The fermentation process follows. This takes a long time, and isnt the most efficient process, so its costly. . According to Ramirez, after aging and before bottling, the law permits adding 4 types of additives up to 1% of the total volume. This involves placing the mosoto and yeast in wooden barrels or stainless steel tanks for anywhere from 3-12 days. Sourcing the Agave. Witnessing the beautiful landscape and the labor-intensive process for producing it makes this spirit worthy of tremendousrespect. Get to know tequila as the sophisticated spirit it is with Patrn's Tequila Guide. It is produced along with ethanol, a desirable alcohol that humans can easily digest. 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. 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 . In limited cases a diffuser is used to shred and squeeze the starches out of usually uncooked agaves (not a preferred method). Roller Mill/Tahona (79.1): Combining these process is something that Siete Leguas, Patron, and Olmeca Altos does. The type of yeast most commonly found in tequila is saccharomyces cerevisiae, which contains many strains. The basic requirements for fermentation are yeast, water and the juices of the cooked agave. Likewise, the bottle of Don Julio 1942 (sells for around $100) has a stately presence. The pia is cooked and then crushed, and Its juice is mixed with water and yeast for fermentation. help improve bone health and density. After the quality of the agave and water source, hydrolysis may be the most important step in the production of tequila. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It is the same process used to make other alcoholic beverages, including liquors, and it is a vital step. Here is more information about each one of these steps: 1. Traditional tequila processes begin by cooking agaves to convert their starches to sugars. . This part normally lasts 24-48 hours. Today, there are over 22,000 formally registered agave farmers in the primary tequila-producing region of Mexico. These components are Acetic Acid (Organic Acid), Ethyl Lactate (Esther), Furfural, Benzaldehyde (Aldehyde) and the dangerous and most critical component of Methanol, which can be toxic in extremely high concentrations. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. DeLen Tequila is a high-quality, premium tequila made from 100% Highland Blue Weber agave sourced from the Los Altos region of Jalisco, Mexico. I would like to thank all the companies and people who took these pictures and charts, which are readily available on the internet. It is a key contributor to Casa Sauza's tequilas. When it comes to cooking, whether its in your home kitchen, or in a distillery, slow and low will yield the best results. Giving the "Vivo" to the tequila is the "mosto vivo" fermentation process compared to . This plant contains a core bulb known as the pia. 'Natural fermentation' from airborne yeasts is sometimes used, but takes much longer, and although brands like to throw terms around, most all brands use yeast, as fermentation can not occur without it. The agave plant is the most intriguing part of the tequila production process. 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. The Agave Plant's Importance in Making Tequila. Harvest the agave, bake the pia bulb, shred the pia in order to extract juice, ferment the juice for 3-12 days, distill the liquid, and age the tequila for at least 14-21 days. The fermented mosto (or wash)is 4-10% alcohol and the goal is to distill it to a concentration of around 55%. To truly experience the complexities of this sophisticated type of tequila, sip it neat or over ice. Fermentation tanks. In those cases, their process is simply marked as diffuser.. 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. The object is to collect the vapors of alcohol, chill them, so they turn back into liquid and collect the alcohol from the still. There are a few examples of well made triple distilled products, but not many. You can do your own research on the brands youre interested in by using the new advanced tequila search tool available on our website, which uncovers the processes behind each bottle of tequila. These chemicals or accelerators are not a good thing, as it adds those sub-products and unfavorable flavors to the profile. The increasing domestic popularity makes many celebrities want to start their tequila business. Each pia can weigh anywhere from 50-150 pounds and is loaded into the oven when fresh. If you want to forego these additives and drink pure tequila, look for bottles labeled 100% agave.. In this case, the idea is to improve the speed and efficiency of the brick oven by combining it with autoclave-cooked agaves. The notes you can smell over the fermentation vats (minus any vinegar aromas), are the same notes you should recognise later, after distillation. aid with weight loss. The idea is to separate and purify the fermented "musts" to eliminate any undesired elements, and doing so is called 'cutting heads and tails'. