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All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.
Not all mezcal is mezcal, but all tequila is mezcal. Mezcal can be created from more than 30 different types of agave, whereas tequila can only be prepared from the blue agave, or agave tequilana (AKA maguey). (Agave espading is used to make the majority of mezcals.)
Agave is not a cactus.
A cactus is not an agave. Cacti and tequila have nothing in common. Unless you are seated next to one and drinking some joven. A desert succulent is the agave plant.
Blue agave typically takes eight years to mature.
In terms of what agave is not, it is difficult to grow. Even under ideal desert conditions, the average blue agave takes eight years to reach maturity. And that merely brings you to the harvest. Add more time if you want your tequila to age in any way!
The blue agave plant only has one life to give.
The fact that blue agave is a single-use plant doesn’t help efficiency. The agave plants’ piasor hearts—called so because they eventually end up looking like pineapples—are torn out when they are finally ready to be harvested. These components will be fermented, mashed, and steamed to create tequila.
Tequila is legally required to be only 51% blue agave.
Although blue agave is the primary ingredient in tequila, it need not be used entirely. Although many tequilas will claim to be “100% Blue Agave,” the legal minimum is 51 percent. A “mixto tequila” is produced when distillers add a neutral spirit made from cane sugar juice to the remaining portion. As expected, these are typically considered to be of poorer quality.
Your tequila bottle should not have a worm in it.
Just so you know, there won’t be any worms in the tequila. The connection between tequila and worms is (presumably) a result of the frequent consumption of maguey plants by “gusano de maguey,” tiny larvae that, if unchecked, would develop into a mariposa, or a type of butterfly. Mezcal, not tequila, is the type of alcohol used when they are placed in bottles as larvae. Basically, if there is a worm in the tequila, don’t drink it. Who knows what else might be wrong in the bottle if the maker made that mistake.
Young tequila is really young.
We consume a great deal of young tequila. Aejo is 1 to 3 years old, reposado is 2 months to 1 year old, and blanco/joven is barely 0 to 2 months old. According to age norms, that is quite young. But there is something known as “extra aejo, elevating tequila maturation to a new level of sophistication” (3 years or more).
You can buy tequila that has been aged for over a decade.
Although three years may seem like a long time to age tequila, one of the oldest “extra aejos” that are now available is really 11 years old and costs more than $1,000. It is completely organic blue agave that has been aged in French oak. A fantastic (really, truly fantastic) present for the devoted tequila drinker in your life?
The name tequila carries legal weight around the globe.
Tequila is protected as a Mexican designation of origin in numerous nations, much as products from the European Union with protected designations (such as Champagne and Prosciutto di Parma). NAFTA stipulates that protection for Americans and Canadians. Do not attempt to create anything and call it tequila in your bathtub.
The Tahona process is as crafty as it gets.
Tequila can be as handcrafted and unique as the tiniest, most artisanal spirit you can find. even if a major producer made it. See, those enormous pias are steamed and crushed to create tequila. The Tahona technique, which essentially involves dragging a huge volcanic wheel over the steaming agave hearts, is one way that pias can (and have been) pulverized. Donkeys have historically and continue to do so in at least one location. We are unsure what qualifies as artisan if the usage of a donkey does.
Which cactus produces the alcohol?
How Is Cactus Used to Make Alcohol? Pulque. The alcoholic beverage metoctli, also known as octli in Nahuatl, is made by fermenting agave sap. This beverage has a long history of production in Mexico, where it is made.
Which cactus produces tequila?
Agave tequilana, also known as blue agave (agave azul) or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is a significant economic product of the Mexican state of Jalisco because it serves as the primary ingredient in tequila, a well-known distilled spirit. The primary quality that makes a plant appropriate for the manufacturing of alcoholic drinks is the high production of sugars called agavins, primarily fructose, in the center of the plant.
Mexico’s Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Aguascalientes states are home to the tequila agave. The plant prefers higher elevations of over 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) and thrives in rich, sandy soils. Large succulents with thick, spiky leaves that can grow to heights of over 2 meters (7 feet) are formed when blue agave plants mature. When they are about five years old, blue agaves produce a stalk (quiote) that can grow an additional five metres (16 feet) and is capped with yellow blooms. [2] [3] Commercial plants have the stalk removed so that the plant can concentrate its energy more on the heart. [4]
The flowers yield thousands of seeds per plant, many of which are infertile, and are pollinated by the greater long-nosed bat as well as by insects and hummingbirds. then the plant perishes. The previously cut shoots are then planted to create new plants, which has resulted in a significant loss of genetic diversity in cultivated blue agave.
