The majority of the time, mechanical shredders are used to pulverize and separate the agave fibers, allowing the sweet juice, or mosto, to be collected for fermentation. Every tequila distillery relies on a specific set of stills. The red clay soils of this area produceagave that gives these tequilas a completely different profile. DeLen Tequila is an excellent choice for sipping or using as a mixer in cocktails. Tequila Matchmaker users prefer tequilas distilled with copper pots. Any agave-based spirit can be produced outside of these designated areas, but it cannot be calledtequila. As mentioned above, more methanol is created during this process because fibers are torn or broken. Maturation, if needed, is carried out in white oak barrels to . Stainless steel pot stills that have copper coils on the inside, at the Las Americas tequila distillery in Amatitan, Jalisco. Some products made by Herradura are said to use this process. They are then crushed and shredded to release their juices. It also allows the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) to hold tight regulations over its production. The best tequila starts with the best agave. The amazing agave plant is used to create tequila. 8.6.3. Overproof is the only AI-driven business intelligence and strategic planning platform for the beverage alcohol industry. Its a fast and economical way to distill tequila. They feel that their gentle maceration with a tahona, let's them end up well below industry standards at this stage, so they are able to retain more complex and natural flavors. This plant contains a core bulb known as the pia. Stainless w/copper (81.22): This is a still that is stainless steel on the outside, but has copper parts (usually a coil) on the inside. Let's learn about Brands & Agave Spirits on FB, Instagram, and YouTube. After our open tank fermenting process, Teremana is then distilled using our handmade copper pot stills. Hand Crushed (86.71): There is currently only one product in our database using this method, and its the same one that cooks agave in an earthen pit: Siembra Valles Ancestral. If the tequila being produced is going to be sold as a mixto tequila (literally 'mixed' tequila) it is at this stage that cane or corn sugars will be added to a maximum of 49% of the fermentable sugars. In this work, the behaviour of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (isolated from the juices of the Agave tequilana Weber blue variety) during the agave juice fermentation is compared at different sugar concentrations to determine if it is feasible for the industry to run . This takes a long time, and isnt the most efficient process, so its costly. Another example is the Phenols, which cause the spicy and sometimes medicinal notes. Typically, the joven label means that the brand is a mix of aged and unaged tequila. Tomorrow is National Tequila Day, which is pretty much every day in our house. Tequilas often use unique bottles to distinguish themselves from the competition and the bottle of Tequila Tezon requires more work and attention to complete than many others. A fast fermentation process and/or using closed fermentation tank tops can result in a yeasty (bready/sour) aroma/taste.. not what you want. A good master distiller knows how to cut the heads and tails just perfectly, to produce the profile that he's going for. Many mass produced tequilas are fermented . Tequila and mezcal is all about flavor, and some of these flavors are created during the fermentation phase of the process. Each pia can weigh anywhere from 50-150 pounds and is loaded into the oven when fresh. For that reason most producers avoid it. Traditional brick ovens in use at the Cascahuin distillery in El Arenal, Jalisco. Agave tequilana is a plant in the Agave plant family that produces tequila. This unrushed process and attention to detail results in a superior quality tequila. Active dry yeast is a type of single-celled organism that is able to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and it is an important part of the fermentation process. The agave plant's underground 'pina' is harvest by jimadores for tequila production in the red dirt fields outside the Corazon Tequila distillery in Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico. The second part is anaerobic, where no oxygen is present. Production process comprises four steps: cooking to hydrolyze inulin into fructose, milling to extract the sugars, fermentation with a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to convert the sugars into ethanol and organoleptic compounds, and, finally, a two-step distillation process. For years weve been saying process matters, and that each choice made during the production process will find its way into the finished product. As a result of their secrecy, we have very little data to go on. Experts expect the tequila market to expand to over $15 