How to taste tequila
Suave releases rare 5-year XA and blanco blends Among the five official categories of tequila, the “Joven or Oro” expression (as it is labeled in tequila regulations) is probably the…
Blind tastings are the best way to find out what you really like, free of marketing hype, bias, and previous experiences. They also give you the opportunity to experience tequila…
When’s the last time you were surprised by your own palate? It’s probably been a while. That’s because we tend to gravitate toward the foods, flavors and brands that we…
Anyone who has visited Guadalajara recently was probably bombarded with billboards and bar menus touting the latest tequila trend: “Cristalinos”. These are aged tequilas that have been filtered to remove…
Put the words “tequila” and “smoky” together and most people think of mezcal. This is because most mezcal makers still use the artisanal process of cooking agaves in earthen pits,…
There’s a hidden, invitation-only area of the Tequila Matchmaker app that was built so that we could conduct blind ratings for groups of people. It might be the single most…
Everyone has a bad college experience that somehow involved tequila. (Go ahead, admit it, you have one too.) As a result, people can be hesitant about tequila later on in…
The Tequila Whisperer Show is always fun to watch, but it’s even more fun when you get to be an actual guest on the show, as we were last week….
Sometimes the difference between just having a drink and really enjoying what you taste is the influence of a great bartender. A great bartender can help you discover new brands,…
About a week ago we got out tequila-soaked hands on this little beauty—the Tequila Aroma Kit developed by my tasting teacher Ana Maria Romero Mena. It features 50 of some…
The other day we visited David Yan, Marketing Director for Casa Noble tequila in Mexico, at his house in Guadalajara. Part of David’s job is to bring guests to the…
Have you ever wished there really was a bar where everyone knew your name and were always glad you came? Few of us have this in real life, but there…
Even if you are a regular tequila drinker, the first sip can sometimes be a shock to your mouth. It might bite and tingle a bit, and there’s no way…
Have you ever gone tequila tasting with someone who has a great nose? They swirl their glass around, hold it to the light to checkout the “legs” and the “tears”,…
It’s 11 a.m. on a Tuesday and I’m sitting in La Tequila, the largest tequila bar-restaurant in Guadalajara. The older gentleman sitting next to is holding a small glass vial to his nose and smelling deeply. He looks at me, shrugs, and hands me the vial. I know this one is going to be a tough one.
It’s Day One of a four-day hardcore seminar on tequila tasting and evaluation and almost everyone is having a hard time identifying the unmarked smells in the little glass vials. We have to identify what aroma group the smell comes from—floral, herbal, spice, fruit or other—and name the smell if we can. I take the vial the man has passed to me and take a deep whiff. It’s floral … no, it’s punchier than that. An herb? I write down “herbal” but I have no clue what kind. I move on to the next one.
For this website, I have tasted a lot of tequilas. I always try to be observant and descriptive as possible about the tequilas, but I realize I’m no expert. Tequila is complex. It has over 600 possible aroma and flavor components. Some, like vanilla and caramel, are easy to spot because they come from the barrel and are present in many aged tequilas. Others, like apples, gardenias and solvents, are more challenging. Is it baked apple or fresh apple? Is it thinner or is it gasoline? These are things that expert “catadores” (tequila tasters) can identify immediately.
Añejo tequilas — meaning tequilas that have been aged in a barrel for one to three years — are often rich in flavor and aromas. These are the cognacs of…
Put down that shot glass! Not because we’re encouraging you not to drink – don’t be silly – but because you are probably cheating whatever tequila is in that glass….
We moved from San Francisco to Mexico a little over a month ago and I’d say we’re pretty settled in. Getting here was easier than we thought—we notified our landlord…
The legend of the sommelier, sitting in the cellar to taste and rate wines by candlelight, is alive and well in Mexico. Except here the cherished spirit is tequila and…
Our latest video featuring Mark Alberto Holt and Gabbi Villarrubia, our tequila experts from Sayulita, Mexico, is all about tequila and hangovers. I asked them to address the hangover issue…