Santiago
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Article on Tequila tasting
The Good Life: Tequila tasting is a fine time
rkushman@sacbee.com
Published Wednesday, May. 05, 2010
To really understand the Tasting Aficionados and their love affair with tequila, you have to accept a few things.
• They're serious. Not as a group. Get them together, and they're a cheery, curious bunch. But when it gets to the fine points of tequila – aromas,
tastes, layers, histories – they're as detail-oriented and sober-minded as any Bordeaux-loving wine geeks (though I'm thinking probably these people
are more fun).
• You taste tequila in tiny, tiny amounts. Just a bit on your tongue. No salt. No lime. And you do not do shots. Shots are for amateurs and, you know,
parties. If you like shots, have fun, but that's about the alcohol, not the flavor.
• Yes, tequila. It can be a nuanced, luscious spirit. It's just that most people get introduced to the stuff the hard way.
"Everybody's got a tequila story that starts something like, 'Oh man, one time in college …' " said Tim Hodge, a construction company owner, an
Aficionados member and the host of a tasting last week.
Hodge is an amiable guy with a quick laugh. At first glance – and I say this with full respect for his general friendliness – you might think he'd be
in the tequila-is-for-parties camp. Except that he, like the rest of the Aficionados, and like genuine tequila aficionados everywhere, has fallen for
the beauty of the good stuff.
"I tell people, you didn't have a bad experience with tequila," Hodge says, "you had an experience with bad tequila."
A night with the Aficionados is an experience with some very good tequila and a whole different kind of tequila story.
The story of Tequila Joe
The Tasting Aficionados are probably the best- organized tequila lovers in the Sacramento region. There are maybe 160 of them, and the group was
started in 2006 by Joe Horrigan – Tequila Joe to everyone who knows him – who fell for sipping tequila the way lots of people do: all at once.
(That's maybe one difference between wine and tequila lovers. Wine craziness is usually a slow, inevitable progression. Tequila love often comes from
one bright experience that fires the fascination.)
For Tequila Joe, it was tasting some terrific stuff and getting a book about tequila. He learned about its cultural history, its roots in Mexico and
its shades of flavor. The Aficionados grew out of his need to explore.
"I was looking for good tequilas and asked people what was their favorite. Everyone said Patron," Tequila Joe said. "I asked what had they tried.
Everyone said just Patron."
For the record, Patron is not a fave in tasting circles. It's regarded the way Silver Oak is among wine folk – it's a big name, it can be a
crowd-pleaser, it's fine if you like it, but there are so many others to try out there.
So Tequila Joe searched out other tequila lovers and found people who liked the notion of a tasting group, including Joe Anthony Savala, the beverage
manager at Zócalo in midtown. That led to monthly tastings at Zócalo and (more or less) monthly Aficionados events at members' homes.
So last week, it was Tim and Stacey Hodge's turn at their house in Orangevale. Tim started collecting tequila on fishing trips to Mexico. He admits it
was, at first, mostly for the slick bottles, including one signed by rocker Sammy Hagar.
Tim now has 300 tequilas in his collection – a few are there still just for the bottles – and calls this a drinking collection. Any tequila can be
opened, and the good news is that, unlike with wine, an open bottle can keep for months and months.
"They're only bottles of booze," he says. "Some I'm saving for a special occasion, and some, when I open them, that makes an event special."
Even the Sammy Hagar bottle?
"I'll open that one when Sammy's here sitting on my couch," Hodge says.
A party with purpose
The tasting last week had nearly 20 people and some pretty special tequilas. They set it up on the Hodges' front lawn, strung lights and made it feel
like a party. But this was about the tequilas. They had a dozen from various collections – plus, Sean Fogarty and Sarah Rodenburg had just gone on a
tasting tour in Tequila, Mexico, and had brought back a few bottles, including Oro Azul and Casa Noble, both complex and thoroughly delicious
tequilas.
Before things got too far along, Hodge conducted a tequila tasting 101 for the newcomers, both of us. They always want to enlighten newbies on the joy
of fine tequila.
Covering the basics
The quickie 101: To be called tequila, it must be at least 51 percent from the spiky-leaf blue agave plant and can originate from only a few states in
Mexico. (Most comes from Jalisco.) The Aficionados taste only 100 percent blue agave tequilas.
There are three levels: blanco, clear stuff bottled right after the distilling or aged under two months; reposado, aged two months but less than a
year; and anejo, aged at least a year. Good tequila can range from $50 to more than $250.
