Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] You've seen them, these slick thousand dollar bottles locked behind a glass bar. Celebrity brands that spend more money on billboards than they do on their agave. And you've probably asked yourself the same thing I have a million times. Is there actually any tequila worth the money? Well, what if I told you that one of the best tequilas you can buy in 2025 cost less than a tank of gas? And that some of the most expensive overhyped bottles are basically just overpriced vanilla vodka in a fancy costume. Today we're cutting through the noise, going to taste five of the most talked about tequilas on the market from budget friendly superstar, ultra premium award winning beasts that cost a small fortune. We're going to find out once and for all which one are just hype, which ones are truly worth every single penny. And I promise you the results, they're not going to surprise you. Let's get into it. Let's kick it off with this right here.
[00:00:55] Zumba door. Zumba door. This is a button budget friendly tequila. I would also call it a beginner buy. Zumbador is a blanco that you can find around 25 to 30 bucks. It's not just affordable, it's criminally underpriced for what's in this bottle. Usually we talk about tequilas at this price. You think something's rough, it needs drowned down with lime and salt to be drinkable. It's probably not even worth trying. Humidor is made by a fourth generation agave farmer, master distiller, one of the owners of the distillery, Roberto Lopez. They are using highland agaves from Los Altos Always mature agaves, estate grown agaves. They cook them in a stone oven. They're using a tona and a roller mill. They're using open fermentation, both wood and stainless steel. Then they're blending that together twice, distilling it in copper pots or an honest to goodness fantastic tequila. This is one of those tequilas that on the nose you get bright cooked agave, citrus, wet earth or petrichor. You, you also get a big wave of peppery spice when you taste it. It's all about the rich flavor of agave and the earthy sweetness and the warming spice that coats your mouth. This isn't muted, boring, it's. It's a spirit that's bright, it's expressive, with a ton of character. This is the type of tequila that makes you wonder why you'd ever spin more for a casual sipper or a great mixer. It's been praised by critics. It's punching it's way above its weight class. 25 to 30 bucks to get you this bottle of clean, delicious in respect of the agave that it comes from is amazing. This isn't just good for the price, it's flat out good. The definition of a hidden gym. Check them out. Zumbador. Absolutely amazing. Let's go to another workhorse agave bomb that is, I also believe, a beginner buy and also an incredibly underpriced tequila. This tequila is El Ultimo Agave Blanco. It's earned a reputation of being reliable. It's a tequila that was around a long time ago. The Iliana partida master distiller and the CEO of NOM 1522 Hacienda de Ora brought her father's brand back. El Ultimo Agave. This one's coming in anywhere between 22 and $25. Put it in the same league as Zumbador, but completely different. This one is coming from the via. So the agaves have a little bit more vegetableness, a little bit more earthiness, and a little bit more minerality with a great cooked agave. She's using a high pressure autoclave. Baez agaves doing a roller mill for crushing and then open stainless steel. Wild fermentation. I'm telling you, whether you're making drinks or you want a sipper, this is one that you don't need salt, you don't need lime, you don't throw it back. You just pour it in a glass and sip it and enjoy it. Check it out. El Ultimo Agave. All right, let's talk about the elephant in the room. We have to address the category of tequila that's absolutely exploded over the last few years. It's celebrity back. Style over substance. I'm not going to call out any certain celebrity brand, but let's be honest, a pretty bottle doesn't always make fantastic tequila. Now, I'm not going to say don't drink this if you like it and this is the tequila that you enjoy, enjoy it. I believe this is a gateway drug to really great tequila. Once you start ringing the bell and trying this tequila, you may fall in love with tequila. Whether it's an a list movie star or a beautiful bottle, don't ever hesitate to pull it down at a restaurant and give Aquila a try. But what you're really getting more often than not is it's just a product that's engineered to be inoffensive and not to be authentic. The goal is mass appeal, which means stripping away the very things that make Tequila taste like tequila. The bold, peppery, earthy agave flavor is often toned down and completely covered up with something else, usually additives. I seen a video today that compares this particular Tequila with Coke Zero having the same sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar added to it. Many of these tequilas have things like glycerin for a silky mouthfeel, caramel coloring to make it darker, oak extract to fake aging, and most of all, a vanilla or cake batter flavoring for artificial sweeteners. The result is a spirit that tastes sweet, vaguely vanilla, it's ultra smooth, and it's tequila with the soul sanded right off of it. There is a real battle for tequila soul right now. On one side you have this traditional additive free tequila that proudly tastes like the plant it came from. On the other side you have these modern manipulated products. A quick tip to tell you the difference, utilize the Tequila Matchmaker app. When you see 100% D agave on the bottle, that doesn't mean that they're doing it in the right way and it doesn't mean that it's additive free because they don't have to put what's in the tequila on the bottle. So what you want to look for in Tequila MatchMaker is the nom number this on the back and then look up that distillery. It'll tell you how it's made. It'll tell you if it is a premium brand or not. It'll tell you if they're doing things organically. If they have a B Corp certification, they'll tell you if it's woman owned. They'll tell you if the agaves are grown organically. Don't get caught up in the hype of gluten free. Al Tequila is gluten free. So when you see a super hype bottle with a crazy price, ask yourself, are you paying for liquid? Are you paying for a marketing budget or a celebrity's new yacht?
