*Too long to read? I’ll read it to you.*👇
Tequila starts with agave — a succulent plant native to Mexico and the southern US. The thick, fleshy leaves help the plant store water in dry climates, and there are more than 200 species of agave plants. Tequila uses just one: blue weber agave.
Agave has long been central to life in Mexico. Like the buffalo for Native American tribes, agave provided food (when roasted), fibers for textiles and rope, building materials, and even medicine. It was so important that the Aztec goddess of fertility, Mayahuel, is often depicted with it.
Agave takes 7–10 years to mature. Once harvested, its starchy core (the piña, or pineapple) is cooked, transforming starches into sugars. Those sugars, fermented by yeast, become alcohol — the same process that turns grains into beer or grapes into wine. Long before distillation, people in Mexico were already fermenting agave into mildly alcoholic drinks, sometimes called pulque (pronounced pull-K).
Tequila is protected by law under a Denomination of Origin. To be called tequila, it must:
Spirits made from agave outside those regions can be delicious — they just can’t be called tequila. Just like you can only make Champagne in France, you can only make tequila in Mexico.
https://app.oneform.one/f/YfuvHK
Here’s the key thing to know: not all tequila is made from 100% agave. To stretch supply (starting in the 20th century), producers are allowed to use just 51% agave sugars, blending the rest with other sources. This style is called mixto (aka “mixed”), and it’s usually lower in quality.
How to spot the good stuff: