November 26, 2007 4 Copas gets it right, yet again, with their reposado. The nose is not overpowering, but smells of cooked agave and also contains a mild floral sweetness with hints of cinnamon and clove. The initial taste yields more agave with mild to moderate oakiness - nice in a repo. 4 Copas reposado is light in the mouth. The finish is sweet and smooth with a medium-long duration of flavor.

Right now, I feel the domestic reposado market is fairly weak and so any good reposado really stands out. 4 Copas is certainly one of my absolute favorites and I highly recommend it to both blanco and aged tequila lovers.

 November 13, 2007 Recently I have found myself preferring Don Fulano silver to all other blancos - even Casa Noble Crystal. The nose is a wonderful cooked agave and floral aroma. The initial taste is peppery with plenty of agave (the sign of any good blanco), and when allowed to rest in the mouth, a subtle sweetness of citrus and mint is brought out. The editor mentioned grapes and so I tasted again with that in mind. There is a hint of bitterness and a flavor I would describe as a grape-seed oil. I'm willing to admit that I could be over-thinking it, however. The finish is short, sweet, and smooth - perfect for a blanco.

Don Fulano silver is a must try for anyone who enjoys unaged tequila.

 October 25, 2007 Don Fulano Fuerte is 100 proof. And you WILL notice the difference between this and an 80 proof blanco. The aroma of cooked agave is nice and is followed by the initial taste of agave and peppery spice. I agree with MrA that the finish is long with a touch of mint; but the alcohol is so overpowering in the finish that the subtle sweetness cannot be fully enjoyed. I was actually surprised at the smoothness, however, and expected more of a bite. When allowed to linger in the mouth before swallowing, there is virtually no burn at all.

In terms of flavor and overall enjoyability, I see no reason to drink Fuerte over Don Fulano's 80 proof blanco. If your chief concern is getting drunk in a hurry, this will certainly do the trick; although there are cheaper methods available.

 October 15, 2007 When my wife asked me "how is it?" the other night after tasting El Agave Artesanal for the first time, I responded "a decent effort". The truth is, this tequila has "mediocre" written all over it. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. But it's nothing special.

El Agave Artesanal is medium bodied. It has a medium duration of its moderate agave flavor. It lacks a certain depth of flavor that I am accustomed to in an anejo. At $13 for the shot, it was not worth it.

Again, this is not bad. It's just not great. And with the large selection of better, deeper, more complex anejos out there for a comparable price, I cannot recommend El Agave Artesanal.

 October 15, 2007 I really enjoyed San Matias Gran Reserva. For $12 a shot, I wasn't expecting much, but this was a very pleasant surprise.

For a 3 year age, San Matias Gran Reserva retains quite a bit of agave flavor while gaining a nice amount of wood and smoke. Mild hints of tobacco and coffee round out the flavors in this medium bodied, smooth tequila.

You can't miss at this price. I highly recommend it.