Spirits: Everything Agave Flashcards by Madison Pettit

AGAVE
- anatomy and key terms
- preferred term for agave in Oaxaca
- life cycle
- name of harvester / harvesting tool

MAGUEY is the preferred term for agave in Oaxaca.

The PIÑA is the heart of the agave - its INULIN reserve, the sugar that is key to fermentation. The leaves are called the PENCAS.

The QUIOTE is the long stalk that grows out of the agave plant - signaling maturity. It flowers to reproduce sexually. This stalk is cut when it blooms to divert sugars back into the Piña. The quiote-less maguey is called the CAPON. This cut is made 6 - 12m pre-harvest to maximize sugars.

Agave is harvested by a JIMADOR using a COA DE JIMA.

Agave reproduces via hijuelos which grow at base of plant. Around 1 yr, the “pups” are transplated. Hijuelos produced at ~6 yrs are weaker / don’t survive.

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COOKING AGAVE
- 3 main methods
- what’s next

PIT OVENS: artisanal method. Days long slow roast.
BRICK OVENS: started to replace
AUTOCLAVE: cheapest, fastest. Basically a large pressure cooker.

The inulin in the agave’s piña needs to be cooked to convert to fermentable sugar.

next… milling (to release fermentable sugar)

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MILLING AGAVE
- 4 methods

HAND CRUSHING: artisanal
TAHONA: the big stone wheel
ROLLER MILL: broken down through rollers then rinsed with water to get sugar out. Most common method.
DIFFUSER: uncooked shredded agave is sprayed with hot water under pressure to release sugar.

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TEQUILA DO - 5 states

Jalisco
Nayarit
Tamaulipas
Guanajuato
Michoacan

[Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Michoacan can also make Mezcal]

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JALISCO
- subregions
- which is preferred

HIGHLANDS/LOS ALTOS: cooler, higher, red volcanic soils. Citrusy, floral styles
- 1800 - 2300M. Most acidic soils
- Patrón, Siete Leguas, La Alteña, El Pandillo, and Cazadores

LOWLANDS: warmer, black volcanic. Spicier, earthy, peppery styles
- 1000 - 1550M. Less acidic soils
- Cuervo, Sauza, and Herradura

Agave matures at ~5yrs in Lowlands, 6yrs in Highlands - but Highlands has 25% more sugar

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TEQUILA DO - ADDITIVES
- the 4 allowed
- what categories can add them

Caramel coloring
Natural oak or encino oak extract
Sugar-based syrup
Glycerin

Abocantes (mellowing agent / additives) cannot exceed 1% of weight without disclosing them on the label.

NOT for blanco
YES for Repo, Anejo, Extra, and Gold

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TEQUILA - INGREDIENTS
- what plant / min %

Min. 51% of Tequila’s sugar must come from
Agave Tequilana Azul (Blue Weber)

[mandated for use since 1949. Relatively high sugar content, disease resistant, mature relatively fast… 5 - 7 years. The “Weber” part is somewhat un-PC - named for a French botanist / physician during France’s colonial mexican invasion. He documented the plant, then his name became its shorthand that we can’t get rid of]

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Mexican states for tequila AND Mezcal (3)

Tamaulipas
Michoacan
Guanajuato

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Name 3 states for Mezcal production (9)

Tamaulipas
Michoacan
Guanajuato
Durango
Zacatecas
San Luis Potosi
Guerrero
Oaxaca
Puebla

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4 digit code on Tequila bottle - what does it tell you?

NOM: Norma Oficial Mexicana
* Identifies the distillery
* it is a certification that the product is authentic. All 100% agave Tequila must carry one.

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of distillations for Tequila

2 or 3x

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TEQUILA - AGING
- aging / categories
- max barrel size

BLANCO: max 2 months - no additives
REPOSADO: 2 - 12 months; any size oak
ANEJO: 1 - 3 years in max. 600L oak
EXTRA ANEJO: 3+ years in max 600L oak

[Gold is usually a mixto tequila colored with caramel and softened with sugar/glycerin to mimic aging. Joven is often blend of aged / unaged and colored as well]

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Bacanora

Sonora
* Agave Pacifica
* similar to Mezcal in production

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Sotol
- plant name
- 3 regions of production
- alt name

Dasylirion Wheeleri
(desert spoon)
* Chihuahua, Coaihuila, Durango

If made elsewhere, known as Cucharilla

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Tequila ABV

USA = min. 40%
Tequila DO = 35% - 55%

[Mezcal is 36% - 55%]

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Raicilla
- where from
- what is it

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“little root”
Mezcal from Jalisco (and Banderas Bay in Nayarit). Strong link to Puerto Vallarta.
* 100% agave.

Raicilla de la Costa: Agaves Angustifolia Haw & Rhodacantha
Raicilla de la Sierra: Agaves Maximiliana Baker, Inaequidens Koch & Valenciana

Repasada, Anejada categories

Charanda

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100% sugarcane juice, piloncillo or molasses
*this isn’t agave, obviously
Michoacan - DO since 2003
* Charanda = “red colored soil”
* sugar cane is crushed, wild yeast fermented, distilled 2x in copper pot still

ABV for Mezcal DO

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36 - 55%

MEZCAL - CATEGORIES
- what are the 6 / aging requirements
- any max barrel sizes?
- name for the worm

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BLANCO / JOVEN: unaged
REPOSADO: 2-12m
ANEJO: 2 yrs in max 1000L oak
MADURADO EN VIDRIO: min. 12m in glass/inert container

ABOCADO CON: mixed with herbs, fruit, etc
DESTILLADO CON: covers pechuga styles

El Gusado = agave worm

4 things required on a Mezcal label

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class (Mezcal, artesenal, ancestral)
category (Blanco, Madurado En Vidrio, etc)
Agave species (Espadin, Tobala, etc)
name of the production state (Oaxaca, etc)
*Anejo/Matured in glass must give age in years

Mezcal categories
- what are they
- what differentiates them

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MEZCAL (basic)
- basically any existing method of doing everything

MEZCAL ARTESENAL - 92% of production
- Cooking: pit oven or cement
- Milling: tahona OR hand bats
- Fermentation: anything but stainless. Can include bagazo.
- Distillation: various methods; can incl. bagazo

MEZCAL ANCESTRAL
- Cooking: pit oven
- Milling: tahona OR hand bats
- Fermentation: ferments with bagazo in cement, clay, stone, earthenware, or animal skin
- Distillation: direct fire on clay vessel; must incl. bagazo

Bagazo
- what is it
- how is it used

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Agave fiber left over after milling, fermentation, and distillation. It may be used to insulate the hot rocks of the pit oven, and to seal joints on clay-pot stills.

And.. for fermentation:
Tahona-milled agave is (most often) fermented with the bagazo - forms a cap on top of fermentation, creating an anaerobic environment/less evaporation.

Tahona-milled agave gives bagazo with a lot of fermentable sugar. Whereas… roller mills are more efficient extracting sugar… thus wouldn’t ferment with bagazo.

.. and for distillation. Some use bagazo for ordinario.

Distillation methods for basic Mezcal category

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alembic still
continuous still
copper still
stainless steel tanks
*can include bagazo
(only ancestral is required to use bagazo)

Mezcal Artesenal
- milling, cooking, fermentation, distillation methods

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agave cooks in pits or stone ovens
can be milled by mechanical shredders (vs tahona, mill)
ferments in wood, clay, hide, animal skins, tree trunks
distillation in clay pots OR copper stills

Can be made with or without the bagazo

Mezcal Ancestral - milling, cooking, fermentation, distillation methods

* agave is cooked in pits * milled by mallets, tahona, mills * fermented in rock pits, wood, clay, animal hide, or tree trunks with bagazo * distillation occurs in clay pots with bagazo (artisanal can cook in stone overs, doesn't need to include bagazo, and can use a copper still)

MEZCAL - AGAVE VARIETIES - most common? - term for multi-variety mezcal - name 5

**Espadín** (80-90% of production): same fam as Blue Weber **Tobalá**: rare, cannot reproduce asexually **Cuishe**: often harvested wild **Tepeztate**: ~25yrs to mature **Cenizo**: most common variety in Durango **Arroqueño**: rare; 25yrs to mature Ensamble = 2 or more agave Mezcal (would be combined during fermentation, not after)

Pechuga

In the "Destillado Con" category Mezcal Pechuga = breast Special occasion Mezcal flavored with fruits, nuts, spice and distilled with meat. Usually chicken, but could be rabbit iguana etc

Term for a mezcal distillery

palenque

Mezcal's 1st distillation - 3 terms for it

ordinario, común, or shishe

Refrescadera - what is it, what's the purpose?

Traditional, commonly used distillation modification used in Oaxaca. PURPOSE: basically allows for 1.5 distillations in a single pass. Alembic still has copper cylinder on top that cools / causes alcohol vapors to condense on cap and fall back into boiler for re-distillation (rectification) before passing to condenser coil

MEZCAL DISTILLATION - name for fermented agave wine - names for 1st and 2nd distillation - purpose of refrescadera - what are the perlas

**TEPACHE** is the fermented maguey juice ready to be distilled. Tepache goes into a pot that's boiled. Vapors coming off are spirit. You have a lid on top that captures the spirit and sends it through a coil that cools it, condenses it into liquid. First run gives..... **ORDINARIO** / **COMUN** / **SHISHE**: 1st pass, about 25%. Collected and re-distilled. The second distillation is..... the **REFINADA**. Mezcalero makes cuts - **Puntas**, **Corazon**, **Colas** **REFRESCADERA** is a Oaxacan modificaiton that does a 1 pass distillation - a stainless steel pot surrounding the copper still is continuously filled with cold water that causes reflux and extends the time of the pass **PERLAS** are the bubbles that form on mezcal - sign of proof in 45 - 55% range

Horno Cónico

stone oven for roasting agave

Hoya de Barro

"clay pot" - distillation

Pulque

fermented drink made from agave sap (aguamiel)

How is Tequila's agave cooked? Pressed?

Autoclave or brick oven then diffuser OR Rollermill (modified sugar cane mill)

Tequila term for sweet liquid from cooked agave? Name for it after distillation?

Aguamiel Mosto

Spirits: Everything Agave Flashcards

(36 cards)