Editing Tequila (section)

==Production==
[[File:El jimador.JPG|thumb|left|upright|A {{lang|es|jimador}} or a worker who harvests the agaves and cuts off the sharp leaves]]
Tequila is made from the [[blue agave]] plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of [[Tequila, Jalisco|Tequila]] {{convert|65|km|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|Guadalajara]], and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''[[Los Altos (Jalisco)|Los Altos de Jalisco]]'') of the central western Mexican state of [[Jalisco]]. Aside from its geographical distinction, tequila is differentiated from other varieties of [[mezcal]] in that all of the agave used in tequila is blue agave, and the methods of production are different.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-23 |title=What's The Difference Between Mezcal & Tequila {{!}} Mestizo Market |url=https://mestizomarket.com/2020/11/23/what-is-the-difference-between-tequila-and-mezcal/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=Mestizo Mexican Market |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625162605/https://mestizomarket.com/2020/11/23/what-is-the-difference-between-tequila-and-mezcal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The red volcanic soils in the region of Tequila are well suited for growing the blue agave, and more than 300 million plants are harvested there each year.<ref name="chadwick-jalisco">{{cite web |author=Ian Chadwick |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/jalisco.htm |title=In Search of the Blue Agave: Jalisco State |publisher=Ianchadwick.com |access-date=2010-12-25 |archive-date=2010-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402053839/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/jalisco.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Agave grows differently depending on the region. Blue agaves grown in the highlands Los Altos region are larger and sweeter in aroma and taste. Agaves harvested in the valley region have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavor.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jacinto, Rodolfo |url=http://www.tequilaknight.com/how-is-tequila-made.html |title=How Is Tequila Made |publisher=Tequilaknight.com |access-date=2011-03-19 |archive-date=2011-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018151903/http://www.tequilaknight.com/how-is-tequila-made.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to its historical and cultural importance, the region near Tequila was declared a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 2006, the ''[[Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila]]''.

Planting, tending, and harvesting the agave plant remains a manual effort, largely unchanged by modern farm machinery and relying on centuries-old expertise. The people who harvest it, the {{lang|es|jimadores}} {{IPA|es|ximaˈðoɾes|}}, have intimate knowledge of how the plants should be cultivated, passed down from generation to generation.<ref name="cultivation">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/cultivation.htm |title=Cultivation & Agriculture |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=23 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223065017/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/cultivation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

By regularly trimming any {{lang|es|quiotes}} {{IPA|es|ˈkjotes|}} (a stalk at the center of the plant that could grow several meters high if not cut back), the {{lang|es|jimadores}} prevent the agave from flowering and dying early, allowing it to fully ripen. They also determine when each plant is ready to be harvested, and using a special knife called a {{lang|es|coa}} (with a circular blade on a long pole), carefully cut away the leaves from the {{lang|es|piña}} (the succulent core of the plant), which can average around {{convert|70|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in the valley and {{convert|110|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in the highlands.<ref name="agaves">{{cite web |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |title=Agave: More than just tequila |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/agave.htm |access-date=20 May 2012 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |archive-date=17 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517090309/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/agave.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> If harvested too late or too early, the {{lang|es|piñas}} will not have the right amount of [[carbohydrate]]s for [[Ethanol fermentation|fermentation]].<ref name="harvesting">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/harvesting.htm |title=Harvesting Agave for Tequila |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=17 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517090152/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/harvesting.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

After harvesting, the {{lang|es|piñas}} {{IPA|es|ˈpiɲas|}} are transported to ovens where they are slowly baked to break down their complex [[fructans]] into simple [[fructose]]. Then, the baked {{lang|es|piñas}} are either shredded or mashed under a large stone wheel called a {{lang|es|tahona}} {{IPA|es|taˈona|}}. The pulp fiber, or {{lang|es|bagazo}} {{IPA|es|baˈɣaso|}}, left behind is often reused as compost or animal feed, or can be used as fuel or processed into paper. Some producers like to add a small amount of {{lang|es|bagazo}} back into their fermentation tanks for a stronger agave flavor in the final product.<ref name="cooking">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/cooking.htm |title=Cooking & Milling the Agave Heads |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=17 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517090256/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/cooking.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The extracted agave juice is then poured into either large wooden or stainless steel vats for several days to ferment, resulting in a [[wort]], or {{lang|es|mosto}} {{IPA|es|ˈmosto|}}, with low alcohol content.<ref name="fermenting">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/fermentation.htm |title=Fermentation |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=17 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517090101/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/fermentation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> This wort is then distilled once to produce what is called {{lang|es|ordinario}} {{IPA|es|oɾðiˈnaɾjo|}}, and then a second time to produce clear "silver" tequila. A minimum of two distillations is required by law.<ref name="distilling"/> A few producers such as [[Casa Noble]] (for their "Crystal" expression) and [[Corzo]] (for their {{lang|es|añejo}} expression) have experimented with distilling the product a third time, but this has not caught on as a trend, and some have said it removes too much of the agave flavor from the tequila.<ref name="distilling">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/distillation.htm |title=Tequila Distillation |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511084744/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/distillation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> At this point the tequila is either bottled as silver tequila or it is pumped into wooden barrels to age, where it develops a mellower flavor and amber color.<ref name="aging">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/aging.htm |title=How Tequila is Aged & Bottled |author=Ian Chadwick |date=May 2011 |work=In Search of the Blue Agave |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222090054/http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/aging.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The differences in taste between tequila made from valley and highland agave plants can be noticeable. Plants grown in the highlands often yield sweeter and fruitier-tasting tequila, while valley agaves give the tequila an earthier flavor.<ref name="terroir">{{cite news |title=Tequila's terroir: Highland and valley tequilas have distinct flavors |author=Judy Hevrdejs |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-05-01/features/ct-sun-0501-drink-tequila-20110501_1_blue-agave-tequila-silver-tequila-distillers |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=1 May 2011 |access-date=20 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514182526/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-05-01/features/ct-sun-0501-drink-tequila-20110501_1_blue-agave-tequila-silver-tequila-distillers |archive-date=14 May 2013 }}</ref>