Tequila is made from agaves.
Tequila agaves are plantation-grown in neat rows across Jalisco and other designated regions, dominated by large, blue-glaucous Agave tequiliana var. azul. Plants typically take 6–8 years to mature, and fields are maintained as clonal monocultures propagated from offsets. Harvest is labor-intensive and hazardous: skilled jimadores use a sharp coa to slice away the spiny leaves (pencas), exposing the heavy, starchy piña. The piñas are then cooked—traditionally baked in brick hornos or steamed in autoclaves (some producers use diffusers)—to convert inulin into fermentable sugars, and crushed to extract the sweet juice. That mosto is fermented with yeast and subsequently distilled into tequila.
The Agave Harvest
(embedded from YouTube)
How Tequila is Made
(embedded from YouTube)
Agave Harvesting
(embedded from YouTube)