A 50-year-old blue agave near Boston, which is rarely managed as a houseplant, produced a 9 m (30 ft) stem that required a hole in the greenhouse roof and flowered in the summer of 2006.
[5]
Is the agave cactus used to make tequila?
The Weber blue agave plant, also known as agave tequilana, is a sizable succulent with long, spiky leaves that resemble aloe vera. It is the source of tequila. A bulb known as the pia is located inside the center of the blue agave plant. In order to manufacture tequila, this bulb is baked, juiced, and then fermented with yeast in barrels.
What beverage is created from cacti?
The most popular cactus for both cooking and creating beverages is this one. The prickly pear, an extremely valuable and useful fruit, is produced by this cactus.
Mexican culture is profoundly influenced by the nopal cactus. It has been a mainstay for centuries. In actuality, the Mexican flag has an eagle perched atop a nopal cactus.
The prickly pear cactus is another name for the nopal cactus. Its flat paddles give it a distinctive appearance. These paddles serve as both the cactus’ “arms” and the fruit’s growth point.
The nopalitos can even be consumed uncooked. For the best enjoyment, we prefer to grill and season them. Nevertheless, regardless matter how you prepare it, this cuisine is wonderful.
The fruit of the prickly pear is perched on the paddle. The majority of the drinks made from cactus come from this fruit.
This fruit with a striking color is another that is frequently used in Southwestern cuisine. You can cook, candi, and jelly it.
Nopal cactus has earned a starring role in many Mexican cocktails and cuisines since there are so many diverse variants to enjoy.
Prickly Pear Water
The prickly pear cactus produces the commercial cactus water that is most frequently purchased. Due to the fuschia fruit, it is sometimes found on shelves with a light pink tinge. There is a process involved before the water merely starts to stream out.
The prickly pear fruit needs to be de-spined in order to get the cactus water. When interacting with the cactus’ thorns, extreme caution must always be exercised.
The fruit is then squeezed repeatedly until practically dehydrated. Here it is: a glass of prickly pear water that is high in fiber!
Cactus Vodka
Another product made from the prickly pear cactus is vodka. What an adaptable plant!
You can add this vodka to any kind of beverage that calls for it. The component provides an additional level of intrigue.
Instead of the cactus’ fruit, the paddles of the plant are fermented to create prickly pear vodka. Distillers choose these paddles with great care to start the process.
The complete set of paddles is fermented. To reduce the amount of alcohol in the liquid after fermentation, it is diluted.
Up to 90% of alcohol can be found in cactus-based vodka. The beverage has been diluted to 40%.
The cactus vodka is prepared for sale after it has been treated and filtered. Enjoy your favorite cocktail after adding a splash.
Nochotle
In addition, the nochotle and other traditional Mexican alcoholic beverages contain significant amounts of the prickly pear cactus.
Mexican cuisine’s most traditional components are used to make nietotle. It is a beverage produced by mixing pulque with nopal cardn and prickly pear juice.
This beverage has been consumed for ages. It magically makes use of the delicate sweetness of the prickly pear.
Colonche
Another traditional beverage created from the prickly pear cactus is this one. It has a similar flavor and preparation to the Nochotle beverage mentioned above.
Colonche is a fermented beverage like tepache. Its inception took place in central Mexico. The cactus fruit and sugar are macerated together to create the beverage, which is then fermented.
After the initial fermentation, the colonche needs just minimal preparation before being served over ice.
What cactus is used to make vodka?
The first and only cactus-based vodka in the world is called Spike. This handcrafted premium vodka is only produced in San Antonio, Texas. Spike has a very smooth finish and is aromatic with flavors of agave, vanilla, and sweetness.
Blue agave—is it a cactus?
Agave plants, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, are members of the century plant family Agavaceae, whereas the perennial cactus species are members of the Cactaceae family.
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service states that the agave plant is not a cactus, despite the fact that both are considered succulents, or “plants with highly specialized anatomical features such as thick waxy cuticles, fleshy or minimal leaves, modified leaves (spines), and roots with extra storage capabilities for food and water.”
The vast majority of the hundreds of agave plant species are monocarpic, which means they only blossom once before dying. Included in this are species like the well-known century plant, Agave Americana, which can live for up to 30 years or more but never for a century before flowering. The majority of cacti flower frequently, depending on the species.
The presence of leaves—the agave has them, whilst the cactus has not—is another notable distinction between an agave and a cactus. Again, depending on the species, many agave leaves can be eaten as long as they are cooked. However, in the past, Native Americans frequently poisoned the points of their arrows with extracts from the raw agave leaf. Stems are what make up a normal cactus’ green parts.
