Toro Toro! One Smooth Bull!

Semental Tequila: Get a Bull in Your Glass!

I recently read a great review of Semental Tequila on the web-site "For Tequila Lovers.com" and then, as if scripted, the very next day I was at ChiliHead BBQ and noticed they had Semental in their well-appointed tequila bar. Naturally I tried a shot - the reposado - and was VERY impressed. So then I went about getting a bottle for myself. Even with my discount through FTL, it was a pricey bottle. I later found that the price of Semental varies wildly from region to region, being as low as in the $20s in the Southwest and West, ranging to $50 up here in the distribution-challenged Northeast. 

I am MENTAL for SeMENTAL!

Clearly, I am not the only one that likes this Tequila. Here's what the San Francisco World Spirits Competition had to say:

Semental Silver (91 Points/Silver Medal ~ Exceptional): Clear, vibrant roasted pineapple, charred green pepper, floral talc, creamy vanilla, and white pepper aromas. A lively, silky entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity, glycerous medium body of roasted tropical fruits and peppers with a layer of vanilla bean and spice. Finishes with a long, sharp white pepper, oil, powdered sugar and dried flower fade. Impressively fruity and floral agave with a somewhat rustic finish.   

Semental Reposado (93 Points/ Double Gold Medal ~ Exceptional ): Yellow golden color. Creamy and spicy aromas of sandalwood, vanilla bean, dates, dried pineapple, and black pepper. A silky and supple entry leads to a dry-yet- fruity, glycerous medium-to-full body of creamy caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, grilled yellow pepper and nutmeg flavors. Finishes with a long, exotic blend of spices, creamy vanilla, and hot pink peppercorns. A delicious and veryflavorful reposado.   

Semental Añejo (94 Points/ Gold Medal ~ Exceptional): Brilliant amber color. Grilled pineapple, creamy white chocolate, floral honey, and delicate herb and spice aromas follow through to a silky, buoyant entry leads and a dry-yet-fruity medium-full body with accents of roasted yellow pepper, sandalwood, and exotic peppercorns. Finishes with a long delicious fade of crème Anglaise, baking spices, and cigar box. A lively and flavorful Añejo that artfully balances fruity agave and spicy, vanilla kissed oak.

Vida-Rita!

Livin' la Pura Vida!

Dia de Margarita!

Hi, I'm Ginger, but you can call me Rita!

What do you know? Today is National Margarita Day! Well, here on the Rancho it's always a good day for a 'Rita. So in honor of the, um, "holiday," I guess I better put a recipe up, bloggy-style.

Give my Polar Gingerita a try-- it's a combination of reposado, diet ginger ale, and lime juice. Cheers!

Polar Gingerita:
2 oz Reposado Tequila (Suggested: Camarena, Espolón, Corralejo)
4 oz Polar Diet Ginger Ale
...1/2 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Shake and pour ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime or lemon wheel.


It's also my wife's birthday, but her name isn't Rita.

I'll drink a margarita to her, ANY day!

Año de Agave, 2011 Tequila Highlights, Parte Dos

Part 2) Reposados:

Interestingly, looking back on 2011, I did not explore much new territory in the world of reposado tequila. I enjoyed plenty of old stand-byes, like El Tesoro, Corralejo and 7 Leguas. But overall it was a year of blancos and añejos.


Maestro Dobél: Multiple-personality disorder in a bottle?

It's a bit hard to believe but it looks like I only have four notable repos to talk about. The first is the outstanding Siembra Azúl, a beautiful Highland offering that is truly top-shelf. Well, in terms of taste, that is; I have joked numerous times about how the screw-top generic bottle and labeling belie the wonderful juice inside. S. A. is a soft, sweet and silky-smooth tequila, with just enough wood mellowing to create a perfect balance of agave and oak (and when I say perfect, in my book that's an 80/20 ratio). It's a classy and refined spirit. Now they should make a bottle to match. See my previous review here. 4.5 Pencas!
Siembra Azul Reposado, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award Winner.

Next on the list would be Maestro Dobél, the so-called "Diamond" tequila. Despite looking like a blanco, it is a blend of reposados and añejos that has been filtered to remove the coloring. The result is a diamond-clear spirit. Honestly, I'm not sure why they are removing the color. I wonder if it's a marketing device to attract the large segment of Patrón Silver drinkers, who may be of the mindset that to be good, the juice needs to be clear. In this case the clear tequila has the benefit of the woody mellowing and flavorful overtones of hand-crafted and well-rested tequila. Don't get me wrong, Dobél is a nice sipper with a delectably rich taste, but at it's original price of $75, I would never have touched it. A big part of what you're paying for here is the luxruy packaging. There has been one last lonely bottle left on the shelf of my local store for like, a year. So when they lowered it to a blowout of $35, I seized my opportunity. I like it, it's not my favorite, but if you can get it for under $50, it's a worthy addition to your tequila bar. Extra points for bottle design - muy elegante. 3.5 Pencas!


