7 Steps to Making Tequila Part 1
True tequila is made from blue agave, a succulent plant found in Mexican regions. The production of tequila is divided into seven steps: harvesting, cooking, fermentation, distillation, aging and bottling. Every step is regulated by the Consejo Regulador de Tequila, ensuring that general guidelines are followed to guarantee maximum quality. Each distillery has its own source of agave, processes, quality control and techniques that will affect each tequila’s taste.
Step 1 — Harvesting
The planting, tending and harvesting of the agave plant remains a manual effort that relies on centuries-old know how that has been passed down from generation to generation. The agave plants grow in neat rows for six to ten years and are meticulously tended until they are ripe and ready to harvest.
The harvester, or “Jimador” removes the agave leaves with a sharp curved tool called a Coa. He trims the 200 plus leaves that protect the heart or piña of the agave until the whole heart is extracted from the ground. Only the heart, or “piña,” of the agave plant is used to make tequila. Mature piñas weigh in between a hefty eighty and three hundred pounds; however, the size of the agave heart is not nearly as important as its sugar content. The older the agave, the longer the piña will have to accumulate the starches that will convert into fermentable sugars. Approximately, 15 pounds of agave piñas are required to produce one liter of delicious tequila.
Step 2 — Cooking
During this step, steam injection within traditional brick ovens or stainless steel autoclaves is used to activate a chemical process within the piña that converts complex carbohydrates into simple fermentable sugars. Cooking also softens the piña, making the process of sugar extraction easier.
Step 3 — Extraction
Once cooked, the agave heads are transported to a milling area for sugar extraction. The cooked piñas are crushed in order to release the juice, or “aguamiel,” that will be fermented. The traditional method is to crush the piñas with a “tahona,” a giant grinding wheel operated by mules, oxen or tractors within a circular pit. Modern distilleries now use a mechanical crusher to separate the fiber from the juices. Once the piñas are minced they are washed with water and strained to remove the juices.
