Jose Cuervo Black?

[Frodo]

I don't intend to focus much more on tequila but thought I'd buy a decent one (4 Copas is I believe a good quality 100% blue agave) and see how close the South African one got to that.

Gary

At the LCBO, tequila prices are very dear - dear enough to be a disincentive for me!

[Gillman]

Many thanks Frodo for this information. It was Patron Anejo I meant, you are right.

I just thought it would be interesting to try a I drink I know very little about but using my "tasting equipment" as it were and general experience with spirits.

I did find, even at the price, the Agava disappointing. For that money I could have gotten another brand that was good quality even if not 100% blue agave. Say Cuervo Gold, I'd like to try that.

However I learned a lot. And the Mexican one I bought was very good.

Gary

[Frodo]

I did find, even at the price, the Agava disappointing. For that money I could have gotten another brand that was good quality even if not 100% blue agave. Say Cuervo Gold, I'd like to try that.

Gary

My recomendation for a reasonable tequila at a bargain price is the El Jimador Reposado. At the LCBO it's $32-35 cdn - comparably priced to bottom end Sauza or Cuervo products in Ontario. It is a reposado (aged for at least 2 months) which is a very popular aging catagory in Mexico. Just enough aging to "take the edge off" but not enough to swamp the agave flavour with wood.

El Jimador is a Herradurra product (their bottom end line from a high-end distillery), and on this alone, I'd trust it more than anything from Sauza or Cuervo as these companies are used to making bulk (cheap) tequila. El Jimador is a mixto (51% agave/49% sugar & molasses) but so are anything at a similar price point. All other things being equal, I'd take this over basic Sauza or Cuervo hands down! El Jimador can be found at the Summerhill store (I believe).

Warning about Cuervo gold - it's mostly made for tourists and export. Most mexicans wouldn't bother touching "gold" as it's just substandard tequila masked by caramel.

[Frodo]

However I learned a lot. And the Mexican one I bought was very good.

Gary

Yeah, I do like 4 copas blanco!

[Gillman]

Thanks for the recommendations. In time I may try some of those you mentioned. I tried the Agava with grapefruit juice and found its earthiness matched well with that. Probably also it would do well in frozen margaritas. The mixto concept does not put me off because by instinct I am a "blender". In fact if I ever had enough tequilas probably I would blend the Agava (in the glass at least). Considering its cost I feel in retrospect I got a good value, i.e., it is a pure blue agave at (for the category) a reasonable price. On the other hand if I limit myself to the two types I bought, I am thinking maybe a more commercial brand would have been better for me, if not Cuervo Gold than another kind. (I think I am still affected by those Cuervo Gold ads I saw in Rolling Stone magazine years ago ). I am intrigued when people do what this company in South Africa is doing. In time maybe they will refine the recipe further. E.g., I don't see why a good bourbon-type whiskey can't be made in Canada (at one time it was, and still may be in some distilleries here, for blending). So all in all I was quite pleased with my experiment but I am not sure if I will continue it.

[Gillman]

Just a further thought prompted by how those mixtos are made. I might try in the glass 50% Agava 50% any white or light amber rum. Because molasses and sugar fermented and distilled is effectively a white rum... This would cut the intensity of the flavour of the Agava and maybe make it easier for me to appreciate. I am sure it appeals uncut to many true enthusiasts but clearly I started with an intense expression of the style and maybe should have gone more commercial when learning about this spirit (although I find the 4 Copas very good, intense too but in a different way).

Gary

[Vange]

Not many people have tried the Agava spirit from South Africa on the tequila forum (including me), but those that have call it "paint thinner"!

Also, I would recommend not trying the JC Gold. It's a mixto and a bad mixto at that. 4 Copas is a good tequila. I have tried the 4 Copas anejo and liked it, though I can't remember all the details. 4 Copas (B,R, or A) will be 100 times better than JC Gold.

It's good to see some bourbon guys trying some tequilas! Tequila has a very thick resistance barrier that is tough to puncture. People associate it with wild and crazy nights in college, but it also is a very sophisticated spirit with a rich history and culture.

[Gillman]

I wouldn't say paint thinner, the flavour is of the agave ferment but it is a bit rough, like the odour of a dry dusty desert, where indeed the plants are from.

Here's what I did today with the Agava: I mixed it 50/50 with London Dock white rum, which is 58% abv. That was too strong so I added enough water to bring the mixture to about 40% abv. Now it was tasting much better, the base flavour of the Agava was still there but softened by the rum. I found the drink a little dry so I added a good dash of Cabot Tower, a 57.1% abv Demerara rum. My object was lightly to sweeten the drink. I am trying in effect to make my version of Cuervo Gold (without ever having tasted Cuervo Gold). I like the result, the trademark blue agave taste is there but it is dampened down and softened. It is still not nearly as good as the 4 Copa (which has a complex estery wininess that is impressive) but I like it. The aftertaste in the mouth reminds me of when I used to smoke cigarettes, or say like the aftertaste of Caol Ila malt. Cigarettes and green peppers if that makes any sense. I could add lime to this and maybe a tad sugar syrup and end up with a Mexican-type Dacquiri or French Indies-type petit punch but it's good the way it is. I'll get some Cuervo Gold soon to see how close I came, or Sauza Gold. I want to try these staples, I think the fact that they are big sellers does not argue against their possible merits.

Gary

[Gillman]

Finally I added half a lime squeezed and topped up a rocks glass with grapefruit juice. Now it's really good. I can see how the Margarita, which this isn't, developed. The green pepper earthiness of the agave marries very well with the sweet/acid of grapefruit and the lime.

As the label on the Agava says, bottoms up, Hombre.

Gary

[gr8erdane]

I'll get some Cuervo Gold soon to see how close I came, or Sauza Gold. I want to try these staples, I think the fact that they are big sellers does not argue against their possible merits.

Gary, I think there are many reasons why they are big sellers and none have to do with quality. In many stores, Cuervo and Sauza are the premium (for lack of a better term) tequila on the shelves. They are the most highly marketed and competitively priced. Add that Cuervo has been around longer than I can remember any others and they have the brand name recognition among the average consumer. I even remember back in the 70s or 80s there was a song "Jose Cuervo was a friend of mine...." that played constantly on local AM country/western radio stations everywhere I went. It was Cuervo that sponsered the first law of Dane drinking: Dane plus tequila equals public nudity. That visual should be enough by itself to make retailers take Cuervo off their shelves...:slappin:

I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your life or how to live it but real friends don't let their friends buy Cuervo when they can afford the real deal. 100% Blue Agave.

[Gillman]

Thanks Dane! But I am interested in many beverages and don't always (like the broader market) like highly flavored drinks. I like drinks that have subtlety and balance. This does include straight whiskey of course but there aren't that many that have the balance I like (some that do, Wild Turkey rye, Four Roses Single Barrel, and others of course). That's why I blend my own, both all-straight whiskey blends and blends that use Canadian whisky or other lighteners. Anyway I want to try that C.G. and I'll give an honest opinion of it, but just by reading what a mixto is it makes sense to me to produce the drink in that form, i.e. to get the agave taste but in a more approachable way. Anyway if I think it's not great I'll say so.

Gary

[Frodo]

...Anyway I want to try that C.G. and I'll give an honest opinion of it, but just by reading what a mixto is it makes sense to me to produce the drink in that form, i.e. to get the agave taste but in a more approachable way. Anyway if I think it's not great I'll say so.

Gary

I think that mixto tequila was developed to save money on production costs (sugar/molasses being cheeper than agave). This as opposed to being developed for flavour purposes. It is true that blended scotch was developed for palates that couldn't handle the more aggresive flavours of malt whisky back in the day. I don't think mixto was developed for the same reason.

In my experiance, puro tastes more...focused than mixto - not more powerful.

[brian12069]

I love this thread...it has taken on a life of it's own.

[Gillman]

Taste notes are coming soon, the bottle is in hand.

I don't know the history of mixto but most blending is done both for palate and cost purposes, this explains all the great blended whiskies including our Canadian. With my admittedly very limited experience in tequila, I can see that 100% blue agave can be a very intense taste - 4 Copas to me is like an Islay whiskey except with the agave flavour instead of a strong peat flavour - it is a very pronounced rich taste. Anyway taste notes are coming soon on the Cuervo. I am glad too this thread in an odd kind of way has given me the chance to try some of these noted drinks. But the Cuervo thing I know has its origin in those ads I used to see in Rolling Stone (and it may still advertise the brand, I am not sure). This is a testament to the power of marketing!

Gary

[Vange]

JC Gold will have a very heavy alcohol and artificial taste to it. I am an avid tequila drinker and I can honestly say JC Gold makes me sick.

If you ever come across El Tesoro I suggest buying it and giving it a try. It is becomingmroe readily available in more and more liquor stores. It's trully a great spirit and is partially responsible for converting me into such a huge tequila fan. Any of the styles will do (Platinum/Reposado/Anejo) Prices vary from $28-$40 per bottle depending on the style. My favorite style is the anejos. Reminds me of bourbon and smsw at times.

[Frodo]

Unfortunatly, El Tesoro is unavailable at the LCBO at any cost. We have big decrepancies between the expensive ones like Cabo Wabo Rep & Patron ($100+) and Suaza/Cuervo basic & El Jimador Rep. Not much else that's affordable.