What kind of plant makes tequila?
In Mexico, the sole agave species known as blue agave (Agavetequilina) is fermented to make tequila. In actuality, the Weber Azul cultivar of the blue agave is where the majority of tequila is derived from.
Although it can also be found in the surrounding states of Colima, Nayarit, and Aguascalientes, the blue agave grows mostly in the Mexican state of Jalisco. In rich, sandy soils above 5,000 feet in elevation, it flourishes.
The blue agave grows to a height of five feet or more, and its leaves are as long as your arm. To get to the heart (or pia) inside, these leaves are chopped off during the harvesting procedure.
The larger long-nosed bat pollinates blue agave.
Regards, bats! Unfortunately, farmers typically develop blue agave by planting shoots rather than seeds, which is bad news for biodiversity. Long-nosed bats have few floral sources in places where farms predominate because removing the reproductive stalk causes the agave’s heart to enlarge. Due to the lack of genetic mixing between parent plants, this reproductive technique causes a loss of genetic variety. This makes blue agave susceptible to blight and disease.
What plant is used to make vodka?
Vodka has dominated the world since its modest beginnings as a medication in the Middle Ages. According to Beverage Dynamics (opens in new tab), a national publication specializing in retail alcohol sales, vodka sales worldwide generated almost $45 billion in 2020, and Americans alone consumed 189.7 million gallons (862.4 million liters) of the powerful alcoholic beverage.
Any food containing sugar or starch must first be fermented to make vodka, which must then be distilled to add more alcohol. (Fermentation is the process of feeding yeast sugar so the yeast can make alcohol.) According to “Vodka: A Global History” (opens in new tab), vodka can be created from fermented grains like sorghum, corn, rice, rye, or wheat, tor from potatoes, sugar beet molasses, or even fruit (Reaktion Books, 2012).
Only 16 percent of the product’s alcohol by volume (ABV) is produced during the fermentation process, which is too little for spirits. It takes distillation, or heating in a still-shaped container, to increase that number. Because alcohol and water boil at different temperatures, the alcohol evaporates and may be separated from the water. Most vodka has an alcohol by volume of 30–40%. “Rectified spirits” have an ABV of 95%, such as the American brand Everclear (opens in new tab).
What makes tequila “real”?
The percentage of agave used to make the tequila will also be stated on the front label. Search for either “100% agave or “100% blue Weber agave. If it isn’t specified, the tequila is probably a mixto. Tequila makers are technically allowed to use any less expensive spirit to make up the other 49 percent of the product, but by law, tequila must be manufactured with 51 percent agave. Non-100 percent agave tequilas are known as mixtos and are typically of low grade.
Is pineapple used to make tequila?
The entire tequila production process is an artistic expression that results in a drink that is exclusively Mexican. We can observe the procedure from growing the agave plant to it creating a drink in this Tequila 1800 commercial.
Acampo de agave y transplanted agave hijuelo por Mundo Cuervo (2020)
Beckmann Fundacin A.C.
The only raw ingredient used to make 100% agave tequila is Tequilana Weber blue agave. Since the mezontle, or center, of the plant is where sugars are concentrated during photosynthesis, it is also known as the “pineapple” because of its resemblance to the fruit of the tropics. Pencas, fibrous stalks that protect the plant’s mezontle or heart.
The average time from the agave plant’s seeding until it is ready for harvest is 7 to 10 years. The agave’s magnificent “quiote,” or inflorescence, then emerges. It will increase in height from 10 to 20 feet at a rate of around 4 inches daily.
In addition to flowers, fruits, and seeds, the inflorescence also produces tiny plants known as bulbillos (little bulbs), which can be employed for the plant’s asexual reproduction. However, the hijuelos (shoots), which are rhizome-derived structures, are employed for commercial agave tequilero asexual reproduction.
Jose Cuervo’s Proceso de Jima en los Campos de Agave (2020) by Mundo Cuervo
Beckmann Fundacin A.C.
In order to promote the growth of the plant’s heart and not its stalks, the stalks are clipped or sheared three or four times before the jima, or harvest. Once the plant reaches its ideal age and dies, the jima, or harvest, of the tequila agave is completed. A thorough jima, which entirely removes the stalks, enables the production of a higher-quality product with herbal and fresh scents.
At the time of the jima, pineapples typically weigh 75 pounds and have a 20 percent sugar content. Occasionally, or depending on the growing region, a reduction of up to 32 percent of sugars are documented per plant. Majestic pineapples can weigh more than 500 pounds and have total decreasing sugars of up to 30 percent.