User:Erienchyma/Blue agave
Tequila is made only from a specific cultivar of Agave tequilana called 'Weber Azul’. This cultivar is larger and blue-gray in color compared to the smaller and green normal A. tequilana. The agave plants mature for about 8 to 12 years[1] and undergoes several stages of cleaning, pesticides, and slacken of land. This process is all required in order to produce the raw material in the manufacturing of tequila. It is a rapid grower and prolific offsetter in keeping with its agricultural advantages. Tequila is produced by removing the heart (piña) of the plant in its seventh to fourteenth year (depending on growth rate and whims of harvester). Harvested piñas normally weigh 80–200 pounds (40–90 kg).[4] This heart is stripped of its leaves and heated to convert the inulin to sugars. Then the roasted core is pressed or crushed to release the sugary clear liquid called aguamiel, which is, in turn, fermented and distilled into alcohol. Tequila is also made with a sugar formulation 51% agave and 49% other sugars.
- ^ Cedeño, Miguel C. (1995-01-01). "Tequila Production". Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 15 (1): 1–11. doi:10.3109/07388559509150529. ISSN 0738-8551.