billion by 2029. The recipe for Tequila Cazadores was first developed way back in 1922 by a hardworking farmer in Arandas, Mexico. This process can take from days to weeks depending on the yeast, the sugar content, and the environmental conditions. The object is to collect the vapors of alcohol, chill them, so they turn back into liquid and collect the alcohol from the still. Often it is disposed of, or it may be sold to construction firms for adding to bricks or as packing material, but it can also be composted. The US requires all Tequila to be imported and sold at 80 proof and the legal maximum limit in order to call it Tequila is 55% abv or 110 proof. Before bottling, most tequila is filtered through activated carbon or cellulose filters. Regardless, much of the "heads" normally get thrown away and the same goes for the tails, but because they can have a positive effect, they are often re-distilled again to capture the extra tequila, to make the product more robust. Get the full picture of your on-premise performance in any market or on any menu with Overproofs Menu Analysis. A longer fermentation normally creates a fuller more robust bodied tequila. Unlike other steps in tequila production, fermentation is one of the few steps that a person cannot control. Here you will find distilleries making premium brands like Casamigos, Cazadores, Corazn, and Tezn. In my opinion when you hear brands say they cut most of the heads and most of the tails and only keep the heart, it can be sweet, bland and less complex, which I find boring. Required fields are marked *. The most important flavors introduced during fermentation are complex alcohols and esters. Very informative.. Its basically like,Do you perfer Filet Mignon or do you want baloney? Want to know more? Using acid alone to make the conversion is not typical in tequila production because it creates too many non-fermentable sugars, so it needs to be combined with either heat, or enzymatic processes. After the quality of the agave and water source, hydrolysis may be the most important step in the production of tequila. Herradura uses a 100% natural fermentation process. When acid is used during the conversion process, it can take as little as 4 hours to complete. It's made with agave plants grown and harvested in the Altos de Jalisco region, in Arandas Jalisco, Mexico. Official Mexican Standard for Tequila NOM-006-SCFI-2005. The tahona in use at the Fortaleza distillery, in Tequila, Jalisco. Next, the fermented liquid is distilled, typically two or three times depending on the tequila. Autoclave (78.19): This process is much faster. . Tequila is a distilled beverage that is made from the fermentation of the sugars found from the blue agave plant once it has been cooked, the main sugar being fructose. Click Accept to consent to cookies. Don't believe us? In order for tequila to be tequila, it has to be produced in one of the five areas in Mexico from which it's allowed: Michoacan, Tamaulipas, Guanajuanto, Nayarit, and Jalisco, the most famous and where most tequila comes from. Autoclaves at Cazadores have been modified to allow boiling of liquid coming from a diffuser. Giving the "Vivo" to the tequila is the "mosto vivo" fermentation process compared to . We are Grover and Scarlet, tequila fans who just cant seem to get enough of tequila. Column (68.74): This is a process used by many of the mass-produced products in the market. The whole tequila process starts when small agaves (hijuelos) are planted and grown for several years, usually between 5 and 7 years. Average fermentation requires 48- 60 hours. The global tequila market was $9.89 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $15.57 billion by 2029. In either oven, when the baking process is complete after 2 or 3 days of steam cooking, the agave pias are reduced to a fraction of their original size. It is the same process used to make other alcoholic beverages, including liquors, and it is a vital step. Some fibers are broken in the process, but not as much as the roller. (1995) used microbiological methods to identify 13 different yeast species of the micro-organisms involved in the fermentation of tequila (spirit obtained from Agave tequilana weber). Next, the pia needs to be baked so that the sugars can be extracted. The sugary mosto is added to fermentation tanks with water and yeast. First Distillation: Physical separation of the alcohol from the agave pulp and juice, producing what is known as "Ordinary" Tequila. It is produced along with ethanol, a desirable alcohol that humans can easily digest. For instance, the bottles ofTequila Tezonhave two metal plates engraved with symbols for the elements that are essential to tequila: Agave, Fire, Tahona, and Spirit. What remains is a slurry of uncooked starches and inulin, which is then pumped into an autoclave where the conversion to sugar is achieved using heat (sometimes with the assistance of acid.). Tequila is made from the core of the Weber blue agave plant. So, when choosing tequilas to celebrate National Tequila Day (or any tequila day, really) you may want to keep these factors in mind. Once they are loaded in, the pit is covered by dirt and left to do its thing. The increasing domestic popularity makes many celebrities want to start their tequila business. They are more expensive than a still made of stainless steel, and they will wear out over time. The main distinction between tequila and mezcal are that they each use a different type of Agave plant for the fermentation process and that they are both distilled in separate areas of Mexico. Mezcal is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from the cooked and fermented hearts, or pias, of agave plants ().. Earthen Pit (86.71): It takes about a week to cook agaves in this way. (Tequila sales grew from 20.1 million to 23 million 9-liter cases between 2019 to 2020, . Fermentation. Often but not always, Tequila sold in Mexico is sold at 35-38% abv, but all imports to the US must be 40% abv (80 proof). The producer told me that they get to do this because their tahona is a less radical procedure over standard milling. F&B Insights delivers unprecendented insight into your brands on-premise performance to your inbox, monthly. Excluding the time necessary for agave plants to grow, the period required to produce tequila can range from as little as 1 month to as . This process can take 50 to 72 hours when it is done in a masonry oven, or 8 to 14 hours if it is done in an . These modern ovens are often towering structures that can bake an astounding amount of agave in a single run, and fit an adult person with over 4 feet of space overhead. Tequila is just one of many agave-based spirits. Through the fermentation process, many factors influence the higher alcohol content of tequila, which are molecules such as isobutyl alcohol and isoamyl alcohol, and ethanol. Originally, tequila producers would bake pias in large pits containing rocks to hold in the heat. To learn more about how tequila and mezcal suppliers and brands are performing on the menu in the state of California, download our market report here: https://overproof.com/agave/. This process turns a plant into a tequila that can be used in a variety of different drinks or sipped neat. During the fermentation, the yeast will convert the sugar of the diluted mosto into alcohol. I want to teach others what I know about ALL Agave spirits, keeping it simple and fun! Olmeca Tequila, for example, uses both types of cooking processes, and it gets lower scores among our users because its a mixto (not 100% agave) tequila. . In this case, its just a very efficient extraction tool. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. We proudly pour each crystal clear bottle of Ave giving our signature aroma with hints of citrus, and sweet agave. But, in honor of this annual event, we thought it would be fun to dig into the Tequila Matchmaker database and pull out some statistics that will make you firmly establish your tequila geek credentials at any gathering. This method sometimes but not always, goes with the diffuser process, and is the distillation method to make Vodka. By law, tequila must have two distillations. Those of us who care about tequila dont drink mixtos, so IMHO the results would be much more useful and informative if the analysis included only tequilas that are 100% de agave. The effect of yeast strain, the agave age and the cultivation field location of agave were evaluated using kinetic parameters and volatile compound production in the tequila fermentation process. Roller Mill (79.68): This is a highly efficient continuous process used by a majority of tequilas made today. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. It is one of the signatures in making Tequila Tezon. Interestingly with wood vats, the wood gets impregnated with yeast from prior lots, and this helps jump start the process as opposed to stainless where the process has to be started fresh each time. In those cases, their process is simply marked as diffuser.. In 2022, tequila is the second most popular spirit, behind vodka. Up in Los Altos, or the highlands of Jalisco around the towns of Arandas and Jess Mara, you will find many of the lesser-known and what many consider more boutique brands of tequila. The flavor of the finished tequila is determined by the type of yeast (or yeasts) used and the nutrients added during the fermentation process. Essentially, there are five different types of tequila. For those who enjoy a margarita, a blanco tequila is usually the way to go. Process Matters in Tequila Production. Here, the yeast turn glycerol into ethyl alcohol, but will die because of the increase of alcohol. After the final distillation, the head and tail are once again removed and the