Age of Agave?

[benjmeier]

Hey there,

Does anyone here know a lot about agave growing for tequila? I was on a website the other day and there was an article claiming that "most premium tequilas harvest the agave they use after only two years". I commented on the article several times citing sources that dispute that claim but the author keeps writing back sticking to his original claim. Everything that I've found says a minimum of 6 years and I would say that most premium tequilas would grow their agave for 8 years at minimum. Help?

P.S. Here is the article if anyone wants to read it and realize that the author doesn't know what he's talking about. thepourpro.com/2011/03/cuestion-tequila

[MrAgave]

A few years back, the growing period was 10-15 years according to many brand web sites and marketing brochures. In the last couple of years, most brands are using the 7-10 year story.

I've seen the young agave plants at early years and they are very small, so 2 years for harvest seems far fetched... but who knows, some miracle grow and 24 hour grow lights could change everything. The off-shoots of the Agave (hijuelos) are harvested and replanted, but that typically takes several years of growth on the Agave before they even show up.

I had dinner with a Tequila brand owner once, and he told me that his brand was the only one that was aged with used Kentucky Bourbon barrels. Lots of exaggerations in the spirit industry, everyone needs that extra edge to stand out.

[jdjohn84]

I still consider myself a newbie compared to most, but even I know 2 yrs is ridiculous. I would consider Casa Noble under "most premium tequilas", and they are certified organic now, so you know they can't be using chemical fertilizers.

Maybe they use the 2 yr plants for the mini-bottles.

[ChavoCheque]

As MrAgave says, there is a lot of nonsense and bald-faced lies in the industry. This is an example. (Another great one: a certain tequila giant shows a video at their distillery claiming to be the only company making 100% agave tequila!)

At 2 years the plant is still unable to reproduce either sexually (via quiote) or asexually (via hijuelo). It certainly doesn't contain enough starch to be worth harvesting and processing.

The average age of maturation of teh blue agave is going down, but is still around 6-8 years.

[totallytequila]

Originally Posted by ChavoCheque

As MrAgave says, there is a lot of nonsense and bald-faced lies in the industry. This is an example. (Another great one: a certain tequila giant shows a video at their distillery claiming to be the only company making 100% agave tequila!)

At 2 years the plant is still unable to reproduce either sexually (via quiote) or asexually (via hijuelo). It certainly doesn't contain enough starch to be worth harvesting and processing.

The average age of maturation of teh blue agave is going down, but is still around 6-8 years.

Great points Clayton! If anyone is interested in a good read on this subject, I strongly recommend a book by Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata and Gary Paul Nabhan titled "Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History." It certainly is not your average tequila book. It goes very in depth on the effects of humidity, temperature, and soil moisture on the production of the blue agave. They mention how the words faith, patience and time are keys to cultivating and harvesting the agaves at just the right time. It also gets into the future of agave harvesting and the importance of allowing the agaves to flower every now and then, helping to feed the bats that still migrate through the region. It's all about pollination and reestablishing ancient connections which are key to keeping the fields of agaves growing and prosporous. The book can get a little technical at times, however I found it to be a very educational read and opened my eyes to things that I was never aware of. It goes way beyond just buying your favorite bottle and popping the cork!