Tequila Flashcards
(127 cards)
1
Q
How does the US define tequila?
A
An agave spirit distilled at less than 95% ABV and bottled at no less than 40% ABV, made in Mexico.
2
Q
What status does tequila have in the EU?
A
GI status as a distinctive product of Mexico.
3
Q
What is the NOM?
A
The Norma Oficial Mexicana, the official standards of Mexico regulating spirit production.
4
Q
What are the two types of tequila?
A
Tequila
100% Agave Tequila
5
Q
What must be on the label of 100% agave tequila?
A
One of the following:
100% de agave
100% puro de agave
100% agave
100% puro agave
Blue may be added.
6
Q
What are the requirements for the production of both types of tequila?
A
Made from the Agave tequilana Weber plant.
Grown, harvested and produced in a designated tequila-producing area.
Bottled at between 35-55% ABV
Not “cold mixed” - no other added alcoholic beverage.
7
Q
What are other requirements for 100% agave tequila?
A
Must be from 100% blue agave
Must be bottled in a bottling plant controlled by the authorized manufacturer and located in a tequila producing area.
8
Q
What are the different requirements for non-100% agave tequila?
A
Must be produced with at least 51% blue agave. The remaining 49% may be from other sugars.
With approval, may be transported in bulk for bottling outside the designated tequila-producing areas.
9
Q
Are additives allowed in tequila?
A
Yes, certain additives are allowed up to 1%, including caramel coloring, oak extract, glycerin and sugar syrup.
10
Q
What is Abocado?
A
The process for softening tequila through the use of additives.
11
Q
What is Abocante?
A
The set of additives chosen in tequila production for Abocado.
12
Q
Are tequila producers required to list additives on their labels?
A
No.
13
Q
What is the botanical name of blue agave?
A
Agave tequilana Weber azul.
14
Q
About how long does it take for an agave plant to reach maturity?
A
5-30 years.
15
Q
How high can a blue agave grow?
A
5-8 feet
16
Q
How wide can a blue agave grow?
A
8-12 feet.
17
Q
What is a quiote?
A
A fast growing stalk on an agave plant, the if left to mature will produce flowers and eventually seeds.
18
Q
How much do blue agave pinas typically weigh?
A
Between 77 and 88 pounds (35-40 kg)
19
Q
What are typical aroma descriptors of blue agave?
A
Floral, citrus fruit, vegetal, herbaceous
20
Q
What is aguamiel?
A
The juice that builds up in the central rosette stem after the quiote is removed.
21
Q
What are two names of the swollen portion of the agave?
A
Piña - resembles a pineapple
Cabeza - looks like the shape of a head.
22
Q
How are most agave plants reproduced?
A
Via shoots (hijuelos or pups) that form along the bottom of the plant. During the 3rd to 6th year of a parent plant’s cycle, strong enough to be replanted.
23
Q
When are the best pups for cultivating agave collected?
A
When the agave plants are between two and three years old.
24
Q
What are Agaves Silvestres?
A
Wild agave plants
25
Are wild agave plants (agaves silvestres) and semi-wild plants used for agave spirit production?
Not generally, but are used by some Mezcal distillers.
26
What are semi-wild agave plants?
Agave plants that self-seed, but at a young age are dug up and replanted in a field with other semi-wild plants.
27
What are Bulbils?
Similar to pups, a shoot from a tequila plant that forms on the quiote. It can be replanted like the pup.
28
What are Hijuelos?
Shoots at the bottom of an agave plant, also called pups.
29
What Mexican state is the largest tequila producer?
Jalisco.
30
Besides Jalisco, what other Mexican states are allowed to produce tequila?
Tamaulipas
Guanajuato
Nayarit
Michoacan
31
Is Mezcal matured in oak?
Not widely.
32
Which style of tequila is rarely of high quality and not an important export?
Joven Tequila.
33
What are the two main agave producing regions of Jalisco?
The Amatitán/Lowlands Region
Los Altos/Highlands Region
34
In which part of Jalisco is the town of Tequila located?
The Amatitán
35
Which of the two agave producing regions of Jalisco is the overall warmest?
The Amatitán
36
What agave producing area of Jalisco includes the town of Arandas?
Los Altos
37
What type of tequilas are produced in Los Altos?
Softer, fruitier and highly floral tequilas.
38
What type of tequilas are produced in the Amatitán?
Crisper, more vegetal, and earthy tequilas with black pepper spice flavors.
39
What are the main factors that effect the character of a specific brand of tequila?
Agave quality
Other base material (Mixto)
Water used
Fermentation
Distillation type
Maturation
Additives
40
What is mosto?
Agave juice that has been extracted.
41
What is a jimador?
A agave fieldworker
42
What is a coa?
The sharp tool used for preparing the agave plant to be harvested.
43
How is an agave plant prepared for harvest?