In tasting, beginners should be careful about sticking their noses in it, since it's a potent alcohol, and it helps to open your mouth when you smell
it. Then you taste a tiny amount, put it on the middle of your tongue and let it roll to the sides. You look for flavors of citrus, spice, vanilla,
caramel and even floral streaks.
Even as a newbie, I can say there were no bad tequilas this night. But the star was hand-delivered from Mexico by Guillermo Sauza, a boutique tequila
maker and a friend of the Aficionados and of Hodge.
His great-great-grandfather founded Sauza Tequila in 1873, and though his grandfather sold the company in 1976, Guillermo still makes his own brand –
labeled Los Abuelos in Mexico and Fortaleza in the United States – at his family's century-old distillery in Tequila. He brought a few bottles to the
Aficionados, including a 5-year-old anejo that smelled like caramel and fresh wood, and tasted smooth and creamy and like the land itself.
Sauza, like everyone there, was all about getting people to just try genuinely interesting tequila.
"Everyone has their own palate," he said. "People should drink what they like. But taste it without ice or anything else and see. Then if you want ice
or salt, by all means."
It's easy to see why Hodge and Sauza are friends. They both have a playful, dry humor about them. And if they're serious about tequila, they aren't
particularly serious about themselves. At one point, I asked Hodge what his favorite was this night.
"I have to say the Fortaleza," he said.
"You're just saying that because I'm standing here," Sauza said.
"Maybe a little," Hodge said.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
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Martyman
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Good read!
Thanks Santiago!
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DianaT
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Yes,
A very interesting article---thanks
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TMW
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From Wikipedia:
Types of tequila
There are two basic categories of tequila: mixtos and 100% agave. Mixtos use no less than 51% agave, with other sugars making up the remainder. Mixtos
use both glucose and fructose sugars.
With 100% agave tequila, blanco or plata is harsher with the bold flavors of the distilled agave up front, while reposado and añejo are smoother,
subtler, and more complex. As with other spirits that are aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol
mellows. The major flavor distinction with 100% agave tequila is the base ingredient, which is more vegetal than grain spirits (and often more
complex).
Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:[7]
Blanco ("white") or plata ("silver"): white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in
stainless steel or neutral oak barrels;
Joven ("young") or oro ("gold"): is the result of blending Silver Tequila with Reposado and/or Añejo and/or extra Añejo Tequila;
Reposado ("rested"): aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels;
Añejo ("aged" or "vintage"): aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in oak barrels;
Extra Añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged"): aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This category was established in March 2006.
[edit] Aging process
Tequila being rested or aged in oak barrelsReposado may be rested in oak barrels or casks as large as 20,000 litres, allowing for richer and more
complex flavors. The preferred oak comes from US, France or Canada, and is usually white oak. Some companies char the wood to impart a smoky flavor,
or use barrels that were previously used with different kinds of alcohol (e.g. whiskey, scotch, or wine). Some reposados can also be aged in new wood
barrels to achieve the same woody flavor and smoothness, but in less time.[21]
Añejos are often rested in barrels that have been previously used to rest reposados. The barrels cannot be more than 600 liters, and most are in the
200-liter range. Many of the barrels used are from whiskey or bourbon distilleries in America, France, or Canada, and Jack Daniels barrels are
especially popular.[22] This treatment creates many of the aspects of the dark color and more complex flavors of the añejo tequila. After aging—a
period of four years is standard—the añejo can be removed from the wood barrels and placed in stainless steel tanks to reduce the amount of
evaporation that can occur in the barrels.[21]
[edit] The worm
It is a common misconception that some tequilas contain a "worm" in the bottle. Only certain mezcals, usually from the state of Oaxaca, are ever sold
con gusano, and that only began as a marketing gimmick in the 1940s. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hypopta agavis, which lives on
the agave plant. Finding one in the plant during processing indicates an infestation and, correspondingly, a lower quality product. However this
misconception continues, and even with all the effort and marketing to represent tequila as a premium liquor—similar to the way Cognac is viewed in
relation to brandy—there are some opportunist producers for the shooters-and-fun market who blur these boundaries.[23][24]
[edit] Brands
There are many brands of tequila; the Consejo Regulador del Tequila reports 901 registered brands from 128 producers for the year 2008.[25]
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MexicoTed
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I know Guillermo Sauza and he's a good guy. Fortaleza is one of the best tequilas you'll find. I'm actually putting together Tequila trip for around
15-25 people next Fall with a day at his hacienda. Anyone interested?
Ted
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Hook
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Well, Silver Oak, while usually overpriced, does sometimes hit all the notes.
