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Agave Training

• Agave: Native Plant to Mexico & Central America. • Contains: Inulin -naturally occurring sugars found in plants.• Inulin + heat = sugars which is needed to ferment into alcohol Agave / Maguey

• Around 200 species of agave • About 30 species used to make distilled beverages Varietals

History Agave was very sacred plant used in religious rituals, mythology, and to make everyday goods: • Nourishment• Clothing • Shoes• tools• Medicine• Construction materials

TIMELINE 1795José Cuervo becomes the first officially licensed manufacturer of mezcal de Tequila.Don Cenobio Sauza identifies blue agave as the best for producing tequila.1821Mexico wins independence from Spain, Vino de Mezcal rises in popularity.1870Mexico grants several of its largest mezcal producers permission to call their product “tequila,” after the town of Tequila in Jalisco state. Blue agave becomes the primary agave variety used for making tequila1974: “Tequila” Becomes the Intellectual Property of Mexico. The Mexican Government issues its Declaration for the Protection of the Appellation of Origin Tequila.1000 BCPulque first intoxicating beverage by fermenting the sap (aguamiel) from agave1500Researchers have confirmed evidence of Pre-Hispanic distilling of the agave plant (mezcal) in Mexico by this time.1519Spanish conquistadors arrive in Mexico and introduce their techniques of distillation to North America.

Regulations• Introducing government guidelines• Understanding NOM

Regulatory CounselCRT/ CRM governing body overlooking all registered tequila & mezcal productionTequila was declared an intellectual property in 1974CRT- Founded in 1994 CRT/CRM introduced a set of rules called Official Mexican Standard (Norma Official Mexico) which monitors • Production• Bottling • Labeling • Location Regulated in Mexico under NOM -070- SCFI 1994 Regulated in Mexico under NOM -006- SCFI-2005

NOMThe Norma Oficial Mexicana (Official Mexican Standard) number indicates that a bottle of tequila has been produced in and is authentic to Mexico. The NOM number specifies: • Distillery/ tequila producer• Production • Bottling of that tequila• Other brands produced in distillery

Tequila Matchmaker

Produced in 10 different states:◦ Oaxaca◦ Durango◦ Guanajuato◦ Guerrero◦ San Luis Potosi◦ Tamaulipas◦ Zacatecas◦ Michoacán◦ Puebla ◦ State of Mexico Majority of Mezcal is made from Espadin!MEZCAL: is a any distilledbeverage made from any species of agave

TEQUILA: is a distilled beverage made from Agave tequilana, commonly called blue weber agave• Produced in 5 different states:• Jalisco• Guanajuato• Michoacán• Nayarit• Tamaulipas

Tequila is a Mezcal, but Mezcal is not Tequila

Tequila Classifications • Learn about terroir • Age categories defined by the government

Region• Lowland vs. Highland refers to two different regions in Jalisco• El Valle (lowland) de Tequila & Los Altos (highland) • El Valle sits is around 3500 feet above sea level• Los Altos is around 6000 feet above sea level.

Characteristics • Volcán de Tequila: dormant volcano for over 220,000 years • Los Altos (highland): Notes: citrus & fruit. Aromas: floral & light. • El Valle (lowland): Notes: earth & herbaceous nuances. Aromas: herb, grass and mineral

AdditivesAdditives can account for under 1% of the total liquid.Glycerin, oak extract, caramel coloring, and sugar-based syrup. Mixto51% Blue Agave + 49% from any other kind of sugars - usually cane or high fructose corn syrup. Color, flavor, and thickeners can be added.

Blanco or SilverUnaged but can be rested in oak for up to 60 days. Joven Tequila is a blanco tequila blended with aged tequilas. ReposadoRested in oak barrels anywhere from 2 months right up to a day before 1 year.

AñejoAged in oak barrels from 1 year up to 3 years.Extra AñejoAged for no less than 3 years in oak barrels.CristalinoAged tequilas that are filtered again to remove the color for a clear sipping tequila, with aged characteristics.

Tequila Production • Understand how tequila production influences flavor profile• Searching the NOM via Tequila Match Maker provides access to production

Harvesting Growing AgaveAgaves take between 7-10 years to mature & develop sugar content. HarvestingA jimador (agave farmer) comes to harvest them from the ground with a special sharp blade tool called a coa.

Cooking AgaveAgaves are cooked to convert that starch into sugar with hot steam and pressure in:1) Stone oven 2) Auto-clave3) DiffusorBrick Oven Autoclave

Extraction Separating sugars from the agave fibers utilizing either:• Tahona- large wheel often made from volcanic rock that rolls around a stone pit, crushing the agave and extracting the juice. • Roller mill- crushes the fibers along a motorized belt and washes the fibers with spouts along the way. The resulting “aguamiel” or sugar waterRoller MillTahona

FermentationConversion of sugars to alcohol with addition of: ➢ Yeast or➢ Open fermentation • Agua miel is placed into wooden or stainless vats to ferment.• Agua miel is transformed into an agave brew, typically between 3-7% ABV. • To increase that percentage it will head into distillation.

Distillation By law, Tequila is required to be distilled at least 2x.Tequila must be bottled at an ABV between 35%-55%.1) The first distillation removes most of the impurities- this liquid is called ordinariowhich is about 20% ABV.2) The second distillation increases alcohol content and clear out impurities.

Maturation• Barrels can be new or previously used• Most common is American whiskey • Barrels may be toasted or charred to add flavor or color

MezcalProduction • Learn about Mezcal production and how it differs from Tequila.

AGAVE PLANTSEach agave plant differs in the time it takes to ripen and the location where it was grown. All of which contribute to Mezcal's different flavor profile and value.Maguey: TepextateScientific name: Agave marmorataYears to maturity: 25Maguey: TobalaScientific name: Agave potatorumYears to maturity: 12 Maguey: MadrecuisheScientific name: Agave karwinskiiYears to maturity: 13 Maguey: EspadinScientific name: Agave angustifoliaYears to maturity: 8

Allowing industrialized equipment. The use of autoclaves, diffusers, and column stills is prohibited.Maguey must be pit-cooked and mallet-crushed or stone-milled. Distillation must be in clay pots, and stainless steel is prohibited.Category Classifications Mezcal Mezcal Artisanal Mezcal Ancestral

Cooking• Agaves are cooked in deep earthen pits• The pit is lined with wood from local trees, and heavy volcanic rock or stones that will retain heat after the fire is lit.• Agave is left to smoke for somewhere between 3 to 5 days

ExtractionSeparating sugars from the agave fibers utilizing either:• Tahona- large wheel often made from volcanic rock that rolls around a stone pit, crushing the agave and extracting the juice. • Hand mallet: An extraction method used in Ancestral Mezcal Hand malletTahona

Fermentation• The use of commercial or even proprietary yeasts is rare and frowned upon. • Fibers from the agave, bagazo, along with the extracted juices are place into tanks for fermentation.

Distillation The fermented maguey—juice, fiber, and all—is now loaded into a still. Types of stills: • Copper alembics – Majority of ArtesanalMezcal • Clay pot stills- Used for Ancestral Mezcal Mezcal may be distilled once, twice, or three times. But double-distillation is the Norm in Oaxaca and most of Mexico. Clay Copper

Maturation• Like Tequila, Mezcal can be aged in a variety of oak. • Mezcal has the same aged expression including Madurado en Vidrio. • Matured in Glass refers to mezcal that has been stored in glass containers for over 12 months. • Glass aging allows the spirit to mellow without evaporation and without influences from the oak barrel.

Questions & Mini Quiz