The central flower spike is removed, which forces the plant to send its growth and sap into the heart.
44
How are agave plants harvested?
The plant is cut from its roots and rolled onto its side. From the position, the leaves (pencase) are sliced off. The piña (cabeza) is sent to the distillery.
45
What effect does the number of leaves left on the Pina have on the final spirit?
If too many are left on, there may be unwelcome flavors. But some distillers leave some to add complexity to the final spirit.
46
What is Tequila Rosa (or Rosada)?
An unofficial labelling term for tequila aged in used red wine barrels.
47
What aromas and flavors may be brought about by the aging of Rosa (Rosado) tequilas in used red wine barrels?
Fruity and floral aromas.
48
What is the first thing that happens to piñas when they reach the distillery?
Workers with axes cut them into halves and quarters.
49
What is a Cogollo?
It is a structure of the agave plant located at the tip of the pina. It is either removed during harvesting or prior to cooking.
50
What are fructans?
Polysaccharides/complex carbohydrates found in the aguamiel sap inside the piña of agave. They are molecules of fermentable sugar bonded together.
51
Are fructan or starch molecules smaller?
Fructan molecules are much smaller than starch molecules.
52
What fructans are found in the sap of an agave?
Inulin and agavin.
53
What must be done to aguamiel sap from an agave prior to fermentation?
The fructans must be converted to fermentable sugars. Often done by hydrolysis and/or heat.
54
What is hydrolysis?
The chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.
55
How does the heat while cooking the piñas during the tequila making process help with the extraction of the juice?
It softens the piña, which makes it easier to crush.
56
What does cooking do to the fructans in a pina?
It converts the fructans and breaks open the cells where the fructans are stored.
57
What are hornos?
Steam ovens used to cook cut up agave piñas during the tequila making process.
58
What happens after the piñas are cooked?
The steam is turned off, ad they are left in the oven for 2 more days.
59
What are the three main methods of cooking agave?
Hornos de Pozo (Fire pits or underground ovens)
Hornos de Mampsteria (Brick steam oven)
Stainless autoclaves
60
What is Mieles in agave production?
Spanish for honey, it is a small amount of sweet liquid released by pinas when they are cooked in a steam oven or autoclave. The liquid can be collected from the base of the oven for use during fermentation.
61
What is different about cooking agave in an autoclave?
They use higher temperatures, and shorter cooking times, usually 6 hours heating followed by 6 hours steam. Must be carefully controlled to avoid overcooking or burning.
62
How long do pinas typically cook in autoclaves?
Between 12 and 24 hours, followed by a period of cooling.
63
Does cooking pinas in steam ovens generate smoky aromas?
No.
64
When were Hornos de Mamposteria (brick/masonry ovens) first used in Tequila production?
More than 100 years ago.
65
How long are pinas cooked in Hornos de Mamposteria?
Between 24 and 36 hours.
66
What is a tahona?
A huge stone wheel drawn by oxen or horses, the historic method of extracting pulp from cooked agave.
67
About what percentage of sugar is it estimated that tahonas extract from pinas?
About 70% of the sugars.
68
What are bagazo?
Leftover fibers from the extraction of juice from agave.
69
What has replaced the historic agave crushing method for tequila production?
Mechanized crushers.
70
How much sugar can modern mechanized crushers extract from pinas?
Up to 85%.
71
What is a diffuser process in tequila production?
An expensive, large, enclosed machine that can extract nearly all of the carbohydrates from pinas. They are used either with cooked or uncooked pinas.
72
How does a diffuser work with uncooked pinas?
The machine bypasses the initial cooking stage and mechanically shreds the piñas, allowing the raw extraction of sap, which then goes through a heating and cooking process.
73
How does a diffuser work with cooked pinas?
It is a more efficient method to extract sugar from pinas.
74
Do distillers process whole cooked pinas through a diffuse?
Sometimes, or they may pass leftover fibers from a run through the mechanized crusher. The liquid from fibers only is lower quality.
75
What is the formulation step in the production of Agave Spirits?
The step before fermentation, where distillers create their final sugary liquid.
76
In 100% agave tequila production, what may be added prior to fermentation?
Agave fibers
Mieles
77
In Tequila (non 100% agave), what can be added prior to fermentation?
Agave fibers, Mieles, and non-agave sugars, often from sugar cane or corn. 51% of the total amount of sugars must come from blue agave.
78
What is Mieles Armagas?
Spanish for "Bitter Honeys", the first part of the liquid Mieles that drains off the cooking pinas. It is typically discarded.
79
How is the agave juice fermented in the tequila making process?
Mostly in stainless, diluted with water to a sugar level of between 8-16%. Nearly all distillers use cultured yeast. Some artisanal producers add bagazo to their fermentation vessels.
80
How long does fermentation take in making tequila?
