RICAVA PROCESS
Harvest
Our agave tequilana weber, blue variety, the official and only agave for tequila distillation, is harvested in the lowlands at an altitude between 1000 and 1600 meters. RICAVA TEQUILA is manufactured in Tequila, Jalisco under Mexican Government regulations. We harvest our agave at 5 to 7 years on average. When harvested, we aim for Brix levels (sugar content) equal to or higher than 25%.
Boiling
The agave arrives at the distillery and is unloaded in the yard in front of the autoclaves where it will be cooked. The agave is split in half with axes and placed on pallets in the stainless steel autoclaves, once filled, the autoclave is closed and steam is injected for 10 hours. Once the time is completed, the agave honeys are obtained and the doors are opened so that the agave can cool.
Milling
Once the agave tequilana weber is cold, it is unloaded from the autoclave and transferred to the conveyor belt that will take it first to the crusher where it is "torn" and through conveyor belts it goes through 4 mass mills to be squeezed and obtain the agave juice, the juice is received in a stainless steel vat and then pumped to the fermentation area.
Fermentation
After cooking the agave tequilana weber, blue variety, stainless steel vats are used to ferment the agave juice. The must is then transferred to stainless steel tanks where fermentation takes place. During fermentation, yeast is added and works to convert the sugar into alcohol (ethanol) and other compounds that give the juice unique flavors and aromas. Fermentation lasts between 72 and 96 hours.
Distillation
The distillation process consists of two parts. The first distillation involves the separation of the liquid mixture into component parts by partial vaporization and the recovery of vapors by condensation. The product obtained from the first distillation is called "tequila ordinario". This usually takes 2 hours and results in an alcohol content between 22% and 25%. The second distillation takes 3 to 4 hours.
Bottling
Prior to bottling, in any of its categories, tequilas are filtered, tasted, supervised for quality consistency, and bottled in its different presentations: Blanco, Blanco Rosa, Reposado and Añejo, then they are ready to gladden the heart and delight the palate of the most demanding palates!
Maturation
We age our tequila in American oak barrels. Our toast level is typically medium-light. Our varieties are aged as follows:
Reposado - 4 months
Anejo - 1 year and a half Reposado - 4 months
Anejo – 1 año y medio
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