TEQUILA

LAVA HILL
It is believed that the word tequila
means LAVA HILL in the tequila tribes
native tongue, since the town is located
near dormant volcano

Javaid Ahmad Bhat

Tequila is a spirit made primarily in

the area surrounding Tequila, a
town in the western Mexican state.
It is made from the blue agave
(Agave Tequilana), part of the lily
family.

Don Cenobio Sauza, founder of Sauza

Tequila and Municipal President of the
Village of Tequila from 1884-1885, was the
first to export tequila to the United States.
Don Cenobio's grandson Dan Javier
gained international attention for insisting
that "there cannot be tequila where there
are no agaves!" His efforts led to the
practice that real tequila can only come
from the State of Jalisco.
Blue agave fields and ancient distilleries near Tequila are recognized as
part of the
World Heritage List

Process of Tequila Making

When a blue agave plant is ripe,

usually 8 to 12 years after it is
planted.

Leaves are chopped away from its

core after the ripeness is assessed, With
special long knife known as a Coa to
clean the core
The Pia will be visible when all the
leaves (Pencas) have been cleared.

Mature Blue
Agave Plants

Harvesting of Pina

The cores or pinas (Spanish for pineapple)

weight an average of 40 to 70 pounds, and
can weight up to 200 pounds

Pias are hauled to the distillery where

they are cut in half or chopped and put to
roast.

Starches turn to sugar as the Pias

are roasted in furnaces called-Hornos

Pina

Splitting of Pina
before Roasting

Matured hearts
of Pina

Pinas being transferred

to a Roasting chamber

Traditional brick
oven used to
cook Pinas

Cooked Agave
heart before it is
Crushed & Pressed

Traditionally, the Pias or Cores are baked in hornos:

large (812 ft diameter / 6 ft deep) rock-lined conical pits
in the ground. A 3 4 cubic foot pile of trunk oak in the
bottom of the pit is covered by rocks 6 inches in
diameter and the wood is burned, turning the rocks red
hot
Next the rocks are covered with a layer of moist fiber
remaining from the last production to prevent the hearts
from scorching and the pias are piled to 5 6 feet
above ground level, then covered with banana leaves or
moist used fiber from the last process, or agave leaves,
then petate (woven palm fibre mats), and finally earth.
The pias are allowed to cook in the pit for three to five
days. This converts the starches to fructose and lets the
pias absorb flavors from the earth and wood smoke
coating the rocks.

 The

roasted Pias are then shredded,

their juices pressed out and placed in
fermenting tanks.

Once

the juices are in the vats yeast is

added. During fermenting, the yeast acts
upon the sugars of the agave plant
converting them into alcohol.

Shredded Pina.
The juice known
as Pulque is being
pressed out by
a grinding mill

Juice being
pumped into a
Fermentation
Tank / vat

The
Fermentation
Process

Juices ferment for 30 to 48 hours then

they are distilled twice in traditional copper
stills or more modern ones made of stainless
steel.
The first distillation produces a low-grade
alcohol and the second a fiery colorless
liquid that is later blended before being
bottled.
The resulting liquid
according to its type.

is

then

aged

The
Distillation
Process

Some types of tequila

are then bottled
immediately & some
are kept for maturation
In oak casks

The Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico

originally did not permit flavored tequila to
carry the tequila name
In 2004, the Council decided to allow
flavored tequila to be called tequila, with
the exception of pure agave tequila, which
still could not be flavored.

Tequila is graded according to the level of

agave it contains and length of aging.
There are 2 levels, either 100% Agave or
mixed (mixto)
Mixto is made by fermenting and then
distilling a mix of agave and other sugar,
usually cane sugar. By Mexican law, all
100% agave or aged tequila must be
bottled in Mexico.

AFTER MATURATION TEQUILA IS BOTTLED AND THEN SOLD

Service

Tequila is served at Room

Temperature, though
Sometimes people like
it chilled.
It is normally served with
Salt and lime halves.
It is traditionally served
In a 2 ounce glass
Called Caballito

Drinking Tequila

A single shot of tequila is

often served with salt and a
slice of lime. This is called
"tequila cruda" and is
sometimes referred to as
"training wheels," "lick-sipsuck," or "lick-shoot-suck"
(referring to the way in which
the
combination
of
ingredients is imbibed)

Types of Tequila
Blanco (White) or Plata(Silver):- Un-aged tequila
National Drink of Mexico

Joven /Oro/Gold:- Un-aged tequila with

Colorants and flavours like caramel

Reposado/Rested:- Tequila which is rested

for not less than 2 months & not more
than 12 months
Anejo/Aged:- Tequila which is aged
between 1-3 years. American whiskey
or cognac barrels are used to age this.

Famous Tequila Brands

Sauza
Jose Cuervo

Don Julio
Montezuma

Olmeca
Casa Noble

Brandy

Javaid Ahmad Bhat