A 101 public take on tequila education. A snapshot introduction to the overall exciting world of Tequila, Mexico and Agave Spirits.

1. TRUE SPIRITS IMPORTS
@TSImports

2. Quality Tequilas don’t
have to be expensive…
The best way for a
Tequila to be Global is to
remain local, authentic...

3. When it comes to TRUE SPIRITS what really
counts is on the inside...

4. Our Mexican roots are the foundation of our Canadian
project. And it is these very roots that allow us to
discover those hidden gems that make up our product
portfolio.

5. True Spirits Imports proudly introduces one local company
that still makes Tequila as it originally was meant to be:
Compañía Tequilera Hacienda la Capilla and its remarkable
catalogue of Tequilas, El Amo Tequilas.

6. Through its refined products,
this company keeps alive the
tequila tradition, with its rich
history and culture.

7. Tequilas crafted
with patience
and care offer a
unique and
unparalleled
experience. This
is the standard
for True Spirits
Imports. We
make luscious
products
available to
discerning
individuals.

8. At True Spirits Imports we are proud of what we do. We are
tequila people. Our products have history, stories and
tradition. We believe more in quality than in excess.
We also believe our customers deserve nothing less than the
best tequila experience available AND at a reasonable price,
because you want to know something? quality tequilas do not
have to be expensive.

9. TEQUILA 101
Tequila came to life when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico around
1520. Applying the distillation techniques they had learned from the
Arabs to the ancient Mexican process of Pulque, the Spanish created
Tequila--an enigmatic and audacious spirit of mixed heritage.
As the first distilled spirit of North America, Tequila
holds an exuberant heritage and is slowly gaining its rightful place
with the finest whiskeys, brandies and cognacs. Legendary in Mexico
for centuries, True Spirits now offers the harmonic blend of a quality
Tequila spirit in Alberta, Canada

10. ORIGIN
DENOMINATION/APPELLATION
OF ORIGIN
In 1978, the "Appellation of Origin Tequila” was
registered before the World Intellectual Property Organization, (WIPO).
For a product to be labeled 'Tequila', it must be produced in the declared
territory of Mexico, and the producer must follow the Official Standard for
Tequila, known as NOM.
Jalisco: 125 municipalities
Michoacán: 30 municipalities
Nayarit: 8 municipalities
Guanajuato: 7 municipalities
Tamaulipas: 11 municipalities

12. TEQUILA REGIONS
The state of Jalisco is the most important region
for producing Tequila. 96% of total production
takes place here. It is convenient to separate production into zones
for the purpose of evaluating Tequilas, as there are unique qualities
characteristic that can be distinguished in the Tequilas that originate in each
zone. Each zone's climate and soil conditions give its agave a distinct and
special flavor. Two significant zones of note are:
1.) HIGHLANDS: Arandas, Atotonilco, Tepatitlan, Tototlan & Zapotlanejo
The average sugar content of the agave plants in this zone ranges between
26-27%, making the tequilas of this region sweeter, with fruity and flowery
notes.
2.) TEQUILA: Amatitan, Arenal, Magdalena & Tequila
The average sugar content of the agave plants in this zone ranges between
23-24%. The Tequilas from this region have a drier, earthy flavour.

13. *NOM = NORMA OFICIAL MEXICANA
NOM is the Official Mexican Standard of Tequila that is regulated
by the Mexican Government, which contains specifications to be followed by all
individuals and companies producing Tequila. The NOM applies to all processes
and activities related to the supply of agave, production, bottling, marketing,
information and business practices linked to the distilled alcoholic beverage
known as Tequila.
Companies that comply with regulations are then certified by the CRT
(Tequila Regulatory Council) and then granted a NOM registry
number, a government regulated distillery number that distinguishes the
Tequila as the unique product of an individual distillery. The # has to be
displayed in their bottles.

