Week 8: Agave Spirits

Question 1

How is agave also called?

Answer 1

Maguey

Question 2

How do you call wild agave in Spanish?

Answer 2

Agaves silvestres

Question 3

How long does it takes an agave to reach maturity?

Answer 3

Between 5 and 30 years

Question 4

What is the purpose of cooking pinas?

Answer 4

• Convert fructans into fermentable sugars

- break open the cells where fructans are stored

Question 5

What is the Spanish name for the brick/masonry steam oven used to cooked pinas?

Answer 5

Hornos de mamposteria

Question 6

How do you call a pressurised steam oven in Spanish?

Answer 6

Autoclaves

Question 7

How do you call the large crushing wheel in Spanish?

Answer 7

Tahona

Question 8

How do you call the large oak vessels used for Tequila?

Answer 8

Pipones

Question 9

What variety of agave must be used for tequila?

Answer 9

Agave tequilana weber (var azul) or blue agave

Question 10

What variety of agave is commonly used for mezcal?

Answer 10

Agave Angustifolia Haw (var espadin)

Question 11

What is cogollo?

Answer 11

A section at the top of the pina that can give unwanted waxy flavours

Question 12

What is the Spanish term for fire pits?

Answer 12

Hornos de pozo

Question 13

What is abocado?

Answer 13

A combination of caramel colour, oak extract. glycerol and sugar.

Question 14

What are the GI allowed to produce the Agave for Tequila?

Answer 14

State of Jalisco

Municipalities in states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, Tamaulipas

Question 15

Which Mexican state accounts for the vast majority of Tequila production?

Answer 15

Jalisco

Question 16

What is the name of the solid body of plant material that remains after an agave has been harvested?

Answer 16

Piña

Question 17

What is the Spanish term for agave harvesters?

Answer 17

Jimador

Question 18

When cooking piñas, what is the Spanish term for the sweet liquid that is collected from the base of the oven?

Answer 18

Aguamiel

Question 19

What two approaches to processing cooked piñas can be used by producers of Ancestral Mezcal?

Answer 19

Tahona and Mallets.

Question 20

What two types of steam ovens are used in the production of agave spirits (Spanish terms)?

Answer 20

Horno de mampostería and autoclave.

Question 21

In agave spirits production, what is the step before fermentation in which the distiller creates a final sugary liquid?

Answer 21

Formulation

Question 22

What does the term abocado con… indicate for Mezcal ?

Answer 22

Abocado con… indicates that a Mezcal has been flavoured by maceration.

Question 23

What is he maximum percentage of non-agave sugars that can be used in the production of Tequila?

Answer 23

49%

Question 24

What substances can be used for sweetening, colouring and flavouring Tequilas since 2005?

Answer 24

Any substance so long as it is safe for human consumption.

Question 25

What is a diffuser?

Answer 25

A machine that be used to either extract extract all of the sugars from cooked piñas or process and uncooked piñas to produce an inulin rich liquid.

Question 26

What are the different classes of Tequila?

Answer 26

- Blanco or Plata - Joven or Oro - Reposado - Añejo - Extra Añejo

Question 27

In Tequila production, what does the labelling term Blanco or Plata indicate?

Answer 27

Any period of storage in an oak vessel must be less than two months. The spirit may have a slight colour and the use of abocado is not permitted.

Question 28

In Tequila production what does the labelling term Joven or Oro indicate?

Answer 28

A blanco Tequila that has been softened by abocado. | A blend of Blanco Tequila with reposado and/or anejo and/or extra anejo is also considered to be joven or Oro

Question 29

In Tequila production what does the labelling term Reposado indicate?

Answer 29

- A Tequila aged for a minimum of two months in oak vessels. The use of abocado is permitted. - A blend of Reposado Tequila with Añejo and/or Extra Añejo.

Question 30

In Tequila production what does the labelling term Añejo indicate?

Answer 30

- A Tequila aged for a minimum of one year in oak vessels with a capacity of 600L or less. The use of abocado is permitted. - A blend of Tequila Añejo and Extra Añejo.

Question 31

In Tequila production what does the term Extra Añejo indicate?

Answer 31

A Tequila aged for a minimum of three years on oak vessels with a capacity of 600L or less. The use of abocado is permitted.

Question 32

What categories of Tequila indicate that all the fermentable sugars come from the blue agave?

Answer 32

Tequila 100% de agave, 100% agave, 100% puro de agave, 100% puro agave.

Question 33

What category of Tequila indicates that 51% or more of the fermentable sugars come from agave?

Answer 33

Tequila

Question 34

From which Mexican state does the majority of Mezcal come from?

Answer 34

Oaxaca

Question 35

What are the different classes of Mezcal?

Answer 35

- Blanco or Joven - Madurado en vidrio - Reposado - Añejo - Abocado con - Destilado con

Question 36

What five pieces of information must be stated on Mezcal labels?

Answer 36

- The state where the Mezcal was made - The category and class of Mezcal - 100% maguey or 100% agave - If more than one agave was used, a list of the names starting with the species that made up the greatest percentage of the total agave.

Question 37

What are the three categories of Mezcal?

Answer 37

Mezcal, Artisanal Mezcal and Ancestral Mezcal.

Question 38

What types of vessels are used in the fermentation of Artisanal Mezcal and Ancestral Mezcal?

Answer 38

Stone or soil pits, hollowed tree trunks, masonry vessels, animal skins, wood or clay vessels.

Question 39

What two categories of Mezcal must use directly heated pot stills?

Answer 39

Artisanal Mezcal and Ancestral Mezcal.

Question 40

What category of Mezcal must use pot stills made of clay with the still head made from clay or wood?

Answer 40

Ancestral Mezcal.

Question 41

In the distillation of Tequila, what is the abv of the intermediate product from the first distillation?

Answer 41

20-25%, the product is called ordinario.