Patron never does, IMO. The reposada is decent, however, but rather hard to find.
Still havent found Partida down here. I suspect it is for export only.
Gotta look for Los Abuelos...........
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KASHEYDOG
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Posts: 649
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Mood: SO MANY TACOS, SO LITTLE TIME... Gotta Go, See ya there.... 
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Check this out 
http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/
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KASHEYDOG
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Posts: 649
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Location: CARLSBAD,CA 619-990-0270
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Mood: SO MANY TACOS, SO LITTLE TIME... Gotta Go, See ya there....
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Here's another
http://mexicolesstraveled.com/tequila.htm
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KASHEYDOG
Senior Nomad
Posts: 649
Registered: 2-21-2007
Location: CARLSBAD,CA 619-990-0270
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Mood: SO MANY TACOS, SO LITTLE TIME... Gotta Go, See ya there....
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Try this one too
http://www.schmingstudios.com/WhoMakesTheBestTequila.html
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KASHEYDOG
Senior Nomad
Posts: 649
Registered: 2-21-2007
Location: CARLSBAD,CA 619-990-0270
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Mood: SO MANY TACOS, SO LITTLE TIME... Gotta Go, See ya there....
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Drinking & Buying Tequila
The traditional way to drink tequila is to use a tall, narrow shot glass called a caballito ('little horse', or pony, also called a tequilito). This
will vary from 1-2 oz., depending on the style, size and manufacturer.
Caballitos were originally called a cuernito. They are modern versions of the original hollowed-out cow or bull horn used in cantinas or mezcal
factories. The horn was cleaned, but not flattened so drinkers could not put it down and dally. Since there were only a few horns available, the
drinker had to finish quickly, then pass the horn along to the next person. Later, the bottom was cut off so the horn could be rested on the bar, and
drinkers could tarry longer. This evolved into today's caballito, which still has the narrow, tapered shape of the horn. It's a perfect size and shape
for sipping.
You can still find a few traditional horn cups made by the farmers or mezcaleros who continue the tradition, but they are seldom seen in markets or
stores. At La Altena, near Arandas (the home of El Tesoro), Carlos Camarena let tour members taste the fresh tequila right from the still in a
traditional cow horn, and a few of us had the opportunity to purchase horns from Carlos' farm hand who still makes a few every year.
The new official and CRT-approved tequila glass is similar to a wine glass, with a tall stem, and a bowl that gently narrows towards the top to
collect the aromas. The Riedel Tequila Glass was designed in collaboration with the CRT and with tequila producers to "highlight and enhance the
characteristics of Mexico's finest Reposados, Añejos, and Reservas de Casa tequilas." These Riedel Ouverture glasses are 8.25" tall and also hold 6.75
ounces.
Some aficionados claim añejos are perhaps better served in a brandy snifter, which captures the aromas more fully, so you can appreciate the tequilas'
nose better.
How to drink tequila
There is no "right" way to drink tequila, but any spirit is best appreciated first on its own merits, without accompaniment.
Sip it. Eschew the lime and the salt for the moment. Forget the margarita mix. Don't even add ice. If you want to taste it, drink it neat first, so
you can savour the volcanic essences, the agave and the complexities imparted in aging.
Traditional tequila takes longer to produce, so it should be enjoyed more slowly. Take the time to appreciate the work that went into getting it from
the dry hills of Jalisco to your glass.
Some people like it served cold, especially the blanco variety. But try it at room temperature if you want to appreciate the full bouquet and body.
Afterwards, once you've appreciated its character, you can always put out a plate of lime slices and salt... or drink a chaser of Sangrita, a popular
non-alcoholic and spicy drink made of orange and tomato juices, that tastes a bit like a Bloody Caesar.
In his poem So That Hildebrando Perez Might Learn How To Drink a Shot of Tequila, Efrain Huerta wrote...
It's a shame that in your Limaperu you have no
Widow's sangrita (tomato juice, very special)
made by a widow born and bred in Jalisco, very tapatia,
to soften the hard gulp of tequila.
From Artes de Mexico, no. 27
Sip the premium tequila slowly and gently, to enjoy the aroma, the body and the taste. Taste it as you would a fine wine. Life is really too short to
miss out on enjoying it properly. Vicente Quirarte, writing in Artes de Mexico no. 27, compares those hastily-downed "tequila shots" to "the paid
favours of anxious adolescent sex."
Salt and Lime: Should you chose to do so, the proper order of the traditional method of drinking tequila is salt-tequila-lime: lick, sip, bite.
