Tequila

Generality

The tequila (pronuncia tekila ) is a Mexican distillate obtained from the blue agave plant ( Agave tequilana FACWeber, 1902).

This spirits is named after the historic city of production (Tequila, located 65km from Guadalajara, heading north-west), but it is produced in large quantities also in the highlands (Los Altos) of the Mexican northwest, namely in Jalisco.

Although the original tequila is a sort of mezcal, the more modern one is to be considered quite different. While the mezcal exploits the chemical content of over thirty types of agave and traditional production methods (it is a typical product of Rural Mexico), contemporary tequila can make use of the addition of refined sugars (up to 49%) and is obtained almost totally with industrial vehicles from the ONLY blue agave.

The typicality of tequila derives basically from the climate and the characteristics of the soil. In Mexican production areas, the soil is red, volcanic and suitable for growing blue agave. Every year, more than 300 million plants are harvested in these places. On the other hand, the morphology and chemical contribution of the plant are changeable based on the specific area of ​​culture; the agaves of the highlands are larger, aromatic and sweet, while those of the plain have more herbaceous hints.

According to Mexican law, tequila can ONLY be produced in the state of Jalisco and in other very limited areas of the states: Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Also for the American regulations, the tequila is a distillate coming exclusively from Mexico (even if for a certain commercial agreement, a part of the tequila is bottled in the USA).

The most common type of tequila has an average alcohol content of between 35 and 55%.

Nutritional aspects

Tequila is a drink that can be consumed smooth or in the formulation of various cocktails; to view some tequila-based recipes, see the page at this link.

Tequila Sunrise

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The tequila is a spirits made by distillation. Its chemical formulation should not show high concentrations of sugars, proteins and fats, but this depends a lot on the type of tequila taken into consideration; it is therefore logical to think that most calories are attributable to the ethyl alcohol content.

Like limoncello, maraschino, grappa, gin, Marsala, nocino, Porto, Rum, etc., tequila is NOT indicated for significant consumption (frequent and abundant). Being a spirits, the medium portion (to be considered sporadic) should be clearly more contained than that of wine and beer; at most 30-60ml.

The reckless consumption of tequila could be harmful for tissues and metabolism, especially in the presence of: overweight, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic, renal or pancreatic distress.

The abuse of any spirits is directly related to the degeneration of the esophageal, gastric and duodenal mucosa; this is due to the increase in gastric acidity, which most often results in: gastro-oesophageal reflux, gastritis and, in the most serious cases, peptic ulcer.

Production

Despite the current industrialization of the processes, the production of tequila still begins with the manual harvesting of the plants, which exploits the profound knowledge of Mexican workers.

The attendants prevent the flowering by cutting off the central stem of the blue agave, thus allowing the complete maturation of the plant. Furthermore, they establish the time of harvest and cut the most succulent leaves ( pinas ) by means of a knife called coa . In this process it is not possible to use any type of automation, since, by failing the pruning or the moment or the harvesting technique, the agave leaves do not contain the right concentrations of carbohydrates (complex).

After picking, the pinas are cooked in special ovens to hydrolyse (break down) the starch into simple sugars; subsequently, they are triturated by means of a large circular rock ( Tahona ); waste fibers are fed to animals or used as fuel or to produce paper.

The useful portion, instead, is put to ferment in special tanks (of steel or wood) for a long time several days. Once fermentation is complete, the so-called "ordinary" is distilled and, only for "silver tequila", a second distillation is applied. At this point, the drink can be bottled or aged in cask.

Types of Tequila

There are two categories of tequila: 100% Agave and Mista; the latter must contain not less than 51% of agave juice and this means that it can reach up to 49% of foreign sugars (glucose or fructose).

The various tequiles also differ in 5 types:

• Blanco or plata (silver): bottled immediately after distillation (even double) or no more than two months of aging in steel vats
• Joven or gold: non-aged silver flavored and colored with caramel
• Reposado: aged between 2 months and less than 1 year, aged in oak barrels of varying sizes
• Anejo or vintage: aged between one year and less than three, aged in small oak barrels
• Anejo Extra or ultra-aged: aged at least three years aged in small oak barrels.

Recall that the plateau tequiles are always more aromatic than those produced on the plain. Moreover, if the young tequiles have a little complex structure, in which the alcoholic scent prevails, the aged ones gain softness and variable characteristics based on the wood or the previous use; obviously, the tequiles produced by "solo agave" are qualitatively superior to those with added sugars.

Background

The tequila was born in the 16th century AD near the city of Tequila, officially established only in 1666. The ancestor of the distillate was an Aztec drink called Octli ; this was then called Pulque in 1521 with the advent of the Spaniards, who, having exhausted the stocks of brandy, began to produce the agave distillate.

In 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, Marquis of Altamira, began mass production of spirits in the territories of today's Jalisco. 8 years later the drink was taxed for trade and the license was granted by Charles IV, King of Spain.

Contemporary tequila was produced from the 19th century in Guadalajara.

Don Cenobio Sauza, founder of "Sauza Tequila" and municipal president of "Tequila" (1884-1885), was the first entrepreneur to market the drink in the USA, shortening the name "Tequila Extract" to "Tequila". His nephew (Don Francisco Javier) then succeeded in obtaining the recognition of protection of the original territories (state of Jalisco).

Since the end of the twentieth century, the popularity of tequila has seen remarkable developments: the purchase of "Herradura" from Brown-Forman for 776 million dollars, the new official Mexican standard for tequila (NOM-006-SCFI-2005) and the acquisition of the "Sauza" and "El Tesoro" brands by the "Fortune Brands" company.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, a disease has spread that affects the agave plants: the Tristeza y Muerte de Agave. This, called TMA, is caused by mildew, which is a mold. This situation caused a reduction in tequila production and the related price spike; according to market estimates, this complication will probably continue for several years.

Many distilleries have converted from artisans to industrial production and, to facilitate their recognition, each bottle has a label with a serial number and a production specification.

Initially, the flavored tequila could NOT make use of the name of "tequila", but since 2004 the "Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico" has granted this opportunity, with the sole exception of the "Tequila of pure agave".

In July 2006 the world's most expensive spirits bottle (Guinness World Record) was sold, a $ 225, 000 tequila.

In 2008, Mexican scientists discovered a method to synthesize small tequila-based "synthetic diamonds" with 40% alcohol. On the other hand, being unprofitable and too small for jewelery production, the only application remains the commercial-industrial one in computer chips or cutting tools.