Produced only in the mountainous region near the city of Guadalajara in west-central Mexico, real tequila must be made entirely from the hearts of the blue agave plant. Although many North Americans consider the agave a cactus, it is actually a member of the amaryllis family of plants. The process of making tequila begins when workers cut out the pineapple shaped hearts of 8 - 10 year old agave plants. The heating process softens the fibers and the hearts are then pressed to obtain the juice. After the juice is fermented and twice distilled, the resulting liquids are ready for bottling or aging.
Tequila comes in three basic quality levels - silver, gold and anejo.
Silver tequila is rarely aged and, because it is bottled very soon after distillation it has a rough, raw taste and a stinging bite on the tongue and on the back of the throat. Gold tequila is generally aged for about a year in large 220 liter oak barrels that are made with a mixture of new oak and oak that has been previously used to age bourbon whiskey. Anejo, or ultra-premium tequila, is aged from one to four years, and this extra aging gives it smoothness, complexity and depth of aroma and flavor. The best way to discover which tequila is most suited to your taste is to invite friends for a tasting party at home. Most experts agree that you should serve between four and six different versions of tequila at such parties.