[00:06:03] Because real quality doesn't need to hide behind artificial flavors. True, top shelf tequila Slore Anejo. Now that we covered what isn't worth the high price, let's talk about what is Los Lajo. Yes, it's kind of an expensive bottle. For most people, it's around ninety dollars to a hundred dollars. But unlike celebrity hype machines, this tequila earns its spot on the top shelf with pure, unadulterated quality and craftsmanship. This isn't just a statement. Lost Lord was founded by Arturo Lamas iii, who revived his family's multi generational Legacy of making agave spirits that had been lost to time. It's a brand built on tradition. Has been recognized with awards at spirit competitions. And they're not marketing fluff. These awards are blind tastings by top experts. So what makes it special? Literally everything. Lost lords made from mature blue agaves from the highlands owned by the Vivinka family. Cooked in traditional stone ovens. It's also crushed through a multi pass roller mill. Then it is fermented in wild open fermentation stainless steel tanks while they play classical music. It's called the Mozart method. Then twice distilled in copper pots. Now listen, it's not just a regular master distiller or maestro tecalero making this tequila. It's Sergio Cruz. Sergio Cruz is known for making fantastic tequila. It's oniers, also aged patiently in American white oak, created a deep, complex conversation between the spirit and the barrels. The results breathtaking on the nose. You get this incredible tapestry of cooked agave oak, rich vanilla. And the taste is a masterclass of balance. The core agave flavors woven perfectly through luxurious notes of cinnamon vanilla oak. It's rich, it's complex.
[00:07:49] Honestly, the finish lasts forever. This is what you should get when you pay a premium price. Not a fake sweetness, Not a profound complexity. Not marketing, but legacy. This tequila is for a huge milestone. A bottle to be sipped, savored. While it's a major investment, not really at a hundred bucks. But some people believe that Los LA is a proof that some splurges are genuinely worth it. Without question. One of the finest tequilas I've had. Final bottle. And this right here, it's the artisan's choice, right? All the agave aficionados.
[00:08:22] Fortaleza. I wanted to choose something that captures the heart and soul of artisanal tequila. This is for an enthusiast who cares about process just as much as taste. Fortaleza blanco. You should be able to find this around $50. But most places it's being sold for over 75 to 100 if you can find it at all. It's a premium, but it's still accessible. And it delivers an experience that's totally unique. The key word here, tona a tohona is a massive 2 ton volcanic rock wheel that slowly crushes the cooked agave fibers to the juice out. It's ancient, it's painstaking. It's a process that most distilleries have replaced with a faster, more efficient machine. But what you gain in efficiency, you lose in flavor. The tona process used by the legendary salsa family who one of those family members still owns and runs Fortaleza today. Guillermo Erikson Salsa. The tona imparts a distinct mineral, rich, earthy character that you just can't fake. You can taste it immediately. Portales is bursting with life. The nose is full of citrus, rich cooked agave butter, olive notes on the palate. It's bright, it's electric, it's sweet, it's cooked agave to the core, unmistakably pure. It's also bottled from their original copper pot stills, which gives it an intensity and a texture that is so satisfying. This tequila tells a story. It's a tribute to tradition and a celebration of its raw material.
[00:09:44] It's not just trying to be smooth or sweet, is trying to be the most expressive. This is the kind of tequila that gets connoisseurs excited because it's clear, it's honest in its flavor. For anyone who wants to taste the craft behind the spirit portaleza blanco, it is far worth the price. It's an education in the glass. It is also the tequila that I poured today. Man, that's good. So there you have it. Five tequilas, five points. Five completely different philosophies. We started with the Zumbador sub $30 bottle that wildly over delivers. We hit El Ultimo Agave, an undisputed king of value and versatility. I kind of want to say queen since it's made by Ileana Partita. We called out the empty promises of overpriced celebrity hype. We saw what real luxury tastes like with the award winning lost lore Anejo and what true tradition tastes like with Forta Lisa Blanc. Biggest takeaway price doesn't equal quality. Real value exists everywhere from the bottom shelf to the very top. It's about finding the brands that are honest, transparent and care about what's in the bottle, then the story that they tell about it. For pure, pound for pound value, it's almost impossible to beat Zumbador or El Altamo Agape. And they're not the only ones. There are several. Now I want to hear from you. What's your favorite? Go to Tequilas. What's the bottle you think is worth every single penny? Drop your picks in the comments below and if you found this helpful, do me a favor. Hit that like button. Subscribe for more deep dives into the world of agave spirits. Cheers. I'll see you in the next one.
