It takes 8 to 12 years for the agave plant to be ready for use. Once the plant is ripe, the leaves are cut leaving the core which is called a pina or pineapple in English. Each pineapple weights between 40 and 70 pounds. Once in the distillery, the pineapples are cut in half, roasted and then shredded to press out the juice. The juice is then placed in fermenting tanks. Once the juices have fermented for 30 to 48 hours they are distilled twice in more modern containers. After the second distillation, it is no longer called mezcal, but tequila.
The types of tequila
There are four types of tequila:
Silver; which is the traditional tequila. This tequila is clear in color and is bottled right after distillation. This is the tequila that you see served in shot glasses.
Gold; To get gold tequila, caramel and other colorants and flavorings are added to the tequila. Gold tequila is the favorite to make Margaritas.
Rested; this is silver tequila that has been “rested” for two to twelve months. This is type of tequila has a softer flavor than silver and gold tequila.
Aged; Silver tequila that has been “aged” for over a year. The tequila is kept in oak containers which gives the tequila its unique flavor.