Mexico's Best Tequila...Puerto Vallarta Activities!

Lunch under the canopy! We stopped for lunch after the tour!

Wanna buy some really, really good tequila in Mexico but don't want to pay resort prices...go to the grocery store near your resort!!!  Really, some of the most interesting purchases are those things that local people really use.  And some of the most reasonable prices can be found at the corner market!  It is true in Thailand, China, Spain, and Mexico. The same is true for regional liquors .

Line up of tequila!

We visited a tequila distillery operation that was set in the Sierra Madre Mountains south of Puerto Vallarta.  The small operation is called El Easton (we are not sure about the spelling) Del Rey Anejo. A long drive down the coastline ended in the semi-tropical rain forest where a family is making and bottling the tequila liquor. This remote location is at the end of a dirt road. Here the tequila is made the old fashioned way. 

Blue Agave hearts!

The process for making teequila the old fashioned way is pretty simpe and straight forward.  The blue agave is harvested when the stalk that would later bloom with white blossom appears.  Spines are cut away leaving the heart of the plant.  Giant pits are filled mesquite that is burned until the coals are red hot. The hearts of the blue agave are placed on top of the coals then covered with  palm tree branches, tarps and sand until the pit is sealed.   The plants cook for several days.  After the plants are cooked through they are crushed with a large concrete wheel in a concrete dish shaped enclosure to extract the juice.  That juice is then double distilled, fermented and stored in oak barrels for from 8-12 months on up to a years and one half (at this particular distillery.)

The tequila that is aged a shorter period has a slight smokey taste.  The liquor that stands in the barrels for longer losses that smokey flavor and is left with a smooth oak flavor.  These liquors are sometimes flavored with chocolate/coffee or almond for after dinner liqueurs.  

Presentation of owner!

Larger companies steam the agave and it does not have the smokey flavor at all. This is the type we usually buy at the market or liquor store. The owner of the distillery we visited claimed that no tequila is aged for longer than a little over a year.  We have, however, found websites that talk about aging of up to 7 years and longer.  It is very confusing.  In the end I don't think I care.  All I care about is the outcome!

They do not have a website but I did leave them our email address.  If I find that it can be ordered, I will let you know!  We took part in a City and Canopy Tour offered by Puerto Vallarta Tours by Johann and Sandra and they may have more information for you if you contact them.

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