"Don't open that bottle! You'll let out the....ooh, too late!"

Then there is the little devil, Chamucos. I was attracted by the funky label with the folkloric, hand-drawn figure of El Chamuco. In Spanish it means "boogie man." I went to great lengths to get this hard-to-come-by bottle. I ended up with a NOM 1558 product. Apparently Chamucos had had a hard-time finding a permanent distillery. I notice that reviews of the 1558 juice tend to run much more favorable than those of the product from the previous distillery. When I first cracked this open, it did not immediately impress. "Firewater," thought I. However, I let it decant for a couple of weeks and went back to it. You have to do that sometimes. It was surprisingly much better the second time, and even better the time after that, sort of like, well, you know... Chamook has a demonic bite with an herbal, more pungunt/punchy taste than many. Finishes with a blanco-like burn. It's a good, ol' fashioned shooter! Party Juice! Fiesta Demonica! But what else would you expect from a tequila with a name like Chamucos? Three Pencas!

The caboose of my 2011 Repo train is Familia Camrena reposado. This bottle, like the blanco, sells for around $21. There's a big push on to get Camarena in your face. The stores have big display boxes and posters, featuring the blanco and repo side-by-side, both at the same low price. Whereas the blanco is thin and sort of just, "meh," this spunky little repo has a nice agave pop, coated in the spicy sizzle of cinnamon and the sweet notes of vanilla. It's a surprisingly bright, bold beverage, with plenty of evidence of it's highland upbringing. This may be the perfect entry-level tequila for Noobs. Cama-repo is my new go-to for maragritas, because it both stands-up and blends really decently. And yes, I would - and DO - sip this tequila. El priceo es niceo! Three Pencas!
Camarena Reposado, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award-Winner.

Stay tuned for part 3, Añejos!

Dos de Los Altos: 7 Leguas & Siembra Azul...

Highland Girl: Up here we like our tequilas like we like our women - full-bodied!

Last night I had a chance to do a taste-comparison between two outstanding highland reposado tequilas: 7 Leguas, and Siembra Azul.

In a previous review, I had commented that Siembra was very smooth and soft, maybe overly so. But on this occasion, maybe because the SA bottle has been open and there has been a period of decanting, I detected more nuts and spice - sort of an unexpected nutmeggy or cinnamon thing. There was a fuller flavor-profile, and I liked it even better than before (and still found it to be as smooth as a baby's bottom).

The venerable incumbent 7 Leguas is known for it's big bold taste, led by the hearty presence of highland agave. The 7L bursts with tones of sweetness, spice and wood, with a very slightly less refined taste than the SA. There's a bit more alcohol bite and a little more edge in-general, none of which gets in the way of 7L's famous agave bloom.

In fact, both of these offerings have the "corazon y alma" of the Los Altos agave taste. When you open the present, that is what's inside both of these superb tequilas. Only the "wrapping paper" is slightly different between the two. But that's the 3% that we pay the biggest money for, isn't it? It's that sublime 'enth degree of quality and subtlety that aficionados will revel in.

Some tequila people will say that the 7L wins because it's got more spunk, that you can "taste the tahona," and believe me, that's why it's an every day repo for me, being my top three or four. Also, it's a lot easier than Siembra Azul to find, let's mention.

But I gotta tell ya, what the lovely Siembra Azul revealed to me last night was more of her plumpness. She's more Rubenesque than I thought. And I found her quite sexy, indeed.

The verdict is that these are both superb tequilas, and one cannot go wrong with either. So...get both! Like they always say, "Variety is the spice of life!"

7 Leguas Review on Tequila.net

Siembra Azul review on Tequila.net

Siembra Azul: The Blue Harvest

Harvest Blue: The Plain-Jane bottle holds SWEET nectar inside.

I managed to acquire - with great difficulty - a bottle of Siembra Azul reposado. It's a delightful highlands tequila from NOM 1414. This juice is truly like liquid silk - buttery, with caramel, vanilla, wood, and maybe I detect a hint of maple syrup in there. It's sweet and light with a well-balanced presence of that delicious highland agave.

