A Field Guide to Tequila

Chapter 1: Defining Tequila
What is Tequila?
Tequila History: From the Spanish Conquest to Early Exports
Agaves and Humans: A Love Story
The Goddess Mayahuel and Pulque
Basic Agave Biology
Blue Agave: What Tequila Is Made Of
Blue Agave Reproduction and Seeking the Perfect Plant
Is Tequila Bad for Bats?
Tequila History: From the Birth of the Modern Industry to Legal Adulteration
The Denominación de Origen de Tequila (DOT): Where Tequila Comes From
Mapping the DOT: Jalisco and Beyond
The Mystery of Tamaulipas
Tequila History: From Establishment of the DOT to a True Global Spirit
The Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) and the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT): How Tequila is Defined
The Norm
The Five Classes of Tequila
Blending Aged Tequilas
All About Additives
The Tequila Name Game
Labelling and Traceability
What’s in a NOM Number?
Cristalino Tequilas: What Are They?
The Return of Quality Mixtos
Tequila as Mezcal
 
Chapter 2: Making Tequila
Agave Cultivation
Agave Planting
Agave Growth
Agave Harvest
The Agave Price Roller Coaster
Hydrolysis
Steam Cooking: Stone Ovens and Autoclaves
Roasting in Earthen Pit Ovens
Diffusers
The Diffuser Controversy
Extraction
The Tahona
Formulation
Myth of the Master Distiller
Fermentation
Distillation
Aging Tequila
Is Aged Tequila Better?
Finishing Touches: Dilution, Filtration, and Bottling
The Methanol Bogeyman
 
Chapter 3: Personifying Tequila
Distilleries and Brands: What’s the Difference?
Big Tequila, Little Tequila
Giants of the Industry:
            José Cuervo
            Pátron Sauza Herradura Defenders of Tradition: Tapatío
Siete Leguas
Pueblo Viejo Celebrity Tequilas
Agaveros Turned Tequileros
            Cava de Oro Don Abraham

CLAYTON J. SZCZECH is a writer and sociologist who has been studying and teaching about Mexican alcoholic beverages since 2006. He has operated the groundbreaking educational tour company Experience Agave since 2008. He cofounded La Cata, the first brand-independent tasting room in Tequila, Jalisco, in 2016. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Sunset, The Guardian, AFAR, Wine Enthusiast, Virtuoso Life, on CNN en Español, and on Amazon’s Distilling Mexico. He holds numerous certifications related to tequila and mezcal, is a permanent legal resident of Mexico, and is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of Utah. His academic work focuses on the socioeconomic and environmental outcomes of Geographical Indication regimes, with an emphasis on Mexico. In 2023, he was selected as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. A Field Guide to Tequila is his first book.