Tequilla/ Mezcal Flashcards
What is a pina? How is it processed?
Fermented juice of a cooked pina from the heart of a blue agave plant.
What is the mashbill for tequila?
Best is 100% Blue Agave. Most is mixto, @ least 51% Blue agave.
How is Tequilla distilled?
Traditional pot still (twice) or the continuous method
What are the aging levels for Tequila?
Blanco/ Silver for in unaged
Resposado- 60 days to 1 yr
Anejo- 1 yrs to 3 yrs
Extra Anejo- 3+ yrs
What is Mezcal?
Fermented agave principally from Oaxaca
What are the types of Agave in Mezcal?
Maguey (Agave Americana)
Espadin (Agave Angustifolia)
Blue (Agave Tequilliana)
What is the main area for Tequilla production? What other areas have tequila production?
Jalisco, Gaunajato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, Michoacan
How long has an Anejo tequila been aged?
Min 12 months
How long has a Reposado tequila been aged?
Min 2 months
How long has a golden tequila been aged?
Unaged and coloured
How long has a blanco tequila been aged.
Unaged
Tequila can only be made from what plant?
Blue agave
What Liquer must be distilled in a sugar- cane growing country but can be aged in any country?
Rum
Original States of Production- Tequila
Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Tamaulipas
Authorized Agave Varieties- Tequila
Agave tequilana (blue agave). Tequila may include up to 49% sugars from sources other than agave.
Alcohol Content- Tequila
35-55%
Permitted Additives- Tequila
Caramel colouring, Natural oak or encino oak extract, Sugar-based syrup, Glycerin
Aging- Tequila
Tequila aging must be carried out by the producer in the DO territory.
Label Designations- Tequila
Blanco/Silver Tequila, Oro/Gold Tequila: Spirit enhanced by “mellowing” with caramel coloring or oak extracts, Reposado (Aged) Tequila: Aged for a minimum of 2 months in oak or encino oak containers, Añejo (Extra-aged) Tequila: Aged for a minimum of 1 year in oak or encino oak barrels. Maximum barrel size is 600 litres, Extra Añejo (Ultra-aged) Tequila: Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak or encino oak barrels. Maximum barrel size is 600 litres, 100% Agave: Tequila that does not include sugars from any source other than blue agave.
DO Established- Tequila
1977 (last modified in 2012)
Mezcal- Original States of Production:
Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
Added in 2003: 7 towns in Tamaulipas state
Added in 2012: multiple towns in Michoácan state
Added in 2015: San Luis de la Paz in Guanajuato state
Pending: multiple towns in Puebla state
Mezcal- Key Oaxaca Towns of Production:
Solá de Vega, Miahuatlán, Yautepec, Santiago Matatlán Tlacolula, Ocotlán, Ejutla, Zimatlan
Mezcal- Authorized Agave Varieties:
Agave angustifolia Agave esperrima Agave weberi Agave patatorum Agave salmiano Additional varieties that are not the primary raw product for other DO spirits made in the same state of origin.
Mezcal- Alcohol Content:
36-55%
Mezcal- Label Designations:
Añejo: Mezcal aged in oak barrels of no more than 200-liter capacity for at least one year.
Reposado: Mezcal aged in oak barrels for at least 2 months.
Joven: Young mezcal.
100% Agave: Mezcal produced only from agave varieties. (Basic mezcal can include up to 20% of other carbohydrate material.)
Mezcal- DO Established:
1994 (last modified in 2015)
Cachaca
Raw material: cane juice (largest cane producer in the world) & sometimes use of corn starter
Distillation: pot still, linked pot stills but usually column still. Ageing w different woods but mostly sweetened (max 6g/l).
Traditionally lower abv (for more vegetal notes) vs. modern Cachaca (more like Vodka). In Caipirinha w lime & sugar.
History- Tequilla
Nahuatl tribe from pre-Colombian Mexico => Agave = personification of fertility goddess into versatile plant.
Tequitl: ‘the working place’.
1608: Mezcal wine mentioned during Spanish occupation.