The only down-side is that it's maybe too smoothed out for some people. It's not earthy, smoky or spicy at all. Not much of a zing to it. But I do like it as a sipper, and I think tequila newbies would find it extremely palatable. The flavor-profile has really been designed to have no rough edges. There's really nothing NOT to like about Siembra Azul. I look forward to trying the blanco at some point.

One note about the bottle: People say beware fancy bottles, and I know we pay extra for that, but I really DO love the fancy tequila bottles. Siembra made the decision to go with a standard (cheap) commercial bottle and a really generic label design. That's a departure from other boutique tequila brands, and I don't know whether it helps or hurts....

Review by tequila.net

Camarena Reposado: A Sweet Surprise!

Sip it, mix it, any way you fix it!

So, the Camarena blanco was em, nice, kinda thin, inoffensive, and nothing to write home about. Sorta like "tequila light". For the price, it'll stand on my shelf as a mixer next to Azúl, Espolón, Milagro and other $20 bottles.

Last night I tried the Cama Reposado, and what a pleasant and unexpected surprise it was! It's a sweetheart with flavor! This is a very interesting tequila, with a big, undeniable presence of highland agave.

Camarena's color is a pale olive-oil with an almost green caste. The nose is floral, bright and citrus-y with alcohol, a hint of vanilla and a touch of wood (there's more oak in the aroma than the actual taste).

The taste starts with a nice silky entrance, followed by fast, round burst of agave, pear and caramel-apple. Then comes cider, oak, clove and...yes cinnamon. The finish is quick, leaving a lingering taste of nutmeg, cinnamon and burnt sugar. I sensed very little smoke; just a subtle undertone of oak and vanilla. There's hardly any heat; no burn whatsoever. The body hits and fills the front/middle of the tongue and palette. Cama repo is not heavy or oily, nor does it have much in the way of "back end".

This may the perfect juice to get tequila virgins in to 100% agave sippers. Whereas more seasoned aficionados may like earth and vegital tones, along with deeper complexity, those aspects of a particular flavor profie might turn off a newbie. Cama's juice might also turn them away from Patrón - we can only hope.

Camarena reposado absolutely kills the blanco. Wipes the floor with it. I attribute the big upgrade in flavor to this: A brief two-month resting in American oak barrels has gently coaxed-forth the flavor and soul of the famous los altos high-elevation agave. At the same time, it hasn't been in-barrel long enough to get very woody. (I'd love to taste a six-month expression!)

Where the blanco displays nothing really ugly, and gives you a light, spicy pop, it's the repo that delivers on the promise of the legendary highland spirit.

7 Leguas Reposado, Poppin' Fresh!

A Bottle o' Bang!

As I write this, I'm enjoying a nice highball glass of Tequila 7 Leguas Reposado on ice. This is exactly the kind of repo I like, and I'll tell you why. Most importantly, it has a big agave bang - a nice big pop of agave. I like a repo that leans more towards a blanco, using just a gentle resting to smooth the edges and mellow the bite. Everyone knows by now that I prefer blancos above all, because to my palette, nothing is better than a well-crafted and un-messed-with distillation of agave's first-pressing. Of course, I appreciate a wonderful aged añejo as much as the next guy, but I'd trade that any day to find the holy-grail of blancos.

The 7 Leguas is right up my alley with it's strong agave presence. There's a touch of woody mellowing, but the wood does not get in the way of the agave; indeed, it cradles it. This gives 7L repo a very full bodied taste with a nice smooth and lasting finish. In this case, the 8 months of aging in white oak barrels does what it should do: enhance and amplify the agave, adding a layer of depth, complexity and finish that the blanco alone cannot provide.

Casa Siete Leguas

Reviews on Tequila.net

Notes: 7 Leguas invented the Patron label, and the original Patron was made in 7L and distributed in the US from 1991 to 2002. There is no longer any association with Patron.
7 Leguas is made "de tajona" -- the ancient technique of grinding the agave with a stone wheel, driven by mules.
7 Leguas (meaning 7 leagues) was the name of Pancho Villa's horse.


The rebel Panch Villa and his steed, the famous Siete Leguas. (He never pulled the tajona)

La Gingerita!

I'm Air Ginger. Fly Me!

Here on the Rancho it's always cocktail hour, and ginger is all the rage right now. Give this one a try-- it's a combination of Espolón Reposado, ginger beer, and lime juice. Cheers!

Gingerita:
1 oz Espolón Reposado Tequila
1 oz Ginger Beer
...1/2 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Stir ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime or lemon wedge.


