TEQUILA ATLASA FIELD GUIDE TO TEQUILA

MEXICO · AGAVE · CRAFT

One plant.
A world of
character.

Every tequila tells the story of how it was made. Follow the choices that turn blue agave into the flavors in your glass.

Explore field to bottle
01 — ROOTED IN THE FIELDAgave tequilana Weber · blue variety
A red-earth path cutting through rows of blue agave toward a tree line in the Jalisco highlands
JALISCO, MEXICOWhere the story begins.
THE IDEA TO TAKE WITH YOU

Age adds a chapter.
It doesn’t write the whole story.

Two blancos can taste remarkably different. Two añejos can, too. Follow the process to understand why.

01 / FIELD TO BOTTLE · THE COMPLETE JOURNEY

Every choice leaves
a possible signature.

Move through the production sequence and follow how plant material, process conditions, measurements and human judgment become the tequila in the glass.

THE PRODUCTION PATH

This is a guide to the major flavor-relevant decisions, not one mandatory recipe. Production routes differ: some extract before cooking, some include fibers, and some skip wood maturation. Linked producer practices are examples; research findings apply to the conditions studied.

THE READING ROOM

Grounded in the source.

Official standards define requirements. Primary research tests particular conditions. Producer materials document practices and stated rationales. Plausible explanations are labeled; they are not presented as proven flavor outcomes.

  1. Consejo Regulador del TequilaProduction, categories and classes · official overview
  2. NOM-006-SCFI-2012§§ 4.1, 4.36 and 5 · official tequila standard
  3. Yeasts, temperature and aromaFermentation research · 2008
  4. Agave age, growing location and yeastFermentation research · 2009
  5. Understanding tequila terroirAccessible regional context · secondary reporting; useful for terminology, not a controlled flavor law
  6. Fortaleza AñejoProducer’s tasting notes · illustrative example
  7. Volatile compounds during oak maturationTequila maturation in French oak · research, 2019
  8. Fortaleza Still StrengthAgave-forward tasting notes and bottling strength · producer example
  9. Planting, selection & harvestingPatrón · close penca trim and harvest evaluation; producer rationale
  10. Preparing the agavePatrón · piece size and cogollo removal; producer practice
  11. Agave cooking & Maillard compoundsMancilla-Margalli & López, 2002 · primary cooking research
  12. Milling the agavePatrón · extraction methods and wash-water concentration
  13. Agave age evaluated at industrial scaleFoods, 2021 · specific formulation conditions and analytical methods
  14. Brix: The essential knowledgeMETTLER TOLEDO · measurement principles and complex samples
  15. Brix during fermentationAnton Paar · density, refractive index and alcohol interference
  16. Nitrogen sources in tequila fermentationArrizon & Gschaedler, 2007 · rate and volatile-compound changes
  17. Fermentation conditions & bagazoPatrón · yeast, temperature, acidity and fibers
  18. Yeast and bacterial diversity in tequila fermentationAldrete-Tapia et al., 2020 · community dynamics and fermentative behavior
  19. Microbial communities across agave distilleriesJara-Servin et al., 2025 · broader traditional-agave evidence, not a citrus experiment
  20. The role of distillation on tequila quality2005 primary study · fraction composition, copper and cuts
  21. The aging processPatrón · cask history, cellar conditions, entry proof and barrel selection
  22. Blending and bottlingPatrón · parallel distillates and final proofing; producer example
  23. Selective color removal for cristalino tequilaPrimary carbon-adsorption research · filtration selectivity
  24. Spirit measurementsAnton Paar · analytical alcohol, extract and turbidity capabilities
  25. Tequila: sabor a MéxicoMexico’s agriculture ministry · oven liquids and bitter runnings
  26. Native yeast strains & the chemical profilePrimary agave fermentation research · yeast selection and industrial process context
  27. Diagnosing fermentation stressUC Davis · general yeast-management principles; wine context, not a tequila recipe
  28. Agave growth and harvestPatrón · carbohydrate reserves, flowering and harvest timing
  29. CRT laboratory servicesOfficial analytical services · composition and conformity testing
  30. Methanol production kinetics during agave cookingAgave cooking study · stem and leaf fractions; mezcal evidence that supports a multi-factor mechanism
  31. Homoisoflavanones from Agave tequilana WeberMorales-Serna et al., 2010 · Molecules 15(5), 3295–3301 · laboratory analysis of Agave tequilana Weber plant material using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods

Reviewed October 6, 2026. Educational sensory descriptions are possibilities, not chemical identification from taste.