Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] All right, let's talk about these little words that you see on bottles of tequila. The words 100% D'agave, right? We see those on tequilas all the time. 100% the agave right at the top. And I have people say, oh, that means it's additive free.
[00:00:19] Well, not necessarily additive free has nothing to do with why it says 100% D agave. In fact, this tequila right here, which isn't called a tequila, this is called an agave spirit. This is a hundred percent the Agave. This is 100 Tequiliana Blue Weber Agave, which is what it takes to make a tequila. So what does it mean when we talk about the agave? What we're talking about is that the sugars that are used to make this tequila, 100%, come from the Tequiliana blue Weber agave plant. Now, here's a tequila that doesn't say 100% the agave. And this is because this is El Tequilinha's mixto. What's a mixto, you ask? Well, that means that it's a certain percentage of blue agave sugars and then another type of sugar. So, like in this case, 51% agave, blue Weber agave sugars, and then sugar cane. And this makes up what's called a mixto. Now, if you go back to those days where we got those massive headaches from drinking tequila, we were usually drinking something like Cuervo Gold, which is a mixto as well, where Instead of using 100% Blue Agave, they use another type of sugar, like a sugar cane. But when we talk about the difference in the tequilas and trying to figure out, is it a hundred percent blue agave, that's going to be here, and that means it's a tequila. Now, this one is 100% blue agave, yet it's not called a tequila because they opted out of participating with the CRT and having their tequila certified as a tequila. So when you opt out of that program and you leave the CRT's regulations, now you're making what's called an agave spirit, which is even different than a mezcal, which is also participating in a regulatory commission and has a nom, and then they have to tell how they make that tequila or how they make that mezcal, and then it matches up to the rules of the manufacturing mezcal. These guys make all kinds of agave spirits, which are amazing, by the way, and they tell right here on the bottle how they're making it. So if you Ever see any of these agave spirits? Pick them up, look at their mezcals, look at their actual blue Weber, which would fall into the tequila category. If you're looking for a mixed dough and you're wanting to go with something that's a little less money and you're going to use it as a mixer and you don't care if it's 100% the agave, then this one is a fantastic blanco. It's great for mixing. We have it to make our batangas with. And if you're looking for something that's additive free now you've got to look a whole different place. Cuz even though this tequila right here, this Hudura Crystalino says it's 100% the agave, which I have no reason to believe that it's not, it comes down to the production method and the way they make that tequila. In this case, I believe these tequilas are utilizing a large industrial piece of equipment called a diffuser to be able to manufacture more tequila at a quicker pace. And then they have to come back and add some sweeteners and some additives to make it palatable and make it taste a little bit more like tequila, but also make it a flavor that us gringos really enjoy. This is Hidura's step back in time to make an original blanco. This one is stone ovens. It says some form of crushing method, so probably using a roller mill or a screw mill. Doesn't mention anything about a tohona. And then close fermentation, all natural fermentation. I just did a review of actually is a good tequila. I don't pick up a lot of unnatural flavors. So when you're looking for a tequila, you're. And you're looking for that 100% DiaGave and you're looking for something additive free. The way that you want to look that up is probably more easier to go to Tequila Matchmaker and look at what's called the premium brands. And those are brands that have gone out and taken the, the hard work to become certified as additive free. Now I've had other people say, oh, they're organic, they're additive free. Because there's a lot of organic tequilas out there too. When you see organic, that doesn't necessarily mean that they haven't done some additives to the tequila. It just means the agave has gone through a process to be grown organically without any pesticides or other type of fertilizers, fertilizers that aren't natural. So they're growing them in an organic way and that the method that they're making the tequila is all organic as well. They're utilizing natural yeast or a brewer's yeast that is organic as well.
[00:05:18] But it doesn't mean at the end of the day that they haven't put some kind of additive in your tequila. So to me, if you like the tequila, drink what you like. Additives to me aren't really a super big deal if you don't care what you're putting in your body. But if you want to make sure that what you're putting in your body is clean, just agave, yeast and water, find a great tequila that is on the premium brands Tequila Matchmaker, that you can have the confidence that what you're drinking is 100% additive free.
[00:05:50] So to kind of reiterate, when you go back and see 100% the agave, that doesn't mean that it's always a clean product made in a traditional way. So if you have any questions, throw it in the comments and I'd love to answer them. If you have any thoughts on the difference between tequilas with additives and tequilas without additives, put that in the comments as well. I love to hear what other people think. And again, drink what you enjoy and enjoy as much of it as you can. Thanks for tuning in.
