BLUE AGAVE

No other drink is surrounded by as many stories, myths, legends and lore as tequila and its companion, mezcal. They transcend simple definition by reaching into the heart of Mexico, past and present.
Tequila is an alcoholic drink made in the arid highlands of central Mexico, from fermented and distilled sap of the agave (also called a maguey), an indigenous plant (a succulent, not a cactus). Technically, all tequilas are mezcals, which were also known as mezcal wines and mezcal brandies before the name tequila became common. Today they are distinct products, differentiated by production process and taste, much the same way rye whisky and Scotch whiskey differ.
Blue Agave is actually related to the lily and amaryllis (it has its own genus, Agave). It is known as a succulent and, although it shares a common habitat with many cacti, it is not one itself and has a different life cycle. A mature agave has leaves 5-8 feet tall, and is 7-12 feet in diameter. It has a life span of 8-15 years, depending on species, growing conditions and climate. The name agave comes from the Greek word for 'noble.' There are 136 species of agave in Mexico, of which the blue agave - agave tequilana weber azul - is the only one allowed for use in tequila production. Several different species of agave are allowed for use in mezcal, including a rare wild species, tobala. Other agave plants are used for the production of various regional drinks like sotol, raicilla, bacanora and pulque. Agave has been cultivated on this continent for at least 9,000 years. No Mexican alcoholic drink is made from cactus. However, cactus is used in some fruit drinks, salads and other food items.
Agave grows best above 1,500 meters. According to some, the best agave plants grow on the slopes of the extinct volcano beside the town.

Agaves are grown from shoots (mecuates or hijuleos) taken from the adult plants at the start if the rainy season in their fourth to sixth year (when the shoots themselves are at least a year old, and about the size of a leek or small onion). The shoots are left in the fields to dry out for about a month before they are planted in a nursery for another year, after which they are transferred to the fields. Sometimes the shoots are planted right away, just before the rainy season, so they can get established in the soil more quickly. The agave may also be grown from seed, although this is generally not done any more. There can be anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 plants in an acre.The agave plant takes at least eight years to reach the stage where it is suitable for fermentation and may be left for up to 12 before harvesting; the more mature, the better its natural sugars (agave sazon means ripened). During this time it is pruned (barbeo), cutting the points of the leaves with machetes to encourage the piña to grow. Some farmers also use a technique called 'shotgun plowing' (barbeo de escopeta) to induce premature ripening of plants, but most fields are hand grown and cultivated, using traditional methods passed down from generation to generation. Modern producers often spray agave fields with fertilizers and pesticides. Most use farm hands to meticulously control the weeds by hand. Fields are not irrigated; the plants depend entirely on the rainy season for moisture. Experiments with irrigation showed the larger plants that resulted did not produce any more agave sugars.The part of the plant that is used for tequila is the heart (root), or piña (also called the head, or cabeza), which looks like a large pineapple or pinecone. It starts underground, but soon pushes its way into the light. A mature piña usually weighs 80 to more than 300 pounds (although most are under 200 pounds). Even 500-lb. piñas have been cultivated in the highlands, although they are rare.Left to grow in the wild, these piñas would extend a tall shoot, 15 feet high or more, with pale yellow flowers at the top. The wild flowers are pollinated by local long-nosed bats , and then after producing 3,000-5,000 seeds, the plant would naturally die. The skill of harvesting is passed down from father to son and some fields have three generations of jimadors working in them. Methodical, but efficient, a good jimador can harvest more than a ton of piñas in a day. He loads the heavy piña on a truck, Full truck loads are carried to the factory (fabrica) where the piñas are usually quartered or halved before baking. The remainder of the agave has no other uses. Harvesting is done year-round because the plants mature at different stages in the fields. Some large distillers pick young agaves, but others, like Herradura, use only plants 10 years or older.Some distillers will 'pre-cook' the piñas to rid them of external waxes and solids that may be retained in the penca. These can make a bitter or unpleasant juice. The steam-injected autoclaves used in modern distilleries also wash away any external materials from the piñas. Farmers who sell piñas by weight may leave on more of the penca, while those paid daily wages by the producer are more likely to cut them off closer to the piña. It takes about 7 kilograms of piña to produce 1 liter of 100% agave tequila - which means the average piña can make 60-100 liters. Small distillers may simply purchase agave syrup to ferment, without any of the intervening processes .Traditional distillers (tequilleros) let the piñas soften in steam rooms or slow-bake ovens for 50-72 hours. The traditional stone or brick oven is called a horno - hence the name of Sauza's Hornitos. This bakes the agave to process its natural juices (baking, or roasting is tatemar) at around 140-185 degrees F. This slow-bake process softens the fibres and helps keep the agave from caramelizing, which adds darker and bitter flavors to the juice and reduces the agave sugars. Baking in ovens also helps retain more of the natural agave flavors. Originally, the manufacturers beat the piñas with mallets to break them up once they were soft and cool. Then they moved to the tahona, a giant grinding wheel that can weigh up to two tons, operated by mules, oxen or horses (nowadays more likely by a tractor). Modern distilleries use a mechanical crusher, or shredder, like a giant wood-chipping machine to process out the waste bagazo (usually given away as animal food or fertilizer). Using one of these methods, the piñas are minced and strained to remove the juices (called aquamiel, or honey water), them mixed with water in large vats.The resulting wort (tepache) is sprinkled with yeast. Traditionally this is a yeast that grows naturally on the leaves of the plant, but today it may be a cultivated form of that wild yeast or even a commercial brewer's yeast (natural fermentation from airborne yeasts is sometimes allowed in some traditional mezcals and pulque). Tequila Herradura boasts it is the only company that uses 'natural fermentation.' However, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal (May, 1999) when yeasts are used to speed fermentation, some distillers must add antibiotics to kill unwanted microbes that result.The must (mosto) is left to ferment in wooden or stainless steel tanks. This can naturally take seven to 12 days, but modern plants add chemicals to accelerate yeast growth so fermentation only takes two to three days. Longer fermentation results in a more robust body. Fermented must may also be used as a starter mixture for the next batch. Sometimes the must is fermented with the residual pulp from the piñas left in it to impart the most flavor to the liquid - another traditional practice - but more often the pulp is disposed of. It may be sold to construction firms for adding to bricks or as packing material.Some manufacturers use cane or brown sugar cones (piloncillo) to speed fermentation to be able to use immature and fewer plants. This type of tequila can be sold in bulk for shipping out of the country, and can be bottled anywhere, including other countries where the regulations regarding agave content are not necessarily maintained. These tequilas are called mixto, and will not be labeled 100% agave, which purists demand.

