Tequila Tasting at San Jose’s Mexican Restaurant.
The owner and host of Radio Station La Mejor 1340 AM / 96.1 FM in Orlando, Oscar Pineda, cordially invited us to a Tequila Tasting at San Jose’s Mexican Restaurant. For this occasion, Tony Montana, one of the managers at Estefan Kitchen, joined us at the tasting along with Sales Coach Sabrina Drai, a connoisseur of fine tequila.
There were familiar faces of representatives of the Mexican Consulate we met before in previous events.
We also had the honor of meeting Lic. Alfonso Magallanes the Mayor of Tequila, Jalisco. Was also present the Ambassador of Tequila Mr. Raul Reyes who is also the owner of the Reyes Tequila Distillery family. In addition, we met the owner of other two Tequila Distilleries, “El Tequileño ” and “Atanasio”, a tequila founded in 1959.
And what a nice surprise to meet Checo’s father Antonio Perez Garibay, who has become very popular after his son won the Formula Uno.
At San Jose’s Tequila Tasting we realized, that Tequila and mezcal continue to make a strong entrance into the US.
After everything we found out at this event, there is no denying WE LOVE TEQUILA IN THIS COUNTRY
Tequila, along with the mariachi, is a distinctively Mexican icon known throughout the world.
it’s no wonder José Alfredo Jiménez’s favorite drink is shipped at an approximate rate of 400 liters per minute to more than 120 countries.
In Mexico, there are only 181 communities that produce this distilled agave beverage. Aside from Jalisco (which is the major producer with 125 communities including Tequila). There is also Tequila production in Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, and Michoacán. These places coincide with the Denomination of Origin Tequila in its elaboration.
Tequila cannot be used to refer to any other alcoholic beverage that has not been produced locally.
Also, did you didn’t know, that the United States is the main consumer of the quintessential national drink? Since the 1800s, distilleries in Mexico have exported Tequila to the United States. In 1974, Mexico developed a Denomination of Origin (DO) for Tequila. It was supposed to be akin to Europe’s Geographical Indication (GI), a marker that identifies that certain goods have a distinct origin, history, and culture.
Is 2022 a good time to invest in the Tequila industry?
Hey, it’s ok to ask about it, since, basketball star LeBron James announced his investment in Lobos 1707. What about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? He’s got his premium Tequila off the ground, while George Clooney sold his Casamigos brand for $1 billion in 2017. There is gotta be a demand right?
Maybe Tequila is suddenly becoming a global commodity?
The heiress of the Reyes Tequila factory, Maria Jose, told us that according to the Tequila Regulatory Council,
This could be true, the number of tequila exports to the United States in the first quarter of 2022 sold your country 46.5 million liters. So we believe that this is a good time to find a distributor and bring our Tequila Reyes to the United States.
When my father took over the company from my grandfather in 2014, production increased to 3,000 liters per month. We plan to produce 500,000 liters of Tequila Reyes per month by 2024.
The Tequila Master, Raúl Reyes agrred. He has witnessed the booms and busts of agave farming since he was a boy when he worked the fields. He went on to study agriculture and is now an agronomist.
“The United States is the country where tequila is sold the most, it even sells more than in Mexico; almost 85% of the export goes to the United States”.
According to the Economist “Of the 339.4 million liters that were exported in 2021 to the whole world, 288.9 million were sent to the United States, which means that that country received almost 85% of tequila exports.”
Damn, well, the truth is that’s a lot of liters of Tequila consumption!
Indeed, also, keep in mind that cultivating the agave for tequila takes around seven years for the plant to reach maturity to be harvested.
According to what the tequila masters told us,
The tequila process begins in the agave fields when the agaves are selected to be cut and transported to the factories for transformation. Then, grinding, cooking, fermentation, distillation, maturation, filtration, dilution, and packaging all take place later in the factory.
Tequila takes 12 to 14 hours to ferment.
Fermentation time for 51-49 percent tequila is 12-14 hours, and fermentation time for 100 percent agave tequila is 40-50 hours. After this period, we obtain the fermented juice, also known as dead must, which contains between 12 and 14 degrees of alcohol.
Tequila is categorized into, according to Master Raul Reyes:
Silver or white-Commercial tequila is always active.
Gold or Young. It is a combination of reposado and white tequila.
Reposado. In oak barrels for two months
Añejo. A minimum of one year in oak barrels
Extra Añejo. 3 years or more in Oak Barrel.
Everyone should be aware of the type of Tequila they are consuming as well as the processes and methods used. We strive to treat the land with great care because we want it to continue producing for future generations. To ensure that the Tequila they are enjoying is a quality product and not merely the result of some marketing campaign.
This forcing farmer to not let the soil go through the proper process. The Agave takes about eight to 10 years to mature. But the bigger players want to get their hands on agaves as early as two years old to meet demand. This degrades the land and creates the sort of Tequila you swore off drinking after a rowdy night and debilitating hangover.
Fact: The United States imports more than 80% of Mexican tequila.
Moreover, Germany is the second most important export destination for the product.
The main export destinations for Mexican tequila are the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Colombia, Canada, and Brazil.
Other data on the use of this distillate around the world can be found below.
Tequila’s premiumization and innovation
Moreover, we discussed how Tequila’s market expansion is supported by premiumization and innovation trends in white spirits. Therefore it is well-positioned to benefit from the region’s popularity of craft spirits.
Indeed, more drinkers are looking to ‘drink better and turning to premium brands.
Venessa, Gabriel, Mayor of Tequila (MX) Mr. Magallanes and his wife.
Well, we learned a lot and we are already scheduled to go to Tequila, Mexico to prepare a 3D virtual tour of their factories.
With so much learning about Tequila, we are thinking about investing in Tequila more than ever. What about you?
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