1636: Mezcal wine legalised.
1795: Modern Tequila industry born with distiller’s license given to José Maria Cuervo.
19th: Boom in Mezcal wine around the town of Tequila
1948: invention of Margarita which helped boost sales in the US
Now: resurgence of Tequila via premium brands.
Borders and Regulations- Tequilla
Tequila must be made from min 51% blue agave grown & distilled in Jalisco state, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacan or Tamaulipas (since 77) 2 types of Tequila: 1. Puro de Agave (100% Agave) 2. Tequila regular (mixto): up to 49% non agave fermentable sugars allowed during fermentation 5 classifications: 1) Plata / Blanco / Silver: white unaged 2) Gold: blanco + caramel tinting 3) Reposado: 2-12mths in 10-30,000l oak VATs (pipones) 4) Anejo: min 12mths in 600l barrels 5) Muy anejo: min 3 years
Raw Materials- Tequila
Agave: succulent related to the amaryllis (≠cactus). Grown throughout Jalisco but those for Tequila around village of Tequila and the highlands. Takes 6 years to mature and most are harvested between 7-10 years. Pina: starchy heart.
Quality of plant = key influence on final spirit
Terroirs:
Highland Tequila -> fruitier aromas w green mango + poire William flavours
Lowland Tequila -> earthier & more robust
Tamaulipas -> more vegetal w lime zestiness
Preparation- Tequila
A. Cooking
Leaves taken off to leave only pinas (core/heart) which is full of carbs.
Heating in halves naturally to encourage creation of sugar. 2 methods:
1. Horno: brick oven for 36-48h + caramelised pinas left in oven for 2 days to let distiller collect liquefied sugars (aguamiel)
NB: Roasting gives the final Tequila a more smoky flavours
2. Autoclave: pressurised cookers for 6h. Quicker but can be aggressive and lead to excess methanol in final spirit.
B.Milling
Ovens emptied.
Soggy fibrous matter from cooking crushed into aguamiel juice
Aguamiel juice + optional other fermentable sugars (usually molasses or corn-based syrup) for mixto
Fermentation- Tequila
Commercial yeasts (for mixto) or own yeast strains (for puro) or wild yeasts (Tapatio Tequila maker) – Key for flavours
24-72h normally and up to 10 days for wild yeasts ferments.
5-7% abv wash
Distillation- Tequila
Mostly stainless steel continuous stills.
Otherwise, double distillation: 1. copper/stainless steel pot (20% abv) 2. Pot/continuous still (-> 55% abv)
Max 55% abv v pungent distillate. Never highly rectified to retain vegetal, earthy character
Maturation- Tequila
Majority esp. whites/blanco -> reduced & bottled
Reposados: in pipones for 2-12mths
Anejos: less than 3 yeards ex Bourbon barrels mostly.
NB: wood can easily overtake agave flavours so most anejos are less complex vs. reposado.
Muy anejo (since 2006): min 3 years in oak barrels max 600l
Brands- Tequila
#1 Jose Cuervo w 4.4m cs/yr
#2 Sauza – 3m cs/yr
#3 Patrón – 2m cs/yr
Tasting Notes- Tequila
Waterwhite colourless to golden
Vegetal (agave, bell pepper, grass), smoky, peppery, citrus. Some coconut, vanilla if aged.
Light to medium bodied
Definition- Mezcal
Spirit from any type of agave (wild, Silvestre, tobala, espadin) and from anywhere in Mexico. Most famous: Oaxaca.
Name means ‘oven-cooked agave’
Production- Mezcal
Relatively small scale (6m litres produced each year in Mexico).
Production:
1. Pinas first roasted in pits or clay ovens, then crushed in a mill and placed in fermenters.
2. Usually wild yeasts so fermentation up to 30 days.
3. 1 distillation for most rustic and 2 for better ones w separation of heads, heart & tails.
Mostly unaged and to drink neat. Best quality brand: Del Maguey
Oaxaca state tend to have a worm in the bottle. NB: worm not required and has no hallucinatory properties.
Where is Tequila produced?
