Suavecito Blanco Tequila Review [Transcript]

Alex Perez: Hi. I’m Alex Perez.

Mike Morales: I’m Mike Morales.

AP: And you are watching Sipping off the Cuff on tequilaaficionado.com. What do we got?

MM: We got Suavecito Tequila. Yeah, you know…

AP: That’s not how that song goes.

[laughter]

MM: You know…

AP: Or you’re thinking of Suavemente?

MM: No, Suavecito.

AP: Oh, Suavecito.

MM: From Malo. Suavecito… You know, Malo is…

AP: Oh, that song.

MM: Carlos Santana’s brother, right? That’s what I’m talking about. We’re good… We’re doing…

AP: Tierra.

MM: Tierra… No, no.

AP: No?

MM: No.

AP: War.

MM: No, Suavecito was Malo.

AP: Oh, Malo!

MM: Yeah, Tierra… Tierra is something… Is it…

AP: You’re right, you’re right, yeah.

MM: We gotta get our Chicano groups together; Tierra, Suavecito, Malo…

AP: We’ll play it in the background next time.

MM: Okay. [chuckle] No, you don’t wanna do that, ’cause then I gotta wear a do-rag and the whole nine… We’re doing Suavecito Tequila and the interesting thing about Suavecito is that… I’m just gonna read you the information that they sent out to us concerning this particular tequila. Due to the labeling situation that they have, they have a certain process. The majority of tequilas purchased in Mexico are 35% or 36% alcohol. All tequilas imported into the US are required to be 40% alcohol, right?

AP: Right.

MM: Okay. Well, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Tax Bureau, otherwise known as ATT in the treasury department, Suavecito is the first 35% tequila to be sold in the US. So it’s different, okay. So it’s a lower alcohol. This helps give Suavecito less of an alcohol bite, but by no means is it the only thing that sets us apart.

AP: It’s the only?

MM: It’s the only one. It’s what they’re saying.

AP: At 35%?

MM: At 35% into the US, into the US. But what they do is they have a proprietary aging process for their reposado and añejo tequilas that gives it a softer, smoother flavor and what they do is we also add a small amount of agave nectar, alright? So this is gonna have a little bit of an aftertaste. And…

AP: It’s supposed to sweeten it.

MM: Right, but they use agave nectar and so they’re not hiding what they’re doing, they’re actually being upfront with it. As you can see, we’re gonna do a Blanco today. And just to reiterate, they say that we found that adding 2% agave nectar actually enhances the flavor of the agave in the tequila… Be real careful with that little… There you go.

AP: There you go. That’s why I like to soak it a little bit first.

MM: Yes.

AP: That way it doesn’t… It’s not as dry.

MM: Okay. It says when we add three drops of a secret ingredient, that absolutely removes all the harshness of a normal tequila. As a result, we brand Suavecito as the world’s smoothest tequila with agave nectar added. So this is a tequila with an additive.

AP: I [03:04] ____ spilled the new Suavecito.

MM: Ooh, it smells good.

AP: Actually, yeah, it has a good scent to it.

MM: You smell agave. I can smell agave. I don’t necessarily smell…

AP: So it has essence of agave in it.

MM: It has agave nectar.

AP: Oh, agave nectar.

MM: Agave nectar.

AP: See, I wasn’t listening to you. Sorry.

MM: Yeah. Well, you were busy pouring.

[chuckle]

MM: So as you can see, we’re using the Suavecito in the special glasses. And a beautiful presentation, by the way. Can you see that?

AP: That’s a good looking bottle.

MM: Yeah. I mean the presentation is very nice. Wait ’til we get to the añejo. The añejo’s got even a nicer look and feel to it. I mean, is it pretty elegant?

AP: That’s… Yeah.

MM: It’s an elegant tequila, and the lighting is a little darkened in here but beautiful legs and tears. I mean it’s nice.

AP: It’s a clear… It’s actually bright. It looks bright to me.

MM: Yes, it is a bright and very pristine. So far, I’m really impressed. Can you see the agave molded into the glass? Sort of an agave plant molded into the glass. I’m not sure if you can see that, but…

AP: That’s a good looking bottle.

MM: Yeah.

AP: For all the bottle collectors out there.

MM: These folks are in Cleveland, Ohio. They’re from Ohio, the brand owners, the importers.

AP: There’s tequila fans from all over.

[chuckle]

MM: Yeah, well, there are burgeoning markets now that are opening up. One time, we’re not there. When you and I started this, we have the deep south, we have the midwest, now, we’re gonna be tasting a little bit later on another tequila where the brand owners are in Michigan. Who knew?

AP: Who knew? It’s got a nice nose. I can smell the roasted agave. It’s got a really nice scent of roasted agave. It’s not harsh to me at all. Almost has a little bit of mint and black pepper. All typical of a blanco to me.

MM: That’s right.

[pause]

AP: Using a spittoon…

MM: Mm-hmm.

AP: Whenever we can, especially if we’re doing quite a few tequilas. It’s got a nice pleasant taste. A little on the sweet side.

MM: Right. Well, I think that’s the agave syrup. Because what it’s doing, if you’ll notice, it coats your palate.

AP: It does. It’s a little heavy on my palate.

MM: Yeah, even with the blanco, but that’s their secret ingredient to bring that… The lower alcohol. I think you and I discussed in one of our past podcasts that lower grade alcohol tequila or higher grade, for me, it tends to taste better. This is a little different because it does have that agave nectar aftertaste. So it’s gonna coat your palate. What do you think? Do you think this would be great in a cocktail?

AP: I’d love to try it in a cocktail. It’s actually got some really good structure. Even, the sweetness aside, I actually got a gum numbness.

MM: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

AP: So it’s got some good structure to it. It’d be interesting to play with this in a margarita ’cause usually you use simple syrup or you use agave syrup in a margarita.

MM: Would you cut the syrup?

AP: I would have to play with it.

MM: See, if you’re a mixologist, that might be the thing that you wanna do. Again, it’s got a nice bouquet, it’s got beautiful legs and tears. There’s nothing mistaking that this is really a tequila but the difference is, and if you’re a purist, we’re gonna warn you upfront. And they’re upfront with their POS, they’re upfront with you. They’ll tell you what they did to bring it into the United States, and so they’re not lying to you. This is an enhanced tequila. But it’s enhanced with an ingredient that is allowed by the NORMAS…

AP: And it says right there on the label, “Tequila with agave nectar added.”

MM: Mm-hmm. But there’s no mistaking it’s a tequila though. You’re right there’s…

AP: It’s definitely tequila.

MM: Lip numbness and…

AP: I like it.

MM: Yeah, I do too. And with the añejos and reposados it have been enhanced, so some of these are just… You have to use the spit bucket more often, but this one’s not bad.

AP: No, it’s pretty good.

MM: It’s really different. Well, there’s our take…

AP: [07:57] ____.

MM: There’s our take on Suavecito Blanco. As usual, I’m Mike Morales.

AP: I’m Alex Perez. You’re watching Sipping off the Cuff. We were just trying Suