirits distilled?
Pot or column
What is a typical distillation for a higher quality agave spirit?
Double distilled in pot stills to maximise agave character
Describe the more common Tequila still
Usually large, modern pot stills
Describe the more common Mezcal still
Small and often home made
How might the most pronounced, complex agave spirits be distilled?
By being collected at low strengths; below 60% is common
What’s the next stage in creating agave spirits after distillation?
Stored in inert vessels prior to sale
Matured in an oak vessel
What is the aim with post distillation agave-spirit processes?
To retain the defining agave aromas
Describe the impact of the large oak barrels used in making agave spirits
They give very little flavour
They allow smoothness and flavour complexity to develop
What is the maturation trend in making agave spirits?
Many spirits are now short-aged in old oak barrels
A small but growing number of agave spirits are matured in…
Oak barrels for a year or more
The use of…in the production of agave spirits is still relatively new
Oak barrels
Describe the best examples of agave spirits aged in oak barrels
They delicately balance the aromas from old oak with agave aromas
The agave aromas are typically less vibrant but no less complex than those found in unaged spirits
What may happen in the production of agave spirits after maturation?
Caramel colouring may be used
Name which type of Tequila typically gets all of its colour from caramel colour
Gold
Name which colouring is most commonly added to Tequila
Abocante
Besides colour, what else may abocante add to a spirit?
Textural smoothness
Aromas which mimic the effects of maturation
Is abocante the only additive allowed in the production of agave spirits?
Not anymore
Where does agave grow?
Southern parts of the USA and South America
Which is the dominant country for production of agave spirits?
Mexico
Name the two most important agave spirits
Tequila
Mezcal
Tequila and Mezcal are not only different in style, but the…are very different
Businesses that produce them
…is dominated by big brands producing on a large scale
Tequila
Mezcal production is still dominated by…
Producers working on a small scale
What do the businesses of Tequila and Mezcal have in common?
Their production is legally controlled
What kinds of things do agave laws state about their production?
Where the agave can be grown
How the spirit should be produced and labelled
Why is the use of the word ‘Mezcal’ controversial in Mexico?
Mezcal can only be used when the spirit conforms to Mezcal laws, but the word was historically used for any agave spirit
Name the species of agave necessary for production of Tequila
Agave tequilana Weber (var.azul)
Blue agave
Where must tequila agave be grown?
In specific areas of five Mexican states
Where is the most important area of agave production for Tequila?
Jalisco
How long does a blue agave plant typically take to reach maturity?
7-10 years
Why is blue agave still capable of individual complexity?
It develops different characteristics depending on where it’s grown
Give two terroir-based differences in blue agave characteristics
Highland area of Jalisco: Can be fruitier
Tequila Valley area: Less fruity
List the production techniques common to the best Tequilas
Cooked slowly using steam
Fermentation with agave fibres
Double distilled in pot stills and collected at low strengths
What is the result of the techniques used to make quality Tequila?
Warming texture
Pronounced, complex agave character
…is now a firmly established part of Tequila production
Oak maturation
How many categories of Tequila are there? What are they?
Two
Tequila 100% agave
Tequila
What are the rules regarding the second category of Tequila? How may these spirits be labelled?
Min 51% of the sugars must have come from agave
The other 49% can come from any non-agave source
Mixto
What are the five ageing classes of Tequila and their requirements?
Blanco, Plata (Silver) - None
Joven, Oro (Gold) - None
Reposado (Aged) - Two months in oak
Añejo (Extra Aged) - One year in oak barrels
Extra Añejo (Ultra Aged) - Three years in oak barrels
Where can Mezcal be produced? Where is the most important area?
In nine Mexican states
Oaxaca
What species of agave must be used for Mezcal?
Any
What is the most commonly used species of agave in Mezcal production?
Agave angustifolia Haw (var. espadín)
Agave espadin
Which stills must be used for Mezcal?
Pot or Column
Which stills must be used to make the best Mezcal?
Pot stills
Describe pot stills used for Mezcal
Often small, simple stills
Directly heated
Some made of wood or clay rather than copper
Describe the resulting distillate from traditional Mezcal pot stills
Low strength
Pronounced
Can include an unusually high number of Group 3 fractions, which can give a sharp heat to their texture and extra levels of intensity
Describe the use of oak maturation in Mezcal
Extremely rare
Most commonly stored in inert vessels prior to bottling
What are the three factors used to give Mezcal its smoky, earthy, vegetable flavours
The roasting process
The use of agave fibres in fermentation
Distillation in simple pot stills to a low strength
How has Mezcal production been protected?
The traditional practices were recognised by new laws introduced in 2016
List the three categories of Mezcal
Mezcal
Artesanal Mezcal
Ancestral Mezcal
Briefly describe the legal requirements for a drink to be labelled as Mezcal
Any method of cooking
No restrictions on crushing the piña, fermentation vessel or still
Briefly describe the legal requirements for a drink to be labelled as Artesanal Mezcal
Only roasting pits or brick ovens
Only simple milling machinery to supplement hand crushing or use of tahona
Directly heated copper, wood or clay pot stills
Briefly describe the legal requirements for a drink to be labelled as Ancestral Mezcal
Similar to Artesanal
Only roasting pits
Crushed by hand or tahona
Directly heated wood or clay
What are the three main Mezcal age designations?
Blanco, Joven - Unaged
Reposado (Aged) - Two months in oak
Añejo (Extra Aged) - One year in oak barrels
