Plantation:

    Young tequilana weber blue agaves(hijuelos) are removed from older agaves and planted separately to give room for them to grow.  The Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico known for its abundance in rain and rich, nutrient red soil has been tested to be a better base to cultivate these young hijuelos.  For the next 8-10 years and with no pesticides and irrigation, these hijuelos will grow into mature 55-75kg blue weber agaves ready to be processed into rich tequila.

Jimar (Harvesting):

       The process starts out with an operation called the “jima”, in which the pencas, the hard, pointy leaves of agave plants are carefully cut off to uncover the pinas, the blue agave heads.                       Harvest Video

Analysis:

    Before the blue agave heads are allowed into the factories, a sample is taken from each lot to verify that the sugar content of the fruit is right to ensure that a high quality spirit will be produced.  This sugar content varies from region to region in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.  The higher the agave sugar level, the better its tequila.  It is known in the tequila business that higher levels of agave sugars are produced from the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

Cooking:

    After a particular lot of weber blue agaves has been verified and its entry authorized, the agave heads are split in half and slowly cooked in ovens until an appropriate tenderness has been reached.  Records are kept to maintain perfect cooking instructions to produce highly dark brown pinas with an intense sweet flavor. 

Shredding:

    Cooked pinas are then taken to a multiple shredding machine, where the precious agave juices are extracted and collected in large containers. 

Fermentation:

    This next step is very important since the initial alcohol contents will be produced here.  The extracted juices are sent to large vats and mixed with natural microbios (saccaromyces cerevisiae) and left there until the liquid starts its fermentation process.  Strict measures are taken to control fermentation temperatures of 30-42’C. 

                         Fermentation Video

Distillation:

     This next step is also very important, because a final tequila(blanco/silver is produced here).  Traditional copper stills are utilized to perform a double distillation. The first distillation uses vapor to heat up the fermented agave juices and produce a concentration of alcohol between 25-30% .  The second distillation removes more unwanted residue and brings the Alcohol levels to 55%.  It is then diluted with dionized pure water to bring it down to alcohol levels between 35-43%. 

                                                                               Distillation Video

Aging:

    The distilled spirit is aged in white oak 200 liter wooden barrels to obtain the aroma, color and flavor that distinguish our tequila.  These barrels are placed in temperature and humidity control environments to help with the oxidized reactions of the tequila, and thus help its aging process. This important process is monitored by the Mexican Tequila Council (CRT).  By law, a Reposado tequila must be aged for 2 months, we age ours for a minimum of 6 months.  The Añejo tequila must be aged for 1 year, we age our Anejo tequila for 1 ½ years, and the Extra Añejo must be rested in sealed barrels for a minimum of 3 years.

Bottling/Labeling: 

    Before bottling, the aged tequila is filtered to remove any wood sediments the barrels might have left behind.  Bottles are then labeled, boxed and shipped to our customers.

   Artisanal Bottle Fabrication Video