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Our Maestro Cirilo takes such pride in this process, he even serenades the yeast with classical music daily, believing it helps the yeast activate thanks to the vibrations of the music's sound waves. Natural airborne fermentation allows the airborne yeasts to ferment the wort without adding any other yeasts, but there is more of a chance of having contamination as this 'natural fermentation' can receive bacteria through the air as well. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Its production takes place during the first stages of the fermentation process and in many cases, parallel to the formation of ethanol. 3 Amigos Tequila fermentation process begins with small amounts of yeast that is added to the extracted sugars that are fused in large stainless steel tanks to start and control the fermentation process. Yeasts are living, and they give up it's life for our benefit. and for our Tequila, through enzymatic processes. Heres the Proof. Average fermentation requires 48- 60 hours. Get our free book when you sign up for our newsletter. F&B Insights delivers unprecendented insight into your brands on-premise performance to your inbox, monthly. Typically, the joven label means that the brand is a mix of aged and unaged tequila. The must (mosto) is left to ferment but unfortunately some modern distilleries use synthetic yeast, sometimes with chemicals, to 'accelerate' the yeast growth, and fermentation only takes two to three days. The origins of Tequila can be traced back to around 250-300 AD. Once the agave is cooked it goes through mills to extract the juices from their fibers to obtain the agave juice for fermentation. Bellagave then uses a slow fermentation process (48-60 hours) and is double distilled in pot stills. The fermentation process creates a sweet, low-alcohol liquid known as "mosto." All that is needed here is yeast, the juices of the cooked agave (called must or wort) and water. Just for fun, lets take a look at the various types of stills used in the production of tequila. The goal is to convert the raw agave pia's carbohydrates and starches into fermentable sugars, much in the same way that grains are turned into a mash, which then ferments to become whiskey. In 2022, tequila is the second most popular spirit, behind vodka. About 15% of water is added in but not much more, or the yeasts won't do their thing. 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. Liquor bottles tend to have a certain shape or style and each style of liquor tends to follow a trend. Distillation in simple terms, is basically the process of separating a liquid or vapor mixture into it's component parts, through vaporization and condensation. Screw Mill/Tahona (83.86): This is a combination that will speed up the tahona process. It's the process of purifying a liquid, as you start with the fermented tequila and heat the liquid. Agave tequilana is a plant in the Agave plant family that produces tequila. This limits tequila production to municipalities including Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and the state of Jalisco. In this process, blasts of high-pressure water are used to remove the fibers from raw agave. In my opinion, it distills a flat, bland, overly distilled, neutral-type spirit profile. Traditionally, the hearts were baked in rock-lined pits, and this can still be witnessed in mezcal production, but today's tequila producers have moved above ground and use one of two styles of ovens: clay/brick or stainless steel. 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. Will you write one that speaks to the fermentation process? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. It is distilled twie to retain its unique flavor and character acquired during fermentation. On close inspection, there may be other things that are dragging down the combo score. Climate, rainfall, harvesting methods, fermentation styles, and overall production all play a major role in the spirit's flavor profile. Tequila production can be broken into six stages: harvesting, baking, juicing, fermenting, distilling, and aging. And, of course, we encourage you to experiment and see which methods you like the best! 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. Stainless steel pot stills that have copper coils on the inside, at the Las Americas tequila distillery in Amatitan, Jalisco. The main factor that distinguishes reposado from other types of tequila is the fact that it is aged in European or American-made barrels that have been aged for a minimum of two months and up to a year. The limits are +-.5% abv except for the limits of 35% abv Minimum and 55% Max. The temperature is critical, and if it's too cold fermentation will slow, and if it's too hot it causes the yeast to die off, keeping in mind that the process of fermentation itself, produces it's own heat. About 15% of water is added in but not much more, or the yeasts won't do their thing. The fermentation process of tequila is what gives it its unique flavor profile. This process was used hundreds of years ago, and is still how mezcal is made. Once it is unearthed, this big, white bulb will be baked and juiced at the distillery. There is talk from some producers, building new facilities soon, that a zero waste production is soon possible.