14. a) TEQUILA CATEGORIES & CLASSES
1.) Tequila 100% Agave (bottled in origin). 100% of the sugars present in the
spirit come from the BLUE WEBER AGAVE plant.
2.) Tequila 'Mixto' or 'mixed' (can be bottled outside of Mexico). 51% of the
sugar present in the liquor come from the BLUE WEBER AGAVE plant.
The remaining 49% come from different sources .
• SILVER: Unaged tequila. Found in both 100% de agave and mixed
tequilas
• GOLD: Silver tequila colored with caramel. Found ONLY in MIXED
tequilas
• REPOSADO: Aged for a minimum of 2 months to a maximum of 11
months. Found in 100% de Agave
• AŃEJO: Aged for a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 3 years

15. TEQUILA CATEGORIES
100% AGAVE
Produced with 100% sugars from the blue weber agave plant.
IT HAS TO BE BOTTLED IN MEXICO. The label must include
the legend: 100% Agave / 100% Blue Agave / 100% Agave Azul.
MIXED TEQUILA / MIXTOS / TEQUILA
51% of the sugars come from the agave plant and the
remaining 49% come from other sugars. IT CAN BE BOTTLED
OUTSIDE OF MEXICO. The label can only say “Tequila”.

16. The distilled alcoholic beverage known as Tequila
can only be made using Agave of the species
“tequilana weber blue variety”, grown in the
federal states and municipalities indicated in the
Declaration.
Ideal conditions for the growth of agave plants include the
following:
*volcanic soils heavy in basalt and iron
*an elevation of approximately 1500 meters above sea level
*approximately 1 meter of annual precipitation
*a semi-dry climate with an average temperate of approximately 20
degrees Celsius
These conditions create robust agave and, subsequently great Tequila
in a relationship of 7:1 between the weight (kilograms) of the agave
and the volume (liters) of Tequila produced.

18. Blue Agave
at full
Maturation

19. JIMA/HARVEST
This is where the production process begins and where the very first quality
checkpoint occurs. The agave plant requires 7-10 years to mature and
reach a sugar level that is sweet enough to produce a quality Tequila
product. Mexican regulations require that the minimum sugar content
(brix), be 24%.

20. COOKING
Depending on their size, the agave pineapples, (piñas), are cut in halves or
quarters. The agaves are then placed into ovens and the cooking process
begins and lasts, on average, 48 hours. Cooking the agave is an essential step
in Tequila production as the gentle heat slowly transforms the agave's natural
carbohydrates and starches into fermentable sugars.

21. MILLING
After cooking, the hearts of the agave will allow the sugars to flow. The mills
will then extract the sugars present in the agave fibers. The result of this
process is an agave juice with a sugar content of approximately 12% called
mosto.

22. FERMENTATION
The star of the fermentation process is the yeast which converts the agave
sugars into alcohol. First the yeast is infused into the prepared mosto.
Temperature is carefully maintained between 30 and 42 degrees Celsius. The
length of the fermentation process determines the alcohol content, lasting on
average anywhere between 12 and 72 hours.

23. DISTILLATION
Distillation occurs in two steps. During the first the fermented mosto is passed
into stills where it is heated to high temperature for evaporation and
condensed back into a liquid termed "ordinary". In the second step, the
alcohol volume increases and the product is refined. This final distillation step
results in Tequila.

24. MATURATION
After distillation the Tequila is stored in oak barrels where it matures to become
either rested, (2 month minimum maturation), aged (1 year minimum
maturation), or extra aged, (3 year minimum maturation). By law the
containers for this part of the process must be either oak or encino oak and
have a capacity of 600 liters.

25. USEFUL FACTS, MYTHS, & TIPS
• NOM’s vs brands
• 4) 100% AGAVE SILVER TEQUILA is the building block
for every other product. Always try this first.
• 5) 100% AGAVE legend on the bottle is not a
guarantee of quality
• 6) WORM in the bottle is NOT a good sign.
• 7) 7 kgms of agave make 1 litre of tequila 100%
AGAVE

26. Tommy’s Margarita
1 part Tequila Silver
1 part Agave Nectar (1:1)
1 part fresh Lime Juice

27. agaveaficionados.wordpress.com/
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@TSImports