Tequila: Why so different??
- The Edible Science
- Oct 18, 2020
- 3 min read
Among all the alcoholic beverages, tequila shots are always fascination among adults. Sipping tequila along with margarita in a restaurant is a thing people wishes for. Produced first in Mexico as a regional drink, it has become widely popular across the world because of its distinct taste. In 1974, the Mexican government declared the term ‘Tequila’ as intellectual property, made it necessary for the tequila to be made in few regions of Mexico and it’s illegal for other countries to produce or sell their tequila.
But why this beverage is so different from other alcohols? What makes it special?
Tequila is a Mexican beverage and is prepared by using the blue agave plant, a succulent plant. The blue agave plant is specific to some regions of Mexico, henceforth make tequila a special drink of Mexico. The root of the plant, which is called pina and considered as the heart of the plant, gives us this unique alcoholic beverage. Only a specific cultivar of the agave plant is used for the tequila, which is ‘Weber Azul’. The sap of the agave plant is considered toxic due to the presence of various saponins, responsible for causing blisters on skin (if exposed to) and liver & kidney damage when ingested. Henceforth, the root of the plant is utilized for the tequila production only after 7-14 years, depending on the maturity level to avoid the harmful effects. The harvested heart (pina) usually weighs 80-200 pounds (40-90Kg), which is further heated to remove the sap.
Once harvested, the pina is sent for the cooking where the heat treatment cause breakdown of complex fructans into simple sugars, easy to be fermented by yeast during the fermentation process. The cooking process involves steam baking for 79-80 hours to cook the all pieces evenly followed by shredding off the baked pina. The shredded part looks like fibers, which are further pressed mechanically to remove the juice out of it efficiently.
All extracted juice of the agave plant is sent for the fermentation process that usually takes 72 hours for the fermentation after inoculated with yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Post-fermentation, the distillation process is carried out for concentrating the alcohol strength to 55% followed by dilution to 40% before packing. It is generally single or double-distilled as triple distillation causes the removal of all-natural flavors that are distinctive to tequila. Some of the varieties of tequila are stored in oak barrels for 2-3 months, along with the agave fibers to give it a more agave flavor.
The tequila has a very distinct flavor compared to other alcoholic beverages present in the market. Since agave plants contain different phenolics such as syringaldehyde and vanillin, eugenol, etc. it gives the tequila a unique combination of fruity, herbal, and spicy aroma. Moreover, heating and baking of pina cause the formation of various Maillard and furanic compounds which gives the tequila a distinct caramelized and smoky flavor. Aged tequila has more of an agave note which is considered an earthy note. Some expensive varieties consist of 100% agave extract which gives a smooth taste to the tequila, compared to the sharp taste of mixed one (referred to as mixto). This is one of the reasons why mixed tequila shots are consumed along with lemon and salt while pure tequila can be enjoyed without lemon and salt.
Presently, tequila has found a special place in cocktails. Citrus flavors such as orange, lime, etc. go well with the taste of tequila whereas combining the tequila with spicy tomato drink is considered as refreshing drinks in summer.
Try the refreshing taste of tequila whenever you go out and find out on your own why tequila is so different?
References:
Kommentare