Tequila is a popular strong alcoholic beverage that came to Europe from Mexico. Many people think that tequila is made from cacti, but this is far from the case. This drink is made from agave, the process is very long and laborious.
What tequila is made of
The blue agave plant, the core of which serves as the raw material for making tequila, belongs to the Agave family. Simply put, it is a succulent, it differs from cacti in that it accumulates water in the leaves and not in the trunk. The leaves are very fleshy and large, reaching about two meters in length, they have rather long spines. From one such plant, you can make up to 12 liters of tequila.
Tequila production is a national tradition for Mexicans. They carefully monitor the plants and monitor their growth. But agave is susceptible to TMA disease, which significantly affects the volume of its cultivation. This can explain the rather expensive price for an already finished product.
How tequila is made
Tequila production begins with the collection of blue agave leaves. They are cut, the core is taken out, which is divided into several parts. For 2-3 days, pieces of the core are kept in a special oven at a temperature of 60-85 ° C. During this time, the leaves soften, in the future it will be much easier to process them.
After the oven, the raw materials are cooled for 24 hours and placed in stone millstones to squeeze out the juice. The resulting sweet juice is diluted with water and special yeast is poured into this mixture. The fermentation process takes place in wooden or steel barrels, into which the semi-finished product is placed. After 7-12 days, a drink is formed, which has a strength of about 10 degrees.
The last step in preparing the drink is distillation. The process is repeated 2 times. After that, the fortress already reaches 55 degrees. Before bottling the drink, it is kept in barrels to impart a branded and specific flavor and aroma. Each manufacturer has its own secrets of unsurpassed taste. Tequila is infused in barrels from 2 months to 10 years, it all depends on its type.
There are 4 types of tequila: silver is bottled immediately after the end of the distillation process. If caramel or other natural dyes are added before bottling, then golden tequila is obtained. But the last two types are aged in barrels: Anejo and Reposado. The first type is saturated with oak scent for up to 10 years.
Most interestingly, many consider the presence of a worm in the bottle to be a sign of real tequila. And this is just a marketing ploy that helps to attract the attention of foreign buyers. Mexicans do not have such a tradition.