Varies wildly. Could be within a day with nitrogen-based yeast nutrients and cultured yeast, week if using ambient/wild yeast and pina fibres.
81
What is mosto muerto?
Fermented agave juice ready for distillation.
82
What is the normal ABV for mosto muerto (the fermented agave juice used to make tequila)?
4-8%
83
If a basic tequila (non-100% agave) is made, when is the non-agave sugar portion added?
It is added to the fermentable must of the agave juice just before the yeast is added.
84
What are the distillation requirements for tequila?
It must be distilled a minimum of 2 times. No limitation on type of still used.
85
What ABV does "el corazon" (the heart of the run) have after the first distillation in tequila production?
Around 25%
86
What Group 1 fraction has high levels throughout the second distillation, not just the heads cut?
Methanol.
87
What is Ordinario in tequila production?
The heart of the first distillation run. Sometimes called tequila primero.
88
What is the ABV for tequila coming off the second distillation?
Usually no higher than 55-60% ABV, sometimes down to 46%.
89
What is tequila primero?
The heart of the first distillation run. Sometimes called Ordinario.
90
What is mixto?
The original name for non-100% agave tequila.
91
Since when have flavored tequilas been on the market?
2004
92
What are the aging classifications for tequila?
Blanco
Jove
Oro
Reposado
Añejo
Extra-Añejo
93
What type of tequila can use labelling terms for age?
Both Tequila and 100% de Agave.
94
What does Joven mean as a tequila labeling term?
A Blanco tequila that has been softened through abocado. No aging is required, but it is often an unaged tequila treated with caramel or other additives.
95
What is Joven Abocado on a tequila label?
It means young and smooth or young and mellowed, an unaged tequila with caramel coloring or other additives.
96
What is Oro tequila?
A blend of young/unaged tequila with older tequila. Sometimes used interchangeably with Joven.
97
What is Reposado tequila?
A tequila aged for a minimum of 2 months in oak.
98
What are some other possible labeling terms for Blanco tequila?
White, Silver, Plata
99
What are some other names for Reposado tequila?
Aged, rested.
100
What is Añejo tequila?
A tequila aged for at least 1 year in oak. May also be labeled Extra-Aged.
101
What is Extra-Añejo tequila?
A tequila aged for at least 3 years in oak. May also be labeled Ultra-aged.
102
What are the requirements for the size of the oak containers for aging Reposado tequila?
It is not regulated.
103
For what age categories is abocado not permitted in Tequila labelling?
Blanco or Plata (Silver)
104
What is the term for a tequila that is either unaged or aged in oak for up to two months with no abocado?
Blanco or Plata
105
What are the requirements for the size of the oak containers for aging Añejo tequila?
Must be no larger than 600 liters (160 gallons).
106
What are the requirements for the size of the oak containers for aging Extra-Añejo tequila?
Must be no larger than 600 liters (160 gallons).
107
What is Cristalino on a Tequila label?
Not an officially recognized term. Anejo or Extra Anejo Tequilas that have been filtered using activated charcoal to remove their color.
108
What are some terms used to refer to agave spirits other than tequila and mezcal?
Destilado de agave
Aguardiente de agave
Destilado de maguey.
109
Are Pipones still used for maturing Tequila?
They were traditionally, but usage is now in decline.
110
Describe the aroma of agave.
Delicate, earthy, and almost floral.
111
What is Maguey?
A local name for Agave in Mexico.
112
When did Don Julio register their first brand of tequila?
1951.
113
What was the first brand of tequila registered to Don Julio?
Tres Magueyes, a Mixto Tequila.
114
When was the first 100% blue agave tequila introduced by Don Julio?
1985.
115
Who currently owns Don Julio?
Diageo
116
What is Don Julio particularly known for?
It's horticultural practices. It grows agave on leased land to allow for soil replenishment through crop rotations.
117
How is Don Julio distilled?
Double distilled in copper pot stills.
118
Where is Don Julio produced?
Los Altos region of Jalisco
119
How is the agave for Don Julio cooked?
In masonry ovens.
120
What is El Tesoro?
A traditionally produced 100% agave premium tequila.
121
Where is El Tesoro produced?
The La Alteña distillery near Arandas in the Los Altos region of Jalisco
122
When was the El Tesoro brand first created?
1990
123
Who was Don Felipe Camarena?
Founder of El Tesoro.
124
Who were Robert Denton and Marilyn Smith?
Tequila importers who helped created the brand El Tesoro.
125
What was special about El Tesoro when it was first introduced?
At the time, most tequilas were mixto and consumed in margaritas.
126
What is Tapatio?
A brand of Tequila also produced by La Alteña distillery (the El Tesoro distillery)
127
How is El Tesoro produced?
With mostly estate-grown agave, baked in adobe hornos, milled in a traditional tahona, and fermented in open-top wood tanks with ambient yeasts.
