The most famous liquor from Mexico is of course the world-famous tequila. This high-percentage alcohol is also increasingly appreciated in Poland. However, do we know what tequila species are available? How to drink it What to connect with We want to release the secret of this Mexican secret …
Tequila was already known to the Aztecs, who used a special variety of blue agave for its production. It is a distillate of fermented juice that is obtained from this plant. The name of the alcohol comes from a town in the province of Jalisco, which is now the center of tequila production. It is believed that the word comes from the language of the indigenous people of the region called Nahuatl and meant “place of cultivation of plants”, “place of wild herbs”, “place where they cut” or “workplace”. Currently, the name is reserved only for products bottled only in this area, and the blue agave plant and production is also supervised by a special department of the Mexican government – all so that the world does not go around miserable fakes.
Not just white and gold
In Poland, we still have too little knowledge about this drink, which results in its relatively low popularity in our country, although it is slowly changing. In general, we distinguish only two varieties of tequila: white and gold. However, there are definitely more of them and the difference is not only color. They differ in agave cultivation time, distillation method, and aging method and time.
Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, cactus is not used for production, but a special variety of blue agave, or more precisely its heart, which we get after cutting off the leaves. It looks like a kind of pineapple. On average, the time that passes from planting the agave to its cutting is 8 years, although some are harvested only after 12 years. Then from this part of the agave the so-called pulp is prepared, from which the juice is squeezed and fermented, and finally distillation. The distillation process itself does not differ much in the production of all types of tequila, while the quantity and distillation, as well as aging and storage have the greatest impact on quality and grade.
The basic determinant of the quality of this drink is the amount of agave that is used in the production. The best species, of course, contains 100% agave, there are also tequila mixto in which there is much less of this agave; however, the minimum amount must be 51%, the rest is most often sugar cane, which, with improper consumption of the drink, “owe” on the second day unimaginable headaches. In recent years, species with the addition of dyes and flavor extracts have also appeared on the market. Interestingly – since 2006, you can produce tequila mixto outside the Jalisco region, and even outside of Mexico. That is why we advise you to carefully choose the bottles you buy.
The next division depends on the amount of distillation and the aging period. We can distinguish tequila blanco, oro, reposado, anejo and extra anejo here. Of course, the longest-aged ones are the most expensive, and their prices reach up to 225 thousand. dollars (approx. 800 thousand PLN), as is the case with Ultra Premium Ley 925 Pasion Azteca – yes, this is the price for a bottle. As you can see, the price gap is huge. After all, in Polish supermarkets we can get a bottle for PLN 40. In this case, the price definitely goes hand in hand with quality.
How to drink specific species?
Tequila silver – blanco is lowest in the hierarchy, and all this is because it is distilled only twice and aged for about 2 months in steel tanks. Sometimes, for lack of time, it is poured into bottles. It is usually drunk with lime and salt, although it is often used for drinks. Unfortunately, it is the most widespread in our country.
Tequila gold – joven is placed on the same qualitative level as the blank. As the name suggests, this is a variety of the golden branch of this drink. Joven from Spanish means youth, so the aging time is not the longest. Most often it is a combination of gold and annual tequila. An important element in the production of this species is the process of dyeing alcohol. This is due to the admixture of caramel, fructose or wood aromas. It is usually used for drinks because it is very intense in its taste and aroma, but you can also drink it from shot glasses with cinnamon and oranges.
Reposado is a variety of gold with a much milder taste and aroma, thanks to aging in oak barrels, which oscillates even within one year. It is also consumed in pure form or mixed in drinks.
Tequila Anejo is already placed very high in the species ladder. It is stored in small oak barrels for up to three years. It would be barbaric to add it to drinks, and preferably sip it slowly.
The optimal aging time for tequila is 5 years, although some types in oak barrels rest for up to 9 years. Only the best genres known as muy anejo, extra anejo or super anejo . We can savor its sophisticated taste and aroma by sipping it from tall cognac-like glasses.
We hope that tequila will no longer have secrets from you. Although the best genres are associated with considerable expenses, life is too short to drink poor quality spirits. Believe me – trying those from the higher shelf, you will not want to go back to the weaker ones … Salut !
Leave a Reply