Condesa restaurante mexicano

Tequila · Agave Library

The Agave Library

A reference for guests who want to understand what's in the glass: how tequila is made, how it differs from mezcal, what a label is telling you, and the words you'll hear on a distillery tour.

Written by the Condesa team with Roberto Leon · Draft for review

01 · How tequila is made

From the field to the bottle, in eight steps.

Short answer: tequila is made by harvesting mature blue agave, cooking the hearts to turn their starches into sugar, crushing them to release the juice, fermenting it, distilling it at least twice, and then bottling it young or resting it in oak.

Agave01Cooking02Crushing03Fermenting04Distilling05Aging06Bottling07Nothing added0801Agave6 to 8+ years to mature

Drag the wheel · tap a step · use ← →

Step 01 of 086 to 8+ years to mature

Agave

Blue agave grows for years before it is ready, often six to eight or more. A jimador cuts away the long leaves with a coa, a flat round blade, leaving the heart of the plant, called the piña. A mature piña can weigh well over 100 pounds.

Ask at the bar: How old was the agave in this bottle?

02 · Agave 101

What's the difference between tequila and mezcal?

Short answer: all tequila is a type of agave spirit, but not every agave spirit is tequila. Tequila must be made from blue agave in specific regions of Mexico. Mezcal can be made from many agave species, and is traditionally roasted in earth pits, which is where its smoke comes from.

Tequila

Plant
Blue agave only (Agave tequilana Weber var. azul)
Where
Jalisco and parts of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas
Cooked
Steam ovens or autoclaves

Look for "100% de agave" on the label. Without it, the tequila can be a mixto, made with at least 51% agave sugars.

Mezcal

Plant
Dozens of agave species; espadín is the most common
Where
Oaxaca and several other states, including Durango, Guerrero and San Luis Potosí
Cooked
Traditionally in earthen pits over wood and stone

The pit roast is where mezcal’s smoke comes from. Technically, tequila is a type of mezcal made under its own rules.

Raicilla

Plant
Several agaves, including maximiliana and inaequidens
Where
Jalisco, in the mountains and along the coast near Puerto Vallarta
Cooked
Above-ground ovens or pits, depending on the region

Often bright, fruity and funky. Long made in small batches for local drinking.

Bacanora

Plant
Agave angustifolia (pacifica)
Where
Sonora
Cooked
Earthen pits

Illegal to produce until 1992. Today it has its own denomination of origin.

Sotol

Plant
Dasylirion, the desert spoon: a close relative, not an agave
Where
Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango
Cooked
Earthen pits

Often grassy, herbal and mineral. Usually poured alongside agave spirits.

03 · Reading a label

Blanco, reposado, añejo: what do they mean?

Short answer: the words tell you how long the tequila rested in oak. The longer it rests, the more color and flavor it takes from the barrel.

Blanco Unaged, or rested under 2 months Also called plata or silver. The clearest expression of the cooked agave: bright, peppery, citrus and herbal.
Reposado 2 months to under 1 year in oak "Rested." Softer, with light vanilla and spice from the barrel while the agave still leads.
Añejo 1 to 3 years in barrels up to 600 liters "Aged." Richer and darker, with caramel, dried fruit and baking spice.
Extra añejo 3 years or more A category since 2006. Deep and complex, closer to a sipping whiskey or cognac.
Cristalino Aged, then filtered clear Not an official category. An aged tequila, often añejo, filtered through charcoal to remove color and some barrel character.

What does "100% de agave" mean?

All the sugar came from blue agave. Tequila without it is a mixto: at least 51% agave sugars, with the rest from other sugars.

What is a NOM number?

A four-digit code that identifies the distillery where the tequila was made. Several brands can share one NOM.

Who regulates tequila?

The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) certifies producers and enforces the official standard.

What is "joven" or "oro"?

Usually a blend of blanco with aged tequila, or blanco with permitted color and flavor added. Read the label closely.

04 · Regions

Highlands or Lowlands: does it matter?

Short answer: it can. Most tequila comes from two parts of Jalisco, and soil, altitude and climate shape the agave. These are tendencies, not rules. How a distillery cooks, ferments and distills matters just as much.

PHOTO: from the Drive, Highlands agave fields, red soil

Los Altos

The Highlands

Higher altitude, cooler nights and red, iron-rich soil around towns like Arandas, Atotonilco and Jesús María. Highland agave is often described as sweeter, fruitier and more floral.

PHOTO: from the Drive, Tequila valley, volcanic soil near the Volcán de Tequila

El Valle

The Lowlands

The valley around the town of Tequila and the volcano, with dark volcanic soil and warmer weather. Lowland agave is often described as earthier, more herbal, mineral and peppery.

05 · Tasting guide

How do you sip tequila?

Short answer: slowly, at room temperature, from a small glass. Good agave spirits don't need lime and salt.

PHOTO: from the Drive, a flight poured at a Condesa tasting
  1. 01

    Pick the glass

    A small copita or a narrow tasting glass concentrates the aroma. Serve at room temperature.

  2. 02

    Look

    Blanco should be clear. Color in aged tequila comes from the barrel.

  3. 03

    Nose gently

    Keep your mouth slightly open and don’t push your nose into the glass. High alcohol can mask the aroma.

  4. 04

    Sip small

    Let a small sip cover your tongue before swallowing. The second sip tells you more than the first.

  5. 05

    Compare

    Taste blanco, reposado and añejo side by side to see what the barrel does.

06 · Glossary

Words you'll hear on tour.

Agave ah-GAH-veh
A succulent native to Mexico, not a cactus. Called maguey in much of Mexico.
Jimador hee-mah-DOR
The farmer who harvests agave, often a skill passed down through families.
Coa KOH-ah
The flat, round-bladed tool a jimador uses to cut the leaves from the piña.
Piña PEEN-yah
The heart of the agave, left after the leaves are cut away. It looks like a giant pineapple.
Quiote kee-OH-teh
The tall flower stalk an agave sends up once in its life. Farmers often cut it so the plant keeps its sugars.
Horno OR-no
A brick or stone oven used to steam-cook piñas slowly.
Autoclave
A large industrial pressure cooker that cooks agave faster than a horno.
Difusor dee-foo-SOR
A diffuser, a machine that extracts sugars from raw agave with water. Seen as the least traditional method.
Tahona tah-OH-nah
A heavy volcanic stone wheel used to crush cooked agave.
Mosto MOHS-toh
The sweet agave juice before and during fermentation.
Bagazo bah-GAH-soh
The leftover agave fibers after crushing.
Ordinario or-dee-NAH-ree-oh
The low-proof spirit from the first distillation.
Still strength
Bottled at or near the strength it came off the still, with little or no water added.
NOM nohm
The Norma Oficial Mexicana number on the label that identifies the distillery.
CRT
The Consejo Regulador del Tequila, which certifies and regulates tequila.
Palenque pah-LEN-keh
A traditional mezcal distillery.
Espadín es-pah-DEEN
The most widely used agave for mezcal.
Copita koh-PEE-tah
A small tasting glass for sipping agave spirits.

07 · From the trips

See it for yourself.

Everything in this library is something you can watch happen. The New England Agave Club takes guests into the fields and distilleries of Jalisco.

PHOTO/VIDEO: from the Drive, Roberto in the fields at harvest
PHOTO/VIDEO: from the Drive, jimadores at work
PHOTO/VIDEO: from the Drive, inside a distillery
PHOTO/VIDEO: from the Drive, the group at a tasting