Over in The Brown Leaf, I had asked for advice on pairing premium fine sipping tequila with premium fine pipe tobacco and cigars.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/402528-Pairing-fine-sipping-tequila-with-fine-BL
Unsurprisingly there was some curiosity from the uninitiated. Tequila is widely misunderstood; many people remember getting completely blitzed at a college party choking down shots of Cuervo Especial Gold with salt and lime and getting a nasty hangover, but have no idea that there is a whole world of high-class tequila out there just as there is for various types of whiskey. Tangent discussion of tequila ensued culminating in the following, for which it was suggested that a post here might be appropriate too.
I guess I could write a primer. This will be basic and I'm no expert, but it might help.
Blanco/silver: Un-aged or aged just for a short time. Color is clear.
Reposado: Aged up to a year in retired bourbon barrels. Color is somewhat golden.
Gold: Sometimes means reposado, sometimes (i.e. Cuervo and Sauza bottom-shelf offerings and I think Margaritaville too) means caramel color.
Anejo: As I posted above, aged 1-3 years in retired bourbon barrels. Color is dark golden/brown.
Mixto: A mixture, usually 49% cane/corn sugar spirits and 51% agave. Should not exist. The bottle never says "mixto". Actually I suspect that some kind of premium mixto exists but I've never seen one.
100% de agave: The only tequila anyone should drink. If the bottle doesn't say 100% de agave then it's probably a mixto. That's not to say that all 100% de agave tequilas are good; I've had some that were like paint thinner.
Blanco tequila starts out tasting kind of like a slightly sweet plain clear whiskey, but not sugary, rather a more natural sweetness in the same way virginia tobaccos are sweet rather than the way sugar-cased aromatics are. Aging in bourbon barrels gives it a significant tinge of smoky bourbon flavor and mellows out the alcohol bite. Some tequilas, especially cheap ones, can be very harsh with a strong alcohol bite when not aged; these need to be aged just to go down smooth.
Some cheap tequilas can be decent. Some are like paint thinner. While expense doesn't guarantee yum, top shelf tequilas are probably all decent.
Gran Centennario Azul is a brand of 100% de agave less expensive than Cuervo and demonstrates very effectively my points about decent cheap tequila and aging. GC Azul reposado is decent. It's a bit harsh, but for those like myself who enjoy a strong bite that's not a problem. The good flavor is all there and there's no paint thinnerness. Now, on the other hand, GC Azul silver is not good. Too much bite, too much paint thinnerness, not enough agave/bourbon/oak flavor.
No tequila has a worm. If there's a worm then it's a non-tequila mezcal (and the worm has been added as a marketing gimmick). Mezcal is a superset of tequila; all tequilas are mezcals but not all mezcals are tequilas. In practice, however, "mezcal" means it's not tequila. Tequila is made specifically of the blue weber agave and is from Jalisco. Mezcal can be made from other varieties of agave and can come from other parts of Mexico.
One appreciates fine tequila approximately the same way one appreciates fine whiskey (whether bourbon, Irish, scotch, rye, etc). It's supposed to go in something similar to a champagne flute though I find that any glass is fine. I enjoy it neat, either room temperature or chilled (but not on the rocks). Swirl, sniff, sip, taste, swallow, feel, etc...I'm not good at knowing all the stuff to do. I like to swish it around in my mouth and get all surfaces thoroughly coated, then take a nice deep breath through my mouth and almost choke on the fumes. I do the same with whiskey.
Whatever you do, don't ruin it with salt and a lime; that's what you do to choke down shots of Cuervo so you can get a hangover. If you want something more than neat tequila, put it in a mixed drink like a margarita. Margaritas, especially frozen slushy ones, can work with lower-quality tequila than you'd want to sip neat but are still not good with off-tasting mixtos.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, here's some brands worth trying without breaking the bank -- they taste good, feel good, and are priced very competitively:
Milagro - Delicious in blanco and anejo, I haven't tried the reposado. Price is low, flavor is exactly what it ought to be. Note that they have a few more expensive lines than their basic one that are probably excellent, but great flavor is found in their basic line in the tall skinny bottle.
1800 - made by the same folks as Cuervo, but made right. Price is usually decent. Blanco and reposado are both good, I haven't tried the anejo. Very available. There's also the 1800 Select 100 proof; more bite and more intoxication, flavor's still good (well I was pretty drunk by the time I tried it from an ice luge so my assessment may not have been fully coherent). The bottle includes an interesting stopper that you're supposed to use to measure servings by turning the bottle upside-down before removing the stopper. I don't bother with it.
Lunazul - decent, available, price is as good as it gets before you drop out of premium tequila. I think I only have tried the reposado.
Espolon - decent, available, price is as good as it gets before you drop out of premium tequila. I've tried the blanco and reposado, both good. Gotta love the interesting label.