After fermentation is finished, the must may be left another 12 hours to richen and settle before distillation.The result of fermentation is a liquid with about 5-7% alcohol. It is then distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills called alambiques, or in more modern stainless-steel column stills. The best copper stills are said to come from Tomelloso, in Spain. Distillation takes four-eight hours. The first distillation takes 11/2-2 hours. It is called the ordinario and is about 20% alcohol. The second distillation takes 3-4 hours. It has about 55% alcohol. It has three components: the cabeza, or head, has more alcohol and unwanted aldehydes, so it is discarded. The middle section is the El corazon, the heart, which is the best part and saved for production. The end is the colos, or tails, which is sometimes recycled into the next distillation to make it more robust, or may also be discarded. The residue, or dregs (vinazas) is discarded.

The color comes later, from aging in wooden barrels (barricas) or wood essence. Before bottling, most tequila is filtered through activated carbon or cellulose filters.One premium blend offers triple-distillation, although some connoisseurs say it comes with a subsequent loss of flavor. Reposado and Añejo tequilas will be stored in wooden casks. Older ones may be 50 years or older and still in use. They will be stored in warehouses or bodegas. Blanco will remain in stainless steel tanks until bottling. It may also be bottled immediately after distillation. The passion for premium aged tequilas that look like brandies has led some distillers to age them longer in oak barrels to absorb the maximum coloring. Representatives of the Tequila Regulatory Council oversee the production to ensure the distillers meet the standards and quality controls in place under Mexican legislation. The resulting mix is then bottled or tanked for bulk shipments. All 100% agave tequilas must be bottled in Mexico and marked "Hecho en Mexico" - made in Mexico. Only mixto tequila is allowed to be sold in bulk and bottled outside the country. Only alcoholic beverages made with agave azul (Blue Agave) can be labeled as tequila. There is no worm in Mexican-bottled tequila. Some American-bottled brand(s) put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it's only a marketing ploy and not a Mexican tradition.

The agave is not a cactus as rumored, but belongs to the lily family and has long spiny leaves (pincas). The specific plant that is used to make tequila is the Blue Agave. It takes 8-12 years for the agave to reach maturity. During harvest, the leaves are cut off leaving the heart of the plant or pina which looks like a large pineapple when the jimadors are done. The harvested pina may weigh 200 pounds or more and is chopped into smaller pieces for cooking at the distillery.