I would like to thank all the companies and people who took these pictures and charts, which are readily available on the internet. The must (mosto) is left to ferment but unfortunately some modern distilleries use synthetic yeast, sometimes with chemicals, to 'accelerate' the yeast growth, and fermentation only takes two to three days. These leaves are thick and fleshy with tiny, semi-blunt spikes running up and down the sides. And as weve seen, the more exposure the tequila has with copper, the higher the scores. A handful of tequila distilleries choose todo it the old-school way, with a tahona, a large wheel often made from volcanic rock that rolls around a stone pit, crushing the agave and extracting thejuiceas it goes. In those cases, their process is simply marked as diffuser.. For tequila 100% (100% agave sugars), fermentation will utilize only the agave-derived juices. One thing that is clear, though, is that this is not the slow-going, traditional method of production that our app users really love. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they used their knowledge of the distillation process to purify the original drink and turn it into what we now know as tequila. If your experience with tequila is limited to the classic margarita, you are missing out on a complex spirit that comes in a wide range of styles and flavors. Hand Crushed (86.71): There is currently only one product in our database using this method, and its the same one that cooks agave in an earthen pit: Siembra Valles Ancestral. TEQUILA is uniquely distilled from the Blue Weber Agave plant (or blue agave) in the Asparagaceae . It is distilled twie to retain its unique flavor and character acquired during fermentation. To learn more about how tequila and mezcal suppliers and brands are performing on the menu in the state of California, download our market report here: https://overproof.com/agave/. I do this as my passion, & nothing else. Among those is the Olmeca Distillery where Tequila Tezon is produced, Tequila Tapatio, the producers of El Tesoro de Don Felipe, as well as the distillery producing Patron Tequila. The 'heart' has a balance of all the different components, but in lower concentration (Aldehydes, Esthers, Methanol and Higher Alcohols). Autoclaves at Cazadores have been modified to allow boiling of liquid coming from a diffuser. Production process comprises four steps: cooking to hydrolyze inulin into fructose, milling to extract the sugars, fermentation with a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to convert the sugars into ethanol and organoleptic compounds, and, finally, a two-step distillation process. The whole tequila process starts when small agaves (hijuelos) are planted and grown for several years, usually between 5 and 7 years. Who Owns DeLeon . For those who enjoy a margarita, a blanco tequila is usually the way to go. Heres the Proof. None of these results surprise me. "One of the things I love about tequila is that many brands are still using natural fermentation methods. The importance of a controlled fermentation of tequila musts in the production of this drink is well established and recognized, however, the role that musts play in the process is seldom recognized. After the agaves are cooked, they are then juiced mechanically. Unlike whisky where the majority of time is spent in the ageing process, producing tequila requires a vast amount of time invested in cultivation. Grinding: Physical separation of alcohol and water. Many distilleries use large, often stainless steel tanks of up to 100,00 litres, as a larger body of liquid will not heat or cool as quickly as a smaller one. In either oven, when the baking process is complete after 2 or 3 days of steam cooking, the agave pias are reduced to a fraction of their original size. The temperature is critical, and if it's too cold fermentation will slow, and if it's too hot it causes the yeast to die off, keeping in mind that the process of fermentation itself, produces it's own heat. And like fine wines, the un. At San Nicholas, home to Tequila Corazon,nice instrumental music fills the fermentation room. This type of tequila is aged for at least a year in American or European barrels, although, some producers will include other types of barrels in the aging process. excellente ! The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. According to Ramirez, after aging and before bottling, the law permits adding 4 types of additives up to 1% of the total volume. This liquid, called aguamiel, is then fermented and distilled. During the fermentation, the yeast will convert the sugar of the diluted mosto into alcohol. Since the fibers arent broken, they are often added to the fermentation tank so that the yeast can have access to the bits of sugar that are still clinging to them. In this case, the column still is used in a different way than normal, making use of its continuous process, and not the ability to create high-proof tequila in a single pass. Many tequila brands have a story behind their bottle design. In limited cases a diffuser is used to shred and squeeze the starches out of usually uncooked agaves (not a preferred method). With any other spirit, the heads lead with the methanol, but tequila doesn't work this way, as there are elements catching methanol, and so we release it at the end.". