I may not be a drinker, but I’m becoming an expert in the methodology of brewing, distilling etc.. My first exposure at the Bacardi distillery fascinated me. Tequila is Mexico’s claim to fame and is extracted from the agave plant. It must be blue agave to be real Tequila. .I also realized that the hairy part of the agave that they throw away is the one that is used in papermaking, (the early Indians did just that) and which makes for an incredible strong sheet. The visit to Mama Lucia’s was part of a tour which we "won" through one of the harrowing experiences of time share presentations. Will we ever learn? We were a fairly large group, so I didn’t always have the best seat in the house. This being a "boutique" sort of label, the operation is small and everything is done by hand, which puts a favorable twist to the whole experience. The building is a beautiful warm tangerine color, and has a patch of blue agave growing in front; it will take anywhere from 8 to 10 years before you can harvest it to make Tequila. Agave must be planted in lava red soil
Much like the pineapple, the leaves are discarded from the plant, and what is left is the heart which looks like a. …pineapple! Each piña can weigh up to 100 lbs. or more. The largest maker and exporter of Tequila is Jose Cuervo
The piña is then steamed for two days or so in a hot oven, after which its color changes from light yellow to a dark amber with a sweet aroma; up to three crushing processes ensue so as to extract the liquid from the plant, now called aguamiel , or honey water. Fermentation is next, where the liquid is allowed to age in oak barrels for a minimum of 3 weeks. The length of fermentation will yield a different product: the shortest time yields the white tequila; after two months, it becomes a golden amber color, and the reposado, or rested, takes up to a year for readiness. We learned that tequilas can be made using other sisal plants, but the blue agave only grows in the state of Jalisco, and is the only one that can make the claim to being the real thing.
After the demonstration, of course, comes the tasting, and everyone except me, had a round of all they had to offer: Tequila now has many flavors, and it was almost unanimous that the chocolate variety was the best. They taught us a refrain, apparently common when one is about to partake of alcohol, and it goes like this: (the motion of the hand is very important here to indicate the direction of the drink - ) arriba, abajo, al lado, al dentro!! (which means up, down, to the side, and inside!)