Inside the La Cofradia tequila distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, where many different grades of tequila are processed, and then exported.
As you can tell from the post below, Grover and I drink mainly añejo and super añejo at home, but I don’t think a lot of folks do. In fact, I know they don’t. I was poking around the Website for the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (www.crt.org.mx) last weekend (hey, you have your Saturday night rituals, I have mine) and I came across some interesting data on tequila exports to the U.S.
In 2008, almost 34 million liters of 100% agave tequila were exported to the U.S., and of that over half, or nearly 18 million liters, was blanco. Reposado was the next popular grade, at 12.3 million liters, with añejo following at a mere 3 million liters.
Barrels of tequila inside of the Cascahuin distillery, where the aging process occurs.
Super añejo, on the other hand, represented just a tiny fraction of total exports, with less than 21,000 liters brought in for delicious consumption.
(Say, we have seven super añejos at the moment – does this mean that we are one of 3,000 similarly stocked households?)
Of course, I realize that many of the blancos are being purchased by bars and restaurants as mixers, but there are also a lot of people who just enjoy that strong agave flavor. And repos are well represented, so it seems that many like the smoothness of aged tequila that still retains that agave bite. Which is your favorite grade of tequila? Let us know!
-Scarlet
[…] Facebook group! We’ve got two discussion topics already waiting for your attention: what’s your favorite grade of tequila (blanco, reposodo, añejo or super añejo (see my previous post), and where the best places are to […]
I don’t own any Blancos, so lump in in with the fraction of those who consume the Repos, Anejos and Super-A’s. While I don’t have an aversion to them (they are wonderful in margaritas for that concentrated burst of agave), for the pure pleasure of sipping I prefer the rested or aged tequilas.