--The blue agave plant (looks like a cactusy aloe pineapple) is grown from 8-10 years until the heart of the plant reaches the size of a beach ball. It is then harvested using a flat spade called a coa and the heart is brought to the distillery.
--The many agave fruits are chopped using axes and then put into ovens to help the starches turn into sugars (we ate some agave after the ovens).
--The cooked agave is then mashed and milled, separating the juice (agual miel) from the fiber. The fiber is used for non-tequila applications.
--The liquid is then fermented with yeast and subsequently let to age in other vats. We sampled some of the tequila product at each stage. To be a good sport I had a sip but nearly puked after just a drop. Others managed to down a swig of the brew.
--Tequila is then stored in barrels like wine, and the type of tequila you get (there are 4 kinds) depends on how long it has aged and what % of the sugars some from agave (vs. cane sugar additives).
--I didn't spring for the tasting part of the tour, but a nice lady from Colorado did and she let me sit in and watch as I drank the weakest margarita ever made (part of the tour). It turns out that there is a whole process to sniffing and tasting tequila, similar to wine. First you swirl it in the special tequila glass, noting color, body, and the "legs." Second you sniff in three places of the glass opening: the bottom for the alcohol, the middle for the sugars, and the top for the other flavors. Or something like that. Then you take a quick sip without tasting to get your mouth accustomed to the alcohol. Next you take a sip and hold it in your mouth for 5-7 seconds to let the other flavors come out. You can also hold a sip in your mouth and then breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose to bring out the other flavors. So next time someone offers you tequila, you can go through these steps as a connessier. What is the best kind of tequila? Eduardo says sincerely, "It is whichever kind you like the most. Tequila has the power of eliciting memories." For him, the smell of tequila reminds him of the smell of money (since it is his job!).
Before heading back to the bus, I stopped to eat a chile relleno, and saw a woman making fresh tortillas. The process was eerily similar to making rotli (and Indian flat bread) except instead of rolling the dough they use a very effective press machine--maybe I'll bring one back for my mom, grandmother, and aunt!
Upon returning from Tequila, I met up with Andrea (a photography student from Australia) to head to the suburb of Tlaquepaque. A truly pleasant neighborhood, known for its fine artesanias and shopping, this little town was celebrating its patron saint in the annual Feria de San Pedro. As such, the place was like a carnival/fair and super fun to be around. I drank a giant coconut (dad!) and chatted it up with Oscar, the coconut guy. We saw a different kind of churro being made (like traditional fried dough--yum) and entertained ourselves walking though the pedestrian maze of stalls, vendors, games, etc. Andrea had an enormous camera and was taking photographs (f/stop and all that... Mo-mo) while I was taking snapshots! There was a procession of San Pedro himself, along with bottle rockets, that ended in the church along with what appeared to be an en masse confirmation ceremony. We then went to sit for a while and listen to mariachis serenading more spend-happy customers and then played a bingo-like game called loteria. It was SUCH a fun game--instead of letters and numbers, you have to cover the tarot-card like pictures on your loteria card with corn seeds until it is full. It is excellent practice for ones Spanish and a hoot with the other ladies who play, shouting "Buena!" when they win. The night ended with a nice chat with a friendly fellow of the bus ride home.
Today I'm headed for Guanajuato, and as check-out is in 5 minutes, I'd better log off!
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