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Often called. Extraction. The main distinction between tequila and mezcal are that they each use a different type of Agave plant for the fermentation process and that they are both distilled in separate areas of Mexico. Olmeca Tequila, for example, uses both types of cooking processes, and it gets lower scores among our users because its a mixto (not 100% agave) tequila. The result has about 55% alcohol and is then considered 'Tequila'. Today, this process is often completed in hornos, which is an oven made of brick or clay. The Debate About Tequila's Safety. Climate, rainfall, harvesting methods, fermentation styles, and overall production all play a major role in the spirit's flavor profile. (Tequila sales grew from 20.1 million to 23 million 9-liter cases between 2019 to 2020, . Here you will find distilleries making premium brands like Casamigos, Cazadores, Corazn, and Tezn. . The second and usually the last distillation takes 3-4 hours. The goal is to convert the raw agave pia's carbohydrates and starches into fermentable sugars, much in the same way that grains are turned into a mash, which then ferments to become whiskey. The agave matures for seven At many of the modern distilleries, stainless steel autoclaves are used instead of brick ovens. Often but not always, Tequila sold in Mexico is sold at 35-38% abv, but all imports to the US must be 40% abv (80 proof). Theyre easier to clean and are more efficient. Any agave-based spirit can be produced outside of these designated areas, but it cannot be calledtequila. Its a fast and economical way to distill tequila. . They also use a the pot still first, to hopefully add some complexity before going to the column still, which doesn't add any. Instead, it is the culmination of every step in the tequila-making process, from the agave to the barrel, that will affect the final product's quality. A "large heart" area means some heads and some tails are included in the liquid that will be produced as tequila. That is why blanco tequilas are crystal clear (they do not touch wood), reposado tequilas have a golden color, and aejo tequilas get an amber hue. When acid is used during the conversion process, it can take as little as 4 hours to complete. Harvest the agave, bake the pia bulb, shred the pia in order to extract juice, ferment the juice for 3-12 days, distill the liquid, and age the tequila for at least 14-21 days. We set out early in the morning on May 16, 2020. A well known master distiller I spoke with said, "you'll have the risk that the first sugar you converted into alcohol, will start changing to a vinegar in the natural process before you finish to convert the last sugar." . The 6-year old agave came from Mexpan, Ixtln del Ro, which is located 80 kilometers from Tequila in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The agaves go on top of that. Smoking underground imparts a smoky aroma and flavor because wood or charcoal is put at the base of a pit, covered by rocks (usually lava stones). As with any spirit, there are specific steps used to produce each type. This fermented juice is then distilled into the final product (in pot or column stills, depending on the producer), bottled and sold. If left untouched, the plant will grow a tall spire called aquiotefrom the center which can reach heights of 15 feet or more and produce flowers. SEE OTHER GREAT EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES and HONEST TEQUILA REVIEWS along with REAL TOP TEQUILA LISTS- HERE ON- LONG ISLAND LOU TEQUILA - SEE all the tabs above, and PLEASE LIKE on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Long-Island-Lou-Tequila-641682619241422/. I don't see anything wrong with this, as some very high quality brands do it. The juice seems alive during fermentation. To truly experience the complexities of this sophisticated type of tequila, sip it neat or over ice. On Facebook, many know me by the name Lou Agave. This is really interesting, and I love your data-driven approach. . Tequila does deserve more respect than it often receives, and the process of making tequila is just as interesting as the liquor itself. The idea is to separate and purify the fermented "musts" to eliminate any undesired elements, and doing so is called 'cutting heads and tails'. Water and yeast are also used during the fermentation process. Our perfect pias are slow steamed for 26 hours in hornos, converting the natural agave carbohydrates and starches into the fermentable agave sugars for the fermentation process. In this work, the behaviour of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (isolated from the juices of the Agave tequilana Weber blue variety) during the agave juice fermentation is compared at different sugar concentrations to determine if it is feasible for the industry to run . Screw Mill/Tahona (83.86): This is a combination that will speed up the tahona process. He went on to say, that a fuller population of yeast prevents such disaster. The agave plant is not a cactus, but a succulent in the lily family. Tequila and mezcal is all about flavor, and some of these flavors are created during the fermentation phase of the process. The Hornos. Carlos Camarena and a few others do not dilute tequila with water. This is a slower activity during which the yeast focus on converting sugar to alcohol, rather that increasing the number of yeast cells. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How is Tequila Made? Excelent Article ! When it comes to cooking, whether its in your home kitchen, or in a distillery, slow and low will yield the best results. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Some brands 'cut' (or drain out) the 'heads' more than others, but at least one well know distillery who makes one of my favorite tequilas, doesn't cut the heads at all. div#stuning-header .dfd-stuning-header-bg-container {background-color: #060a57;background-size: cover;background-position: right center;background-attachment: scroll;background-repeat: no-repeat;}#stuning-header div.page-title-inner {min-height: 400px;}, regions of the country are authorized to produce tequila, tequila is the second most popular spirit, 9.89 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $15.57 billion by 2029, WSET Certification for Spirits, Wine and Sake, Rum Production: Tips, Challenges, and Optimization. Your email address will not be published. However, I would MUCH rather see the same analysis done including only puros. Using the tahona wheel is a very traditional method and it was originally pulled by horses, mules, or oxen. 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