Touring The Tequila Region In Mexico
I am so excited my travel agent made this suggestion; it will be mind-blowing awesome, so much to learn, and a great trip ahead. Yes, I cannot get a direct flight from New York to Manila Philipines as I so badly wanted to do so, at my travel agent's suggestion, I will be making a stopover at least one in Mexico or at least flying there first and then deciding if I should continue onwards afterward or head back to New York!
I write as I fly and travel at least virtually in this pandemic!
I will be landing in Guadalajara, Mexico, the closest Airport to Tequila City. I can imagine what's going through your mind Tequila and Mezcal! You just hit the nail on the head!
Obviously, going to Tequila city means that I will be stopping at all the famous distilleries and possibly even taking the famous train.
Let's get a little more grounded first with the planning. The first is booking those tickets. There is only one direct option, and it flies out every other day of the week. Here was my choice Monday so that I can really get the most out of the week before I fly out! I know I am getting a little carried, but this is just so awesome.
The price is a little expensive, and there is no points option, but hey, If I go, I will be in Tequila land, so I would say it is worth it.
What Are Tequila And Mezcal And Of Course Is It Kosher Can I Taste Them?
In a nutshell, Tequila comes from the Agave plant. This sounds innocent enough. What cannot be kosher?
Let us start with regulation, that. Is there any government regulation ensuring quality and purity to this? The answer is yes. In much the same way, the French have appellations which mean regions or areas that may use unique and special titles, so Tequila must be made only in the Tequila region of Mexico. Further, it must only be made from the Tequilana Weber or Blue Weber agave plant. The area's that may use the term Tequila are the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, and Guanajuato. In addition, we were surprised to learn that Tequila may be called Tequila as long as the bottle is 51% Tequila. That said, if it says 100%, it must be 100%. So that so far rules out tasting anything that doesn't say 100% agave on the bottle.
My Flight Reservation Hotel And Rental Car
Landing in Guadalaraja airport, I swing into the Duty-free shop to check the prices of the Tequilas they stock. I then check the prices against what's available online on Boingo international service. They are not any better than just ordering it at home directly to my house, so I will keep my eyes open as I travel for good deals.
I will be staying in Guadalaraja, the City of Tequila has no chain hotels, and in foreign countries, that happens to be where I feel the safest.
I booked the rental car directly from the airport from Avis, a brand I know from the states though I don't think that that truly means anything.
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I then headed out the Chabad house to visit and pray before making my way to Tequila city to meet my guide for the day, Juan.
Swing through the capital and snap some pictures such as the banner image of this post!
I head out to Tequila city, where I meet up with Juan, a nice delightful fellow wearing the full cowboy dress.
So far is great, but of course, you know I like to get hands-on! Surprise, there is an awful lot of details that we must learn and examine, so put on your Sombrero, and let's head out to the field. Jimador or farmers, Jimadors are what the expert agave pickers are called. They specialize in cutting the leaves of the pina-heart of an Agave plant, removing each leave of the first hack!
Amazing image of Tequila Mexico and Agave plants in the foreground in later posts. I will have a lot more detailed images.
Juan, our guide and former Jimador ha made special reservations for us to tour an Agave plantation. He even brought along his coa. That's the special tool used to hack off the prickly leaves called the pina or pineapple.
These fruits are extremely heavy, weighing up to 300 pounds. The way they are carried is on the heads of the Jimador, a talent but a talent that doesn't seem to pay very well. Juan lives in what we would consider a shack and dreams about drinking the high-end Tequila he helps make one day. Still, in the meanwhile, he says he will supplement his meager income by giving tours of the local distillery where his picked pina is roasted and then distilled into Tequila.
Even more amazing was when Juan shared he just cut an Agave plant he planted 7 years ago! I was surprised to learn that an Agave takes 7 years to grow till you pick its fruit, and then it dies, producing in its entire lifetime only 1 fruit which takes at least 7 years to grow.
I am stopping now for lunch after lunch a whole lot more is in store while wait make sure to read the article's below!
Master Distillery
Binyomin Terebelo
I hope you enjoyed it!