When’s the final time you had been stunned by your individual palate? It’s most likely been some time. That’s as a result of we are likely to gravitate towards the meals, flavors and types that we’re acquainted with. The issue with this strategy is that we not often get past our recognized preferences. That’s why, in the case of tequila, we like to do blind tastings. Immediately, all of the preconceived notions you get from the bottle, the advertising, your previous experiences with the model, or your individual private relationships, are stripped away. It’s simply the juice within the glass and your senses.
We discover the blind tasting expertise so priceless that we’ve developed a cellular app interface that leads folks by means of a blind scores expertise, with group outcomes revealed the moment the tasting is completed.
Final month we kicked off the primary in what will probably be a collection of month-to-month public blind tasting occasions on the Quinta Don Jose Boutique Resort in Tlaquepaque. As standard, the outcomes had been stunning, particularly given that almost all of this group had been long-time aficionados, in order that they already had a good suggestion of the tequila and types that they most popular.
Listed below are the 7 blancos we selected for the lineup:
The 33 contributors rated them blind utilizing a particular space of the Tequila Matchmaker app.
Let’s get into the outcomes. Our tasting occasions are designed in a approach that makes them greater than only a contest amongst manufacturers, so earlier than we get into that, we discuss course of. By averaging the general scores (together with factors for aroma, taste, end, and worth) we will present which manufacturing strategies folks appreciated (and disliked) essentially the most. We are able to uncover this, due to all the method information packed into the app.
We have a look at:
Cooking/Hydrolysis: How the sugar conversion is made…
Contributors on this blind tasting most popular excessive strain autoclaves and stone/brick ovens essentially the most, whereas low strain autoclaves scored barely above common. However the lowest, by far, was the one mostly used with diffuser manufacturing.
Extraction: How the sugars are faraway from the agave fibers…
Essentially the most conventional of extraction processes scored highest with this group. The tahona, which is a 2-3 ton stone wheel used to squeeze the sugars off of the cooked agave fibers, completed simply above the extra trendy curler mill. The screw mill completed barely above common. Diffuser extraction completed final.
Distillation: The kind of nonetheless used…
Stainless Metal stills with copper coils and copper pot stills scored the very best factors. The mixture of copper pot and column nonetheless clocked in a contact above common. And full column nonetheless manufacturing scored the bottom.
For those who’re interested by why these common scores are so low, it’s as a result of they had been rated blind. Folks *at all times* fee tequila decrease once they don’t know what they’re score. We’ve seen folks fee their favourite tequilas a lot decrease than regular just because it was blind. That is proof that the bottle design, model story, and private relationships contribute considerably to an individual’s thought of what they’re tasting. This tends to be the largest shock for individuals who take part in our blind tastings.
In abstract, when tasted blind, this group of significant tequila aficionados most popular historically made tequilas over the trendy, mass manufacturing diffuser fashion.
Now let’s discuss concerning the manufacturers…
So, which did they like essentially the most based mostly on the aroma, taste, and end alone? A relative newcomer and one among our private favorites, Caschuín Tahona, landed on prime.
The tasters stated they appreciated the daring agave, vegetal and lactic nostril, in addition to the wealthy taste and lengthy, heat end.
On condition that it is a traditionally-made product utilizing a tahona to crush the agaves, it was a very good match for this group, who we already knew valued artisanal manufacturers. On this case, their recognized preferences matched with their blind choose.
However, we noticed extra eye-opening outcomes with the second-place finisher, El Tequileño Blanco, a “mixto” that makes use of 71% agave sugars and 29% Mexican pilóncillo (just like brown sugar, with baking spices blended in).
The tasters discovered cooked agave, cinnamon, and anise, and one remarked that it had a “good, mild mouthfeel.”
The excessive score of this product simply proves that it’s doable to make a very good “mixto”, and now we have to imagine that with out the blind expertise, many of those aficionados wouldn’t have tried it, pondering that mixtos we’re not for them. (Shock!).
Transferring on, the tequila that scored the subsequent highest (and really near El Tequileno, at simply 0.12 factors aside) was a whole newcomer, Tezcazul Blanco. The tasters discovered vanilla, and light-weight banana aromas. Some remarked that it was candy however had a pleasant viscosity—an awesome selection for newer tequila drinkers.
Tezcazul is an natural tequila made at Las Americas, NOM 1480, which produces different noteworthy merchandise, together with 4 Copas, 123 Natural Tequila, Don Abraham, and Hacienda Los Alamos.
After Tezcazul, the tasters scored El Tequileño Platino excessive, noting that the model’s 100% agave blanco had a pleasant agave and pepper nostril, however a shorter end.
Ocho Blanco El Bajío (2018) was subsequent, adopted by Don Fulano Blanco. Ocho has lengthy been an aficionado-loved model, however every single property batch produces a considerably totally different taste profile (because it ought to, since they use agaves from totally different places, and aren’t utilizing components to regulate for consistency), so some batches may be extra to your private preferences than others.
The tasters discovered lots of agave and earth in El Bajío, in addition to fruit notes and spices.
As for Don Fulano, this was one other shock for us as a result of we will’t cease consuming it in our home and thought it will fee increased with this group based mostly on the way it has completed in earlier blind scores we’ve held. They remarked that it had tons of agave, with natural notes and a protracted end. Nevertheless, some thought that with it’s daring, old-school profile it was excessive proof. Nevertheless it’s a 40% abv., additive-free tequila.
Apparently, entry to completely mature agaves is what makes the complete Don Fulano lineup so particular. With the mature agave scarcity dragging on longer than anticipated, this model holds a bonus as a result of they’ve their very own agave plantation.
Lastly, the tequila that was least most popular, by a large margin, was Casa Dragones Blanco, a diffuser-made product. Some tasters stated that it smelled floral, however most stated it was medicinal and candy, and that it appeared synthetic.
So, prepared to search out out which tequilas you actually like, freed from bias and preconceptions? Take the “Tequila Problem” and join one among our instructional blind tasting occasions. We conduct them each month. Your private scores are revealed solely to you, and there are not any incorrect solutions. Salud!
Check out our tequila blind tasting occasion schedule, and register on-line!
