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For Tequila Lovers

Lobster11

Lobster11

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Apr 22, 2006
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Williamsburg, VA
#1
Frankly, I don't usually pay much attention to the "off-topic" forum here at TB -- I'm usually pretty focused when I'm here on bass-related stuff -- but I happened to notice recently a long-running thread about Scotch whiskey. I wondered whether there might be a similar thread about tequila, but I couldn't find one. Now, I love me some good Scotch whiskey, to be sure, but to me there is no finer adult beverage than those distilled from the Mighty Agave.

So, it seems to me that there ought to be a thread devoted to this. Are there any other tequila lovers out there?
 
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#3
Im a beer guy w/the occasional foray into wine-land, but in my younger, wilder(read stupider ;))days I liked tequila. Not being discriminating at the time, it was invariably Cuervo... I'd love to hear some alternate suggestions though, as I've been suppressing an urge to grab a bottle for some time now... :ninja:
 
#13
Haven't tried them yet but there are some new organic Tequilas that are supposed to taste like the old days. No chemicals or insecticides. Apparently the precious agave has been targeted by some nasty insects and diseases. Farmers have been overly zealous in treating the problem.
 
#14
There are a couple of things that are important to know about tequila, one of which is absolutely crucial: the difference between "puros" and "mixtos."

What makes tequila different from, say, whiskey or vodka, is that it is made from the agave plant (actually, a particular species thereof). By Mexican law, to be labeled "tequila," at least 51% of the liquor must be distilled from agave; the other 49% can be distilled from corn, sugar cane, or whatever else is available. Agave is expensive, in comparison to corn or sugar cane, so such "mixtos" can be made on the cheap. Many of the most popular brands -- including the ubiquitous Jose Cuervo Gold that we've all gotten sick on at some time in our lives -- are mixtos. So, a bottle of this stuff contains about half real tequila, and half who-knows-what-else. If the what-else is distilled from sugar cane, for example, it is basically cheap rum; if it is distilled from corn, it is basically cheap corn whiskey. Do not drink this stuff under any circumstances. Would you order a drink at a bar made from half good tequila, and half the cheapest rum available? It's no wonder that people get sick and have terrible hangovers drinking mixtos.

In contrast, a "puro" is distilled entirely from agave: It is "pure" tequila. Look carefully at any bottle and search for the phrase "100% de agave": If it says that somewhere, it is a puro and worth trying. If it doesn't say that anywhere, it is surely a mixto, and you should take a pass. Note that the "100%" part is crucial. If it just says something like "made from blue weber agave," it's a mixto (i.e., it's made only partly from agave).

Of course, puros are generally more expensive than mixtos, but often not by as much as you'd think. The market is bulging these days with inexpensive puros, some of which (e.g., Lunazul, Agavales) are even less expensive than Cuervo Gold. Use one of these for your margaritas -- a mixto isn't even worthy of use in mixed drinks -- and experiment with the top-shelf brands for sipping neat or (as I prefer) over ice.
 
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#15
All the Patron guys should should get them a bottle of this stuff. Its way smoother, has a better flavor and costs less. Patron isn't great tequila, and is over priced.

tres-generaciones-anejo.jpg


I don't believe there is a better tasting spirit than Tequila or Mezcal.
 
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#16
Lobster11 said:
There are a couple of things that are important to know about tequila, one of which is absolutely crucial: the difference between "puros" and "mixtos."

What makes tequila different from, say, whiskey or vodka, is that it is made from the agave plant (actually, a particular species thereof). By Mexican law, to be labeled "tequila," at least 51% of the liquor must be distilled from agave; the other 49% can be distilled from corn, sugar cane, or whatever else is available. Agave is expensive, in comparison to corn or sugar cane, so such "mixtos" can be made on the cheap. Many of the most popular brands -- including the ubiquitous Jose Cuervo Gold that we've all gotten sick on at some time in our lives -- are mixtos. So, a bottle of this stuff contains about half real tequila, and half who-knows-what-else. If the what-else is distilled from sugar cane, for example, it is basically cheap rum; if it is distilled from corn, it is basically cheap corn whiskey. Do not drink this stuff under any circumstances. Would you order a drink at a bar made from half good tequila, and half the cheapest rum available? It's no wonder that people get sick and have terrible hangovers drinking mixtos.

In contrast, a "puro" is distilled entirely from agave: It is "pure" tequila. Look carefully at any bottle and search for the phrase "100% de agave": If it says that somewhere, it is a puro and worth trying. If it doesn't say that anywhere, it is surely a mixto, and you should take a pass. Note that the "100%" part is crucial. If it just says something like "made from blue weber agave," it's a mixto (i.e., it's made only partly from agave).
Click to expand...

Good info, I never knew that. I'm going to research a few brands.
 
#17
As long as I'm at it, I might as well post about what I consider the other important thing to know about tequila -- though it's not as crucial as the puro/mixto distinction I wrote about above. This concerns the matter of aging.

Unlike whiskey, tequila is good-to-go right out of the still; it doesn't require aging to fully develop its flavors. However, it takes on different characters via aging in wood casks for different (and relatively short, compared to whiskey) amounts of time. Blancos (a.k.a. "silver," "plata," "crystal," or "platinum") are fresh out of the still, or aged no more than two months. Reposados (= "rested") are aged up to a year, and anejos (= "aged") up to 3 years. In general, as you'd expect, more aging generally means more expensive (within a given product line); it also means predictable changes in flavor profiles. There's a good summary and more info about all this here:

http://www.tequila.net/faqs/tequila/types-of-tequila-classifications.html

Now, you might think that more aging is always "better," as is often the case with whiskeys (up to a point), but with tequila that's not true: The differences are a matter of taste. Personally, I much prefer the snappy, fresh-agave flavor of a good blanco -- tequila in its purest, most glorious form. Aging tends to round off the sharp edges and add new flavors, both of which some people find desirable and others (like me) don't. Of course, more aging typically means more expensive -- anejos are pricier than reposados than blancos, all things equal -- making this probably the only domain in life in which I actually prefer the least expensive version among the available options!

One more thing: These aging categories generally apply only to puros; mixtos are rarely aged. However, mixtos often come with a designation of "gold," like the popular-but-awful Jose Cuervo product. The color in these cases does not come naturally from barrel-aging, as in the case of reposado and anejo puros, but rather from artificial coloring -- often with caramel, which also imparts some added (artificial) sweetness.
 
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#18
This may be the most informative TB thread I've ever participated in. :)
I will try a puro- that said, I got along very well w/Cuervo. Not defending the stuff, just saying my innards were OK w/the stuff, whatever THAT means...
:ninja:
Now- what is the diff between tequila and mezcal?
 
#19
Different type of agaves: Mezcal (traditionally spelled mescal) is a Mexican distilled spirit that is made from the agave plant. Tequila is technically a mezcal, however, there are differences in production technique and in the types of agave used. Tequila is made from a single type of agave plant – the agave tequilana (blue agave) - and can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and in small parts of four other states.
Mezcal can be produced from up to 28 varieties of agave (including blue agave) and is made around the city of Oaxaca and, according to official government regulations (NOM -070-SCFI-1994), can also officially be produced in some areas of the states of Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas. Most mezcals are made from the Espadin agave, although some mezcal producers blend agave varieties to create a distinct flavor.
Mezcal traditionally has a very unique, smoky flavor that makes it fairly easy to distinguish from tequila. It also tends to taste sweeter, or richer, than tequila. Some mezcal producers have adopted production processes similar to tequila, and the resulting mezcal has flavor profile similar to tequila.
 
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