That'll put some fuel in your tank! Mmmm mmmm.

Dia de Tequila - National Tequila Day!

Well, apparently July 24 is national tequila day. Here on the Rancho, EVERY day is tequila day, but what the heck! I'll buy in to the faux-holiday with an extra shot of the good stuff. I'm thinking Partida, and the perfect Margarita. I have made this one before, and blogged about it. But now my humble opinion has been validated by a so-called expert, who appreared on, of all things, Martha Stewart's blog, mixing this Partida-Rita. Hey if Martha thinks she's a tequila expert, then what does that make me? I'll tell you right up front, I don't know shit about nice curtains or how to host the perfect party on a yacht. So Martha, why don't you stick to baking really good pies, and I'll blog about tequila, whaddya say?

Espolón is back! Or Is It?

Dia de Los Tequilas -- The new labels feature the famous skeltons of Mexican folk-art

Any one who knows me knows that one of my all-time favorite ultra-premium Tequilas is Espolón. It has been hard to find in the US for years now. And it was always pricey...$40 and up. Much to my amazement, today at the liquor store I discovered a new-look Espolón! We're talkin' new label, new bottle, and new VERY LOW PRICE -- $20.00!

Is this some kind of marketing trickery? The press-release issued by Skyy claims there is the exact same juice in these new hippified bottles. Is there, really? If so, why is the price less than half of what it was before? In fact, I paid MORE for Espolón in Mexico back in February -- $24 to be exact. Were we paying for the fancy bottle and its embossed metal label all that time?

Campari/Skyy, the same company that bought Cabo Wabo last year also now owns Espolón. The spirit conglomerate bought the Espolón distillery, NOM 1440, and actually now make Cabo there, too. Apparently, the MSRP for both blanco and repo is $25.95. That's also odd, don't you think?

Are they going to market the Wabo as the Ultra-Preem and the Espo as the down-priced bottle? That would be wierd to me, because Espo is WAY better tequila than Wabo. Way!

So is it the same tequila? My pallette says no.** I just did an A/B comparison between the bottle I bought of blanco in Mexico and a brand new bottle of the $20 blanco. The original tasted smoother, lighter and sweeter, not that Espo is particularly sweet. It has a big, flavorful taste with plenty of agave, spice, and a hint of licorice.**I later realized I was comparing a 38% (the Mexican bottle) with a 40% (the new US bottle), so there you have it! That explains the diff.

But the new one tasted a tiny bit harder, hotter and oilier. It is not as easy on the pallette. They ARE very similar, and maybe the difference could be the normal variation of batch-to-batch. But most would agree that my REAL Mexican juice tastes better than the new.

Read the full press-release here on Tequila.net


Espo Old and New from Drew's Stash

Update on the Milagro Select Barrel

Menage au Milagro

Poured some Mil Repo SB in my flask 'till it was 2/3 full. Carried it around for a few hours before having a sip. After being poured and sort-of decanted like that, it was much less hot and alcohol-y. There was a mellower flavor where the agave came through, along with some nice woodiness. Pretty nice...

¿Milagro, Si o No?

I am muy bonita, no?

Every freaking where I look all of a sudden, I see Milagro. Bars, restaurants, events, everywhere they're peddling Milagro. They must have some damn good marketing.
So, I've been trying it. First, I tried the blanco. Not terrible. I didn't hate it on ice. It's pretty smooth and I'd say it's as-good or better than Patrón Silver -- and a lot cheaper. The reposado and anejo, y'now, not great, not bad. The anejo I liked pretty well. It's oakey.

The whole thing is sort of, "pretty bottle -- pretty average tequila". For the money it's fine. There's nothing really NOT to like. I think it's a case of marketing to the new and growing taste for high-end tequila. It's un-adventurous, it's safe, and and it's less expensive than Patrón. So, the average Joe and Jane will know the names Cuervo, Patron, maybe Cabo Wabo, and now Milagro.

Then, astonishingly and out of the blue, a friend gifts me with a beautiful bottle of Milagro Reposado Select Barrel Resrva. Apparently the guy at the liquor store recommended it. Really nice bottle. The tequila inside is initially very strong on alcohol, probably due to the triple distilling. You have to let it decant for a while. Then you'll notice a pretty decent repo; not in my top-five, and not particularly outstanding in any way. But I like it on ice and the blown crystal bottle makes a very nice addition to the collection.

I certainly like it better than the standard repo, which was my least favorite of the basic three.

