Declaración de Denominación de Origen Tequila

Piñas

Here is a bit more about tequila.  Specifically, the story and details of the production process. Understanding how it is made takes the level of appreciation to the next level.

It begins with native Mexicans producing a “vino-mescal” perhaps as early as the 16th century.  Some say earlier. The Spaniards observed this process and later a German naturalist named Franz Weber gave a name to the plant used to make the magical juice:  Blue Weber Agave.  Today, Blue Weber Agave is the only type of agave (yes there are many) that is used to make tequila.  In fact, according to the ‘Declaración de Denominación de Origen Tequila’, the Mexican Government has codified this into law as the only allowable plant to be used for tequila-making. FYI – Blue Weber Agave has a higher sugar content compared to others and is relatively easy and fast (7-10 years) to grow. Oh, did I mention tequila must be produced in the area surrounding the city of Tequila? This includes the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.

Blue Weber Agave grows well in the volcanic lowland regions of Mexico and produces an herb-like plant with little or no woody tissue.  It also has an intricate flavor profile.   Once the plant matures, the plants are harvested and leaves or “pencas” are trimmed to prevent a bitter taste.  This leaves the cores or “piñas”.

The farmers who maintain and harvest the agave are called “jimadores” which is a type of Mexican farmer who harvests agave plants primarily to produce mezcal and tequila.  The jimador typically employs a coa tool – which is a spade-like instrument to trim the plant.  Given the size of the plant, the long handle of the tool and sharp typically circular spade comes in handy during harvest.

The next step is to bake the piñas by placing them in ovens where they are slowly steamed for about a day to convert the starches into sugars. Older more traditional ovens can be quite large and are typically made from brick or clay. Other ovens are built into the ground with a stone lining.  (think of a large 10 to 15 foot crater lined with stones) After steaming, the piñas are allowed to cool which can take hours and hours.  Then, the crushing part takes pace.  The cooled plant material is ground into small pieces and softened with demineralized water. The fiber or “bagazo” is milled again to extract the remaining juice. This is where the tahona wheel discussed in an early post came into prominence.  The resulting juice is particularly sweet and is what eventually makes tequila.

Fermentation takes place next.  Depending on the type and mix of yeasts used and duration of fermentation, different flavor profiles can result.  Fermentation can take several days and eventually leads to the distillation process.  Like most alcohols, distillation can involve varying methods but using pot stills (alembic stills) is not unusual.   Once the best quality of alcohol is isolated by a Master Distiller, the tequila is then typically placed in barrels and aged.  Some brands cycle their tequila through multiple barrel types to develop unique flavor profiles.  It is then bottled and distributed.

The price of tequila? A bottle can vary from about $25 to $75 . . . to hundreds and hundreds. But, you generally get what you pay for. Want a bottle that is identified by a unique serial number, rooted in 150 years of family tradition and produced by hand? Plan on spending about $400 to $500. It would be a great gift for a Web-Master. Just thinking out loud.