Lick the back of your hand between thumb and finger to moisten it and hold the salt in place. Sprinkle a dash of salt on the wet spot. Now lick that
salt. Take a sip of tequila. Now bite into a slice of fresh lime.
In 1930, an epidemic of Spanish Influenza attacked Northern Mexico. Doctors prescribed tequila as the best medicine to fight it. From then on, tequila
was drunk with lime and salt because that’s how the doctors prescribed it.
As Alvaro Mutis wrote in his poem:
Tequila is frequently accompanied by two attendants:
salt and lime.
Yet it is always willing to engage in dialogue,
backed by nothing other than its lustrous transparency.
Arabian traders introduced the lime - Citrus aurantifolia - to North Africa and the Near East towards the end of the 10th Century CE. Crusaders
brought it home to plant around the Mediterranean, including Spain, during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. Columbus is credited with introducing it to
the New World. Spanish immigrants took it on to Florida where the success in its cultivation in the Florida Keys led to it being referred to as the
Key Lime.
It wasn't long before before the fruit reached the shores of Mexico. where the species split into its own varietal group, the smaller Mexican, or
bartender's, lime. Mexican limes have the thinnest rind of all citrus. This means cold storage allows the fruit to dehydrate so quickly that its life
is severely limited and store-bought limes rarely retain that fresh-picked flavor. Fresh Mexican limes are the choice for tequila aficionados.
The same rules apply for drinking premium mezcals, by the way. Why rush a good thing? Enjoy their rich, smoky flavour. However, because mezcal has a
stronger body, it can tolerate the lime reasonably well and is delightful with sangrita.
Coolers and drinks which suggest margarita roots may not have any real tequila in them - they are usually syrupy concoctions of alcohol and
flavouring. Some may use juices instead, and sometimes agave nectar to give it a semblance of tequila flavouring.
But recognizing a growing market, in 1997 Herradura introduced their own pre-mixed drink - New Mix: grapefruit juice and real tequila. They now also
offer different blends. Other distillers have since followed - but these are not traditional Mexican drinks, rather attempts to cater to a fad in the
North American market, as well as gain market share in Mexico - the highest per-capita consumption of soda pop in the world. Some of these new drinks,
however, are refreshing and a very enjoyable alternative to beer, so try them yourself.
Cigars: Some drinkers and some distillers make an association between premium tequilas and premium cigars. But be forewarned: even a premium cigar can
clear out a room pretty quickly as it overpowers all other tastes. Personally I find all smoking incompatible with fine spirits or food, but others
disagree. Check out www.cigarstradicion.com for another viewpoint, pairing Sauza tequilas with cigars.
Hangovers
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
Hangovers are caused by several things including (mostly) excessive drinking, but also from congeners and additives in the alcohol, from dehydration,
Vitamin B depletion. It's easy to avoid the first cause. Drink responsibly and in moderation.
The second cause is more complicated. Congeners are the natural product of fermentation, and are responsible for most of the taste, aroma and colour
of alcoholic beverages. They can affect your body in different ways, some of them quite unpleasant, but not always. Some congeners come from
additives, such as the metal zinc added to sweet liqueurs to enhance flavour. The worst offender of the congeners is methyl alcohol (methanol), which
can very seriously harm you. All ethyl alcohol (ethanol) - the stuff that you buy to brink - contains some methanol. Tequila may also also contain
2-methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol, higher proportions in 100% agave tequila than in mixto, according to a report from the American Chemical
Society:
The pure agave versions had higher levels of methanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol, the scientists found.
Sugars and additives in alcohol (or mixed into c-cktails) also lend themselves to morning-after misery. c-cktails using fruit juices instead of
pre-made mixes, and agave nectar instead of white sugar are healthier and less likely to produce hangovers. Of course over-indulgence will produce
hangovers no matter what the ingredients.
In general, clear spirits and white wine have fewer congeners than red wine and coloured spirits like bourbon or dark beers.
Overall, 100% agave tequila has fewer congeners than most spirits, especially the blancos. Mixto tequilas have additives that may contribute to your
hangover. Choosing your drinks carefully can help.
As for the other reasons: take a Vitamin B complex every day, and one before you plan to so any serious socializing. Take a NAC (N-acetylcysteine)
capsule before and after drinking. Drink water in tandem with your alcohol. And eat some food while you drink to slow the absorption of alcohol into
the bloodstream.
Slow down and drink slowly. Your body burns alcohol at a rate of roughly 30ml (1oz) an hour. Give it more time to burn that alcohol and less will
reach your brain.
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