I drink a bit of Tequila every day and have tried a lot of them. Partial to the cheap Cien de Agave blancos, never buy any Tequila that is not labeled 100% Agave. Right now I’m enjoying some Exotico at 10.00 for a 750. Clean and smooth, actually a bit too clean as I prefer a Tequila with a lot of personality. I start at the head of the Tequila aisle, lots of stuff 150.00 a bottle, but that’s enough money for a pretty decent hooker so I don’t start shopping until at least halfway down the aisle, Luna Azul usually shows up in the 25.00 range, I used to get it for 7.50 a bottle til it got popular. There’s Hacienda Vieja, Cabrito, Agavales, Torado, always something new it’s fun to try them, but I draw the line at plastic bottles. My friend Horacio used to bring me a bottle of Patron every time he went to Mexico, i thanked him for getting the expensive stuff but he laughed and said it was 8.00 US in Mexico. If you ever see it get a bottle of Don Juan Matus and drink a toast to C. Castaneda, the Tequila predates the Wizard of the same name.
Saffer. Dude. First thing: Jose Cuervo is swill, strictly for frat boys.
Seriously, the shit isn’t even real tequila. JC can be as much as 40% sugarcane or grain neutral spirits. How they can sell it as tequila up here in the States is beyond me.
Now on to the real stuff.
Anejo or reposado tequila (the gold tinged fluid) is nearly always superior to the white, which Mexicans in Mexico refer to as “joven” - young -tequila. In my not at all humble opinion, anyway. Like brandy or bourbon, it gets better after sitting around in barrels for a good long while.
Trabadoro is pretty good tequila. Hornitos is very good tequila. And Cazadores Reposado is very fine tequila indeed., perhaps the apogee of the maguey.
Another vote for Herradura
I recently bought a bottle of Costco tequila and it was excellent (I believe their brand is called ‘Kirkland’). I tried it because a few weeks prior, someone brought a bottle of Costco/Kirkland Vodka to a party we had & it tasted exactly like Grey Goose. I later learned that Kirkland/Costco vodka comes from the same distillery as GG, but it’s about 1/4 of the price.
FYI they have a few different varieties of tequila (all 100% agave)–the one I tried was Silver.
Tres Generaciones Añejo is some freaking fantastic sipping tequila.
Add one more vote.
+1 for Herradura and Don Julio in any form. I’m also partial to the offerings from Casa Cofradia but I’ve only ever seen it in PV. Cuervo is swill, and best only when slurped off an 18 yo beach bunny’s bellybutton. Even then, you should probably be already drunk…and single.
I have seen a few mentions of Patron on here, and that has been the go-to tequila for most people I have known who buy tequila. I will add that 90% of the tequila we drink is probably in margaritas, as I agree with the point here that it can easily be considered “the finest mixed drink in the world.”
So when I just started seeing my GF about a year ago, I was happy that she really enjoyed margaritas. Patron was her tequila of choice. We decided to do a fun blind taste test of shots between Patron silver and Kirkland (aka Costco) silver. The results: we both QUICKLY gave the nod to Kirkland. We also drank margaritas using both tequilas to ensure that the Kirkland was also at least as good as the Patron when mixed–and we were very satisfied. The accountant in me was as happy as the drunk in me, as we now save about 60% on our tequila purchases. My advice: try this at home!
Damn, Enola beat me to it!!!
I second the recommendation for Cazadores. That is some fine sipping tequila. I wouldn’t waste it in a margarita or in a shot with lime & salt - it deserves to be savored.
Don’t shoot anything that isn’t a Blanco as a rule.
But, a good margarita is not a waste of tequila in any form. You need quality tequila to make a quality margarita.
exactly. you are spot on. trial and error goes a long way also. brush your teeth and tongue, cheek and gums with something unflavored, such as baking soda. rinse with water while brushing. once you have a clean pallet, order a shot of whatever, and write your thoughts in a journal. make sure you specify the brand name. that way you’ll know based on your own experience. recommendations go a long way, but you can always get a recommendation after getting your feet wet. the same approach can also be made with tobacco / cigars. one very important caveat: these drugs are addictive and come with all the tapestry and accouterments of their drug classifications. be very very careful. oh, oh, the one last tip i can give you is to make sure you drink a glass of water or two before and during. you need water, and you need water more when you are conducting these types of experiments
Well, I’ve certainly taken some good recommendations from this thread!
José Cuervo bottles many different tequilas and some are very good tequilas made of 100% agave such as their Tradicional Reposado. Cuervo also makes their Tradicional Plata (also reposado).
There are also premium white tequilas. Don Julio 70 is very good. Herradura makes their Plata. These are not simple tequila blancos but aged. Other brands do also. Don Julio Blanco is a very nice non-aged tequila.
As far as the superiority between tequila blanco, reposado or añejo is concerned, that is simply a matter of personal preference. Again, as a matter of personal preference I wouldn’t touch Cazadores while many others do. It is popular here in México.
I have been drinking tequila my whole adult life. Right now I have several different tequilas in my home. For a nice neat sipping tequila that isn’t ridiculous price, I drink either Don Julio Añejo or Herradura Añejo. Don Julio has a little more agave flavor while the Herradura is a little sweeter.
(Quick check) Yep, I have both of those in the liquor cabinet.
I have the following bottles sitting in my cabinet:
Cazadores Reposado
Centenario Reposado
Kirkland Anejo
I had another partially finished bottle of something but gave it to a friend.
They all have at least 2/3 left in the bottles and I haven’t touched them since 2011, when I bought a bottle of Don Julio 1942. The Don Julio 1942 spoiled me. It’s not cheap, but I go to Mexico once a year and usually bring back a couple of bottles, at less than half the price I pay at home.
I make the bottles last the year or until my next visit to Mexico.
There are probably better tequilas, but I’m more than happy with the Don Julio. Just make sure it’s their 1942.
I think that this may be the most useful post I have ever read.
Prices in Jalisco are a bit different than the prices in the USA. I love both of those tequilas in the Reposado versions, but they’re approximately $65 USD here.
One thing to know if you start looking at places like Costco or Trader Joe’s is to check the NOM, which should be on the back of the bottle somewhere. Referencing one of the online databases will give you an idea of where it came from. I’m not claiming it’s the exact same stuff in a different bottle, because I don’t know that. But it’s another piece of information.