Any questions?
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/402528-Pairing-fine-sipping-tequila-with-fine-BL
Unsurprisingly there was some curiosity from the uninitiated. Tequila is widely misunderstood; many people remember getting completely blitzed at a college party choking down shots of Cuervo Especial Gold with salt and lime and getting a nasty hangover, but have no idea that there is a whole world of high-class tequila out there just as there is for various types of whiskey. Tangent discussion of tequila ensued culminating in the following, for which it was suggested that a post here might be appropriate too.
Please continue our education...I'm taking notes.
I guess I could write a primer. This will be basic and I'm no expert, but it might help.
Blanco/silver: Un-aged or aged just for a short time. Color is clear.
Reposado: Aged up to a year in retired bourbon barrels. Color is somewhat golden.
Gold: Sometimes means reposado, sometimes (i.e. Cuervo and Sauza bottom-shelf offerings and I think Margaritaville too) means caramel color.
Anejo: As I posted above, aged 1-3 years in retired bourbon barrels. Color is dark golden/brown.
Mixto: A mixture, usually 49% cane/corn sugar spirits and 51% agave. Should not exist. The bottle never says "mixto". Actually I suspect that some kind of premium mixto exists but I've never seen one.
100% de agave: The only tequila anyone should drink. If the bottle doesn't say 100% de agave then it's probably a mixto. That's not to say that all 100% de agave tequilas are good; I've had some that were like paint thinner.
Blanco tequila starts out tasting kind of like a slightly sweet plain clear whiskey, but not sugary, rather a more natural sweetness in the same way virginia tobaccos are sweet rather than the way sugar-cased aromatics are. Aging in bourbon barrels gives it a significant tinge of smoky bourbon flavor and mellows out the alcohol bite. Some tequilas, especially cheap ones, can be very harsh with a strong alcohol bite when not aged; these need to be aged just to go down smooth.
Some cheap tequilas can be decent. Some are like paint thinner. While expense doesn't guarantee yum, top shelf tequilas are probably all decent.
Gran Centennario Azul is a brand of 100% de agave less expensive than Cuervo and demonstrates very effectively my points about decent cheap tequila and aging. GC Azul reposado is decent. It's a bit harsh, but for those like myself who enjoy a strong bite that's not a problem. The good flavor is all there and there's no paint thinnerness. Now, on the other hand, GC Azul silver is not good. Too much bite, too much paint thinnerness, not enough agave/bourbon/oak flavor.
No tequila has a worm. If there's a worm then it's a non-tequila mezcal (and the worm has been added as a marketing gimmick). Mezcal is a superset of tequila; all tequilas are mezcals but not all mezcals are tequilas. In practice, however, "mezcal" means it's not tequila. Tequila is made specifically of the blue weber agave and is from Jalisco. Mezcal can be made from other varieties of agave and can come from other parts of Mexico.
One appreciates fine tequila approximately the same way one appreciates fine whiskey (whether bourbon, Irish, scotch, rye, etc). It's supposed to go in something similar to a champagne flute though I find that any glass is fine. I enjoy it neat, either room temperature or chilled (but not on the rocks). Swirl, sniff, sip, taste, swallow, feel, etc...I'm not good at knowing all the stuff to do. I like to swish it around in my mouth and get all surfaces thoroughly coated, then take a nice deep breath through my mouth and almost choke on the fumes. I do the same with whiskey.
Whatever you do, don't ruin it with salt and a lime; that's what you do to choke down shots of Cuervo so you can get a hangover. If you want something more than neat tequila, put it in a mixed drink like a margarita. Margaritas, especially frozen slushy ones, can work with lower-quality tequila than you'd want to sip neat but are still not good with off-tasting mixtos.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, here's some brands worth trying without breaking the bank -- they taste good, feel good, and are priced very competitively:
Milagro - Delicious in blanco and anejo, I haven't tried the reposado. Price is low, flavor is exactly what it ought to be. Note that they have a few more expensive lines than their basic one that are probably excellent, but great flavor is found in their basic line in the tall skinny bottle.
1800 - made by the same folks as Cuervo, but made right. Price is usually decent. Blanco and reposado are both good, I haven't tried the anejo. Very available. There's also the 1800 Select 100 proof; more bite and more intoxication, flavor's still good (well I was pretty drunk by the time I tried it from an ice luge so my assessment may not have been fully coherent). The bottle includes an interesting stopper that you're supposed to use to measure servings by turning the bottle upside-down before removing the stopper. I don't bother with it.
Lunazul - decent, available, price is as good as it gets before you drop out of premium tequila. I think I only have tried the reposado.
Espolon - decent, available, price is as good as it gets before you drop out of premium tequila. I've tried the blanco and reposado, both good. Gotta love the interesting label.
Any questions?