Tequila is a product of Mexico, primarily produced in and around the city of the same name in the western state of Jalisco.
Tequila: Regions of Production
Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán also have limited regions of production
Tequila- Other information
Tequila is produced from the fermented juice of the cooked piña (pineapple), the heart of the blue agave plant. However, only the best Tequila is actually produced with 100% blue agave juice; most Tequila is mixto, with law mandating a minimum 51% blue agave—other sugars make up the remainder of the ferment. Distillation either occurs in a traditional pot still (twice) or by the continuous method. If bottled immediately after distillation, the Tequila is blanco, or silver. Tequila aged 60 days to one year in oak casks will be labeled reposado. Añejo Tequilas are aged even more, to a maximum of three years in cask. Finally, a newer category established in 2006 permits Tequila aged a minimum of three years in cask to be labeled Extra Añejo. Such Tequila may be an exceptional after-dinner drink, similar to Single Malt Scotch or Cognac, yet some purists prefer the younger spirits, where the oak does not mask the intrinsically salty, grassy character of the spirit.
All tequila is mezcal…….
but not all mezcal is Tequila. Like Cognac and brandy, Tequila is a subset of the larger category of mezcal. Mezcal is the distilled liquor produced from fermented agave, principally in the state of Oaxaca. Mezcal distillers typically use maguey (Agave americana) or espadin agave (Agave angustifolia) rather than blue agave (Agave tequiliana). Like Tequila, Mezcal may be labeled as reposado or añejo with proper aging in cask. The infamous worm can be found in some bottles of mezcal (mezcal con gusano), not Tequila—a marketing gimmick dating to the 1940s, and often a sign of a poorer quality spirit.
Tequila
Tequila is protected as an Appellation of Origin limited to specified areas within Mexico. Over time, this area has been expanded, and today it covers a selection of specific municipalities within the five states of Jalisco (5), Nayarit (11), Guanajuato (29), Michoacan (8) and Tamaulipas (all 43).
Tequila- Permitted agave
Only blue agave (Agave tequillana Weber var. azui), grown and distilled in the delimited area may be used.
Tequila- Bottling Strength
This must be between 35 and 55% abv.
Tequila- Labeling Terms
Types- there are two types of Tequila
- ‘Tequila 100% agave’: All of the fermentable sugars must be extracted from blue agave are also permitted.
- Tequila: 51 per cent of fermentable sugars must be extracted fro Blue Agave. Up to 49 per cent of fermentable sugars may be sourced from other non- agave products. These are sometimes referred to as ‘mix’ but this is not an authorised labelling term. It can also be bottled under supervision outside the designated area.
Classifications- there are five grades of Tequila:
- Blanco (Silver): There are no minimum ageing requirements.
- Joven or Oro (Gold): A Blanco that has been softened by avocado. A blend of Blanco with Resposado and/or Anejo and/or Muy Anejo Tequila is also considered to be Joven.
- Resposado (Aged): A tequila aged for a minimum of two months in oak. It can be softened by abocado. A blend of Resposado and/ or Anejo and/ or Muy Anejo Tequila to be Resposado.
- Anejo (Extra Aged): A tequila aged for a minimum of one year in oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 600L. It can be softened by abocado.
- Muy Anejo (Ultra Aged): A tequila aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels with a capacity not exceeding 600L. It can be softened by abocado.
Mezcal- Permitted Agave
A large number of agave varieties are permitted in the production of Mescal
Similar to Tequila, there are two types of Mezcal:
- Mezcal 100% Agave: This is made from 100 per cent of agave.
- Mezcal: This is made using up to 20 per cent of non-agave fermentable sugars.
Classifications: There are three grades of Mezcal:
- Joven (young): typically unaged
- Resposado aged in oak for a minimum of two months.
- Anejo or Anejado (aged in oak): aged in oak for a minimum of 12 months in containers with a maximum capacity of 200L
Avocado can be used when making Mezcal.
Tequila aged for sixty days in cask may be labelled?
Resposado
Oaxaca is not authorised for Tequilla production, true or false?
True