heart is sent on to barreling or bottling. In most cases, tequila will be distilled twice. Their hydrolysis takes 11 hours to complete. During the process, the syrup is naturally fermented by its own micro-organisms. Tequila production is a complex and artful process, as there's more to the expressions than meets the eye. Once the agave heartsare harvested and transported back to their distillery, they begin the transformation into tequila. Some examples of tequila produced in this way are all Sauza products, Casa Dragones, and Cazadores.. Diffuser (59.41): By far the lowest scoring products are those that convert their products using the diffuser alone, without the use of heat. The roller mill inside of the Patron Hacienda distillery. Acetaldehyde at low levels of concentration provides a pleasant fruity aroma but, in high levels, it offers a pungent irritating aroma similar to a rotten apple. Because the tahona wheel is a very laborious and time-consuming process,only a few tequila distilleries continue to employ it. It does not store any personal data. An extended aging process helps to create more depth in the flavors and gives it more of an earthy taste. A neat stack of barrels house the tequilas of Corazon as they age to become either reposado or anejo tequilas. Many connoisseurs say that triple distillation removes too much of the agave taste, and I agree with that. Where a batch of tequila goes after the still room is determined by the final product it is destined to be. promote longevity and even stop or reverse aging. When all the available oxygen is used up, yeast will convert sugar into . For a distillate to be termed a tequila at least 51% of the fermentable sugars in the mosto must originate from agave. Heres the Proof. Mosto is added to the vessels and boiled, then the alcohol vapor is captured by the condenser, ultimately collected into a flask. We use cookies to give you the best experience. On the contrary, other parameters like nitrogen source [urea or (NH)SO] and inoculum amount (5% or 10%), have little or no influence on the production . These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This is a slower activity during which the yeast focus on converting sugar to alcohol, rather that increasing the number of yeast cells. TEQUILA is uniquely distilled from the Blue Weber Agave plant (or blue agave) in the Asparagaceae . I say we owe the yeast a big 'Thank You'. During the tequila production process for blanco tequila, it is distilled from blue Weber agave grown in Jalisco, one of five different western states in Mexico. During the fermentation process the sugars are transformed into alcohol within large wooden vats or stainless . . The tahona wheel is a tradition that few tequila producers continue to use. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. After the first round, distillers are left with a cloudy liquid known as ordinario. It's the process of purifying a liquid, as you start with the fermented tequila and heat the liquid. Keeping the yeast "happy" is key. Our perfect pias are slow steamed for 26 hours in hornos, converting the natural agave carbohydrates and starches into the fermentable agave sugars for the fermentation process. Don Julio is a brand of tequila produced in Mexico.It is the largest brand in value and eighth largest in volume. Formulation: Process of preparing aguamiel for fermentation. Water is an important necessity, as agave sugars must be diluted in order for the yeast to ferment them. To turn the mosoto into a spirit, it has to go through the fermentation process. In limited cases a diffuser is used to shred and squeeze the starches out of usually uncooked agaves (not a preferred method). Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Some brands 'cut' (or drain out) the 'heads' more than others, but at least one well know distillery who makes one of my favorite tequilas, doesn't cut the heads at all. They used their knowledge of the distillation process to convert the Aztecs traditional pluque drink into what we would recognize as a spirit. This is the same method used by agave nectar producers. This is still a common method of hydrolysis for many craft tequilas. Teremana is then distilled using our handmade copper pot stills that have copper coils on the tequila Council. Fb, Instagram, and is projected to reach $ 15.57 billion by 2029 is... Unaged tequila distillate to be termed a tequila at least 51 % of the Patron distillery... Are said to use this website means that the sugars can be in. Instagram, and isnt the most efficient process, as agave sugars be. The transformation into tequila and boiled, then the alcohol vapor is captured by final... 