Expert Article (Draft)

Appreciating Tequila (taking suggestions)

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Your first experience with tequilas was probably in college at a pregame or a party where someone came back with the cheapest tequila handle they could find. It was probably not the best choice over indulging in this throat burning alcohol. However, finding a good tasting tequila is a far more enjoyable experience when you know what you are looking for. So, let's try and find that perfect tequila for you!

Appreciation of the Process

First, I want everybody to see the labor that goes into a bottle of tequila. Many distilleries have different methods to their preparation of tequila, we will be taking a look at how Tequila Fortaleza produces their tequila. It all starts with the blue agaves, grown in the Tequila Valley of Jalisco, Mexico, which take at least 8 years to grow and mature. “Jimadors” harvest these blue agaves quickly and efficiently in the grueling sun of Mexico. 

The harvested agave hearts are then sent to be slow cooked for 36 hours in a traditional stone oven. The cooking of the agave hearts turns the starches in the hearts to sugar, in which the slow cooking carmelizes the sugars building up the flavors. After 24 hours of cooling they are then transported by hand to an area to be crushed by a “tahona” (a large round 2-ton volcanic stone). The crushing removes the sugars from the fibers of the agave.

Following the crushing process, the sugary liquid is then fermented in wood open-air tanks. For those that are not familiar with alcoholic fermentation, yeast is added to the sugary liquid to convert the sugars into alcohol. It takes 4 days until the yeast is done converting the sugar to alcohol where it is then moved to another area for distillation.

Specific to Tequila Fortaleza, they distill their tequila twice in traditional copper pot stills that are over 100 years old. The first distillation creates a product known as “ordinario” that has an ABV of 20% which is then distilled once more to create tequila with an ABV of 46%. 

Lastly, the aging process determines the type of tequila created. The aging process consists of letting the tequila rest in barrels for a certain period of time. Fortaleza uses oak barrels however other distilleries may use different wood types to instill a different flavor (“Our Process”).

• Blanco - typically not aged but can be for up to 60 days

• Reposado - aged for up to 1 year

• Añejo - aged between 1-3 years

• Extra Añejo - aged over 3 years

(Kissick)

Now that we know the process and types of tequilas, I want to go over their flavor profiles and common stigmas surrounding them. 

Flavors of Agave

Like I said before, many people are used to the $10 tequilas such as Jose Cuervo that are drunk in colleges across the country, however I think that the college experience of tequila takes away from its true beauty consisting of its long line of culture and tradition. A good tequila can be sipped and appreciated, on the rocks or neat, just like any other fine spirit such as a bourbon or scotch. There are many different tequilas with complex and delicious flavor profiles. The factors that make cheap tequila taste different than a well-made tequila are both diffusers and additives added in the production process. 

Mass production has resulted in the use of diffusers being added during the fermentation process to speed up the production time, however the time that the agave spends fermenting is where the flavors are built up. The diffusers create a product that can legally be called tequila but it is a shell of the true thing. Additives are then used to add back flavor to this “tequila”(Aranita). 

This is where brands like Casamigos push these additive filled “tequilas” that are catered towards consumer’s taste rather than the true flavor of tequila. Of course, at the end of the day people will drink what they like, but I think that it is important to at least try to understand the process and tradition that goes into a true tequila.

Now into the flavor profiles of each tequila:

• Blanco - crisp and bright, more of a simple flavor profile

• Reposado - warm and slightly nutty, the agave flavors start coming through more

• Añejo - woody and cinnamony, the flavors from the cooking and aging really come through

• Extra Añejo - caramel, nutty and vanilla, lots of sweeter flavors start coming through 

Lastly, before I give some recommendations I want to go over an often overlooked aspect of tequila and that is the artisanry of the bottles themselves.

The Artisanry of Tequila

Tequila is truly a product of culture and tradition and this can be seen in many of the bottles they come in. One brand that has undoubtedly shown off the beauty of tequila bottles on a global scale is Clase Azul. The bottles from Clase Azul showcase the heritage and tradition of Mexico. Clase Azul works with renowned Mexican artisans such as Jesús Guerrero Santos, to create beautiful art pieces. There are many more beautiful bottles that I will leave for you to discover. Now onto my recommendations.

Recommendations

For recommendations, I will give a recommendation for each type of tequila at different price points and how they are best used.

Blanco

At the lower price point sitting around $25-$30 is Espolòn Blanco. It is a palatable additive-free blanco tequila to sip, but I will say I find it best in a margarita or paloma. At around $50-$60 Fortaleza Blanco is a great tequila to sip on the rocks or neat. It is additive free and has a very pleasant flavor profile for people trying new tequilas.

Reposado

Again at the lower price point, for about $35 you can get Herradura Reposado. It tastes peppery, however it still has a little bit of that tequila bite. Going back to Fortaleza, their reposado has great vanilla flavors and will give a good representation of what agave flavors are like. Starting with this Fortaleza Reposado and onward I would recommend sipping them neat or my preferred way is on the rocks.

Añejo

I think that once you get to añejo tequilas you should not cheap out so the next recommendations will be a bit on the higher end. For ~$65 you can get Tequila Ocho Añejo. I find this one to be fruity and has hints of cinnamon.

Extra Añejo

This is my favorite type of tequila, as I find it to taste the best since I have a sweeter palate. My recommendation for extra añejo tequilas would be El Tesoro Extra Añejo at $105. It has strong nutty and chocolate flavors.

Furthermore, I recommend you to use the Tequila Matchmaker app to look for other tequilas that may interest you.

Citations

Aranita, Kiki. Https://Www.Foodandwine.Com/Additive-vs-Non-Additive-Tequila-6912542.

Kissick, Carolyn. “The Different Types of Tequila.” ST Online, Inc, siptequila.com/blogs/tequila/the-different-types-of-tequila.

“Our Process.” Tequila Fortaleza, tequilafortaleza.com/our-process/.