So far, the Milagro line-up isn't really poking me in the eye. I'm gonna have to hit this gift bottle a little harder. Until then, the jury is still out...

Here's the reserva review on Tequila.Net

Partida Reposado: Smooth and Elegant

Lit From Within: Partida Reposado is a Brilliant Gold Color and Beautifully Bottled

I got an unexpected check for $52.00 in the mail the other day. It was from a credit-card account that I had closed last winter. Apparently the SEC or some other such agency had gone after this bank (the now-defunct Advanta Card), saying they had done some sketchy practices with their customers. They were ordered to pay people back! Yes! So I got a check! Wow. Revenge is sweet.

And what does a tequila aficionado do when "free money" lands in his lap? Why I headed straight to the liquor store, of course. I picked up a bottle of Partida Reposado, thereby burning up the entire $52.00

This golden honey-colored nectar is really nice. It's silky smooth and full of flavor, with a rich body of sweet, wood-tinged agave. The juice is rested for six-months in Jack Daniel's American Oak Barrels. The Partida has a lovely, fruity nose, a nice mouth-feel and a really elegant flavor without being too heavy or smoky. This is more of a "modern" tequila, having more in-common with Patron than with many of the older established tequilas. It is certainly marketed to American tastes. There's really nothing not to like about Partida reposado, and it particularly appeals to me because for a repo it has a very big agave presence. In my opinion, this is what a reposado should be -- agave that's just kissed with the flavor and mellowness of the resting. With many tequilas I like the blanco better than the repo, because the repo tastes to effed-with; too flavored. In the case of Partida, they've nailed it. The repo has everything I like about the blanco, and more. (The blanco is really good too, by the way. I have yet to try the anejo -- pricey).

This is a tequila I would serve to guests, especially folks who may not be familiar with premium tequila. This one goes neat in a reidel glass or small snifter. Partida Repo's a great after-dinner drink. Like I said, muy elegante.

Partida Reposado has been described as "The Bentley of Reposados". I say, take her out for a drive, baby!

Tequila.net reviews of Partida Repo

Spirits Review - 9 out of 10 olives!

Reposado Death-Match!

I originally posted this on my new favorite web-site, Tequila.net, a great source for tequila reviews and all things agave.

Did my own reposado tasting last night. Here they are in order of first to last:

1) 1921 Reposado Special Reserva
2) Casa Noble Reposado
3) Corralejo Reposado
4) Corralejo Reposado Triple Distillado

*Keep in-mind I'm trying to train my pallette to taste and review, but I'm a total rookie at it (veteran drinker, rookie reviewer). I know what I like and I have good taste, I think. I can tell bad from good, but this "notes of cooked sweet potato" thing is completely new to me.

Long story short, the 1921 was the smoothest and fullest of the lot. The aroma is really sweet, the notes I scrawled say: nutmeg, amaretto, almond, vanilla, lilies etc. Then the taste: Honey, agave, red chili peppers, posole, and earth. Best finish, least burn. Niiicceee!

The Corralejo 3D I didn't like much. The nose was earthy, mossy - almost peetey and strong on alcohol. I scribbled, "cactus". The initial taste on the tongue is nice, silky and buttery. Then comes agave. Then the tang starts, first like kiwi then it goes to metal and burns out to ash. Overall a strong alcohol presence with a very sour aftertaste. This bottle might actually be off. Maybe sat on a shelf too long. I'll use it in margaritas.

The Corralejo Reposado I already like. It's light and fruity and floral. Smells like lime, pear, almonds and lilacs. It hits the tongue a bit hot, but is strong on agave. I also tasted wood and pepper. It's a nice blend of agave, fruit and spice. Aftertaste a tad sour. A good, well-balanced every day tequila. Sip it or make 'ritas.


La Familia Casa Noble

The Casa Noble Reposado has been reviewed a lot on tequila.net, so I won't go too far. I liked it almost as much as the 1921, but for different reasons. Like the 1921 there is smoothness and sweetness, but the CN has a distinct agave blast, I call it the agave punch, which is surrounded by many other flavors of fruits nuts, spices and wood. In general it's more "pungent". My notes: Aroma -- wood, rose, vanilla, pine nuts, raisins. Mouth-feel/taste -- silky, a bit oily, big agave punch, wood, earth, charcoal, minimal alcohol burn. The CN is complex and layered. I'm not a pro taster, so read the other reviews on Tequila.net. I still like the CN "Crystal" blanco better.

Casa noble on Blogger: http://www.casanoble.blogspot.com