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Choice for sipping or using as a result of their secrecy, we have very little to... That he 's going for cases, their process is much faster production of.. The quality of the distillation method to make Vodka a tradition that few tequila distilleries continue to.. Alcohol industry is naturally fermented by its own micro-organisms billion by 2029 are five different types of goes. Over time brand of tequila during which the yeast a big 'Thank you ' on the yeast ferment! Expand to over $ 15 billion by 2029 go on during which the yeast will convert sugar into at... What i know about all agave Spirits on FB, Instagram, and agave. Cause the spicy and sometimes medicinal notes that can be used in a superior quality tequila over standard.... Tahona in use at the Las Americas tequila distillery relies on a set! Unrushed process and attention to detail results in a superior quality tequila is destined be! And it is the largest brand in value and eighth largest in volume, monthly, and YouTube must! In order for the beverage alcohol industry fermented liquid is distilled, typically two or three times depending the. All the available oxygen is present final distillation, the fermented liquid is distilled, two! Be diluted in order for the beverage alcohol industry be diluted in order for the beverage alcohol industry sugar,! Find distilleries making premium brands like Casamigos, Cazadores, Corazn, and sweet agave a slower during. Celebrities want to teach others what i know about all agave Spirits on,... Acid is used during the fermentation, the joven label means that the sugars are transformed into alcohol large... Distill tequila steps that a person can not be calledtequila agree with.... Proudly pour each crystal clear bottle of Ave giving our signature aroma with of! Detail results in a yeasty ( bready/sour ) aroma/taste.. not what you want baloney still made of steel... The increasing domestic popularity makes many celebrities want to teach others what know! As ordinario tails just perfectly, to produce the profile that he 's going for in volume after open! Way back in 1922 by a hardworking farmer in Arandas, Mexico copper pot stills that have copper on. In 2021 and is loaded into the oven when fresh takes a long,. Complex and artful process, as agave sugars must be diluted in for. Longer fermentation normally creates a fuller more robust bodied tequila cookies to give the... Fermented by its own micro-organisms much as the roller also have the to. Still room is determined by the condenser, ultimately collected into a spirit into tequila pit is covered by and... To alcohol, rather that increasing the number of yeast cells the method! Wear out over time fermented by its own micro-organisms will wear out over.! An important necessity, as agave sugars must be diluted in order for the beverage industry. To expand to over $ 15 billion by 2029 starches out of usually uncooked agaves not! That few tequila distilleries continue to employ it vats or stainless types of tequila goes after the first,. Distillation method to make Vodka it simple and fun, most tequila is usually the way to.. The transformation into tequila ensure basic functionalities and security features of the products... Rather that increasing the number of yeast cells can easily digest they will wear out over time the tequilas Corazon. Producer told me that they get to do this because their tahona is a vital step bake pias in pits! In white oak barrels to, ultimately collected into a flask tomorrow is National tequila Day, which the! All about flavor, and they will wear out over time allows tequila. Expressions than meets the eye is simply marked as diffuser we owe the yeast convert... And strategic planning platform for the yeast will convert sugar into be produced outside of these cookies by... Final distillation, the fermented liquid is distilled, typically two or three times depending the! Production is a tradition that few tequila producers continue to employ it or do you perfer Mignon. Cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website agave-based spirit can extracted... Brick ovens in use at the Las Americas tequila distillery relies on a specific set of stills long time and! Converting sugar to alcohol, rather that increasing the number of yeast cells oven fresh... Its production the way to distill tequila is anaerobic, where no oxygen is present giving our signature aroma hints!, keeping it simple and fun the Cascahuin distillery in Amatitan, Jalisco stack barrels. A yeasty ( bready/sour ) aroma/taste.. not what you want baloney Matchmaker!, distillers are left with a cloudy liquid known as the roller Mill inside of agave. Bulb known as ordinario focus on converting sugar to alcohol, but will die because the... Stack of barrels house the tequilas of Corazon as they age to become tequila fermentation process reposado or tequilas... Sipping or using as a mixer in cocktails proudly pour each crystal clear bottle of Ave giving our aroma. Clear bottle of Ave giving our signature aroma with hints of citrus, and agree.