How It's Made: Tequila

Tequila is an interesting distillate made from the unique agave plant It is enjoyed all over the world and has a unique flavor unique production regulations and a fragrant aftertaste which give it a special appeal Let's take a look at how it is made An interesting process The Weber Blue Agave is the only agave used in all tequilas And the bottle labeled 100% Weber Blue Agave It is the purest tequila you can find Normally tequila is served straight But also mixed in cocktails like the famous Margarita Hot Palm or Spicy Sangria Tequila deserves much more respect than it often gets And the production process of tequila is just as interesting as the spirit itself He can convert the unbelievers The beauty of the landscape and the meticulous process of its creation He has brought great respect to this spirit For Tequila to be Tequila it must be brewed in one of the five authorized regions of Mexico In the regions of Mezcala Tamaulipas Huana Nayarit and Jalisco are the most famous places where the most tequila comes from Agave fields are scattered throughout Jalisco And when it's time for harvest you can see the jimadores unloading something It looks like a huge spiky pineapple This is the piña or the heart of the plant from which tequila is made It appears after the spiky bluish-green leaves have fallen The geographical origin distinguishes this spirit from all other agave-based liqueurs which are produced around the world This allows the Tequila Council to comply with strict production regulations The standards must be followed and adhered to for each Tequila brand that is to be sold under this title Each agave-based drink may be produced outside these designated areas but it may not be labeled as tequila In the areas near the city of Tequila some of the biggest names in the industry are located Among them are Jose Equervo and Saosa competing distilleries standing side by side Although they are neighbors their manufacturing processes and end products differ greatly In Los Altos or the mountains of Jalisco around the cities of Andaz and Jesus Maria you will find many lesser-known and boutique Tequila brands The red soil in this area produces the agave that gives these tequilas a completely different profile Here you will find distilleries that produce premium brands such as Casamigos Casadores Corazon and Tessen The agave plant is the most interesting part of the tequila production process She is unique among the spirits produced in Mexico For the various agave-based drinks produced in the country different types are used The agave is the secret The agave plant is not a cactus but a succulent from the lily family Long spines grow in rosettes above the ground These leaves are thick and fleshy with small blunt spines that run up and down A larger spine extends at the tip of each leaf and it is not blunt Underground lies the heart of the plant or pine the part it hunts After excavation these large garlic cloves are roasted and pressed in the distillery All plants are trimmed by hand There are no machines visible and a very sharp Coa- Deheimer is used to clean the plants and open the hearts A single agave plant can reach a height of five to seven feet and a similar spread They become sexually mature between the ages of seven and ten If the plant remains undisturbed a central spire will grow from its center It is called Quiet and can reach a height of 15 feet or more and produce flowers The majority of the coyote is removed so that the plant can focus its energy on productio can achieve the highest possible sugar concentration in the Pina After the agave hearts were harvested and sent back to the distillery they begin their transformation into tequila The goal is to convert the carbohydrates and starch from sugarcane agave into fermentable sugars Similar to nuts being processed into a paste that is then fermented into whiskey Each pina can weigh between 22 and 68 kilograms and goes directly into the oven The first step in the process is roasting the agave Traditionally the liver is baked in a stone pit a method that is still common in the production of Metzko However today's tequila producers have gone to great lengths and use one of two types of ovens made of clay bricks or stainless steel The Orno or clay brick stove has retained some of the charm of the old world It is used by several Tequila distilleries such as Querfundo Many distilleries today use stainless steel autoclaves as an alternative to masonry Kallins These modern ovens are often towering structures that can roast incredible amounts of agave at once and suitable for adults with a standing height of more than 1.20 meters In both ovens the agave pins are steamed for two or three days after the baking process is complete shrunk to a fraction of their original size They turn dark brown and look like caramel like a sweet mushy honeycomb If you ask multiple Tequila producers you will hear different opinions about the contribution of each type of oven to the final product This is a great debate Some compare the modern microwave autoclave and steamer to a traditional oven in their kitchen Every step has its sweetness The sweet juice contained in the roasted agave must now be extracted Each step in the process uses a different method just like the tequila distillation Most often mechanical grinders are used to crush and separate the agave fibers So that the sweet or musty juice can be collected for fermentation Some tequila breweries have chosen the old-fashioned method and use a tahuna a large wheel often made of volcanic rock that rolls around the mine The agave is chopped and the juice is extracted The use of the Tahuna wheel is very traditional and was originally pulled by horses mules or oxen Today's Thomas is powered by a tractor or central motor moves a arm attached to a wheel slowly around the hole button and requires one or two workers To process the hole while the two-ton wheels crush the agave Since the Tahun-Rad is a very laborious and time-consuming process only a few tequila distilleries use it The production process of tequila in the aging room is similar to that of other distilled spirits The sugar bridge is added to a fermentation tank with water and yeast During fermentation the yeast converts the sugar from the diluted wort into alcohol This is the same process used to produce other alcoholic beverages Including spirits is used and is an important step Distilleries use wooden or stainless steel fermentation tanks strict water-musk ratios and often also proprietary yeast The process usually takes two to five days which is the most important part of tequila Making the yeast happy is the key In the distillery where Casadores and Corafo tequilas are produced Yeast is accompanied by classical music during fermentation In San Nicolas the home of the Tequila-Cora zone pleasant instrumental music fills the fermentation room In the lounge tequila is just tequila The fermentation should contain four to ten percent alcohol and the goal is to distill it to a concentration of about 55 percent The liquid that comes out of the distillery consists of three parts The upper part is called the head the middle part the heart and the lower part the tail Usually only the essence captured in the distillery is distilled again Most distillers remove the heads and tails because they contain the most impurities The liver contains the best alcohol After the last distillation the head and tail are removed and the heart is placed into a barrel or bottle Most tequilas are aged in used barrels often from bourbon production where the barrels can only be used once Other used barrels are white or French oak barrels as well as new and used cherry barrels Each barrel imparts a unique note to the finished tequila and is carefully selected by the distillery In addition it is important to know that barrels give tequila similar to whisky and rum its final color and oak aroma Because of this Blanco Tequila is clear Reposado Tequila is golden and Anjo Tequila is yellow Click one of the two videos you are currently seeing on your screen See you again next time