Confession of a newbie

[sanjm23]

Ok guys, I have been reading your threads and trying to learn from all of you. I must make a confession, I have no clue at all when you describe the hints and tones you notice in the tequila. I drink to get buzzed, I enjoy good tequila that is smooth and does not burn my throat going down.

How did you guys get started and how do you learn to sip and savor the flavors you mention? I would like to enjoy the Agave juice as much as you.

Please share.

[don_Azul]

Cactus juice?!?! We don't drink no stinkin' cactus juice!!!

[Piña]

First and foremost. It would be best to not drink tequila to get buzzed as much as it would be for the flavor. I think thats the most important thing.

As far as how to drink tequila, its always best to sip it not shoot. And to sip it out of a sniter. ive noticed the slower I sip on tequila, the more flavors come out.

[totallytequila]

Originally Posted by Piña

As far as how to drink tequila, its always best to sip it not shoot.

Amen to that Pina! That's exactly why I chose that as my "signature". And yes don_Azul, I agree!!! I always thought we sipped our juice from a member of the lily family but.......cactus? And sanjm23, if I may offer some advice to you since you are new to the world of 100% Blue Agave tequila, get a hold of a couple of good books on the history of tequila. There are many good ones out there. If I may recommend a couple to you: The Book of Tequila, A Complete Guide, by the late Bob Emmons and..... Tequila, A Natural and Cultural History by Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata. IMO, these would be very beneficial for you to read if you are serious about your tequila journey.

[PaleRider]

If you start sipping good tequila, you'll notice they all taste different, and there are varying layers of complexity and flavor. Just try a couple of good names like El Tesoro or Don Julio or Casa Noble or Chinaco or Herradura or El Jimador or Cazadores. Those are good ones to start with. First try a blanco (silver/platinum), then a reposado, then an anejo. Obviously make sure the bottle says 100% de agave on it. Don't use salt or lime. I do like ice in my blancos, although many on this forum will say not to use ice. And sip, don't shoot. Open the bottle and sniff the aroma. Let the tequila sit on your tongue for a few seconds. You may notice things like a butter or caramel or cinnamon taste, or a black pepper or red chili pepper taste. Or citrus, or wood. Not hard to develop the taste-buds.

The buzz will come along, not to worry. But like a good scotch or wine, you'll notice a nice warming feeling in the solar plexus that will rise up and flush your head. Niiiiiccee.

To see my Tequila discovery go to: El Rancho Tequila

Oh yeah, and don't call it "cactus juice".

[p40whk]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and consider myself a newbie to fine tequila but not a newbie to knowing what I like. My friends and I have been sampling and trying different tequilas for well over 5 years and most of us have developed a similar taste in what we like. We have gone from buying a cheap bottle and doing shooters to actually sipping and discussing each individual aspect of the tequila.

I stumbled upon this site recently and hope to learn a lot I can pass along to my friends but we are limited in our selection here in the Cincinnati area. Our current favorite has been the El Mayor Anejo and the Milagro Barrel Select Repasado although the price of that is tough to swallow. El Mayor just seems to be a great value so we stick with it.

We are having a tasting at the end of the month where everyone buys a new bottle to sample and these are all blind tastings to prevent bias. We currently have the tequilas I mentioned above plus the 1921 Tequila Reserva Especial the Asombrosa which is also some of our favorites but we are looking for suggestions to add to the tastings. It seems that most of my friends tend to prefer tequila with a hint of sweetness or spiciness and we don't have enough experience to know what to buy. Any suggestions would be appreciated as I don't want to go just off the top rated on this site.

I have a snifter of 1921 Tequila Reserva Especial in front of me as I type this so it's time to stop typing and do a bit more research!

Thanks and I'm glad to have found this site.

[bankerjoe]

Originally Posted by PaleRider

The buzz will come along, not to worry. But like a good scotch or wine, you'll notice a nice warming feeling in the solar plexus that will rise up and flush your head. Niiiiiccee.

Originally Posted by Piña

First and foremost. It would be best to not drink tequila to get buzzed as much as it would be for the flavor. I think thats the most important thing.

I have only recently been drinking tequila, but scotch and beer I know pretty well. At BeerAdvocate, they have a saying of "Drink better, drink less" meaning drink less of better quality than more of lesser quality. The same applies here. There is no harm in acquiring a buzz and enjoying it. We all do. But make sure that is secondary to searching out and enjoying the flavors and nuances of anything you drink (not just tequila), and you will have a much more fulfilling experience.

IMHO, anyway.

[jasonrm72]

p40whk : If you can get it, I strongly suggest the Casa Noble Reposado. That should fit in perfectly with your preferences.

[p40whk]

Originally Posted by jasonrm72

p40whk : If you can get it, I strongly suggest the Casa Noble Reposado. That should fit in perfectly with your preferences.

We had a bottle of that last year and liked it at the time. My friends kept it with them at their lake house and it sat in a pretty hot storage closet for a good while. Memorial day weekend we broke it out and 4 of us drank it. Tasted fine but the next morning all of us had stomach problems and a horrible case of the trotts! The only thing we could think it was is the Casa Noble. We came to that conclusion because we gave the neighbor a drink and he told us just a few weeks ago that he had the same problems the next morning.

I've never heard of tequila going bad but maybe the heat did something to it, who knows? I do know that I can't get my friends to drink it again!

I'll give it another try though.

After doing a good bit of reading looking through a lot of posts I keep seeing the Chinaco being mentioned. I ordered a bottle of the repasado in that and a bottle of Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Anejo to try this weekend. I'll post my thoughts afterwards.

[PaleRider]

Tasted fine but the next morning all of us had stomach problems and a horrible case of the trotts!

Did you forget to mention that you were chasing the Tequila with Genesee Cream Ale? AKA Jenny Screamers?

Or maybe the Tequila was watered down...IN MEXICO! (Never heard of getting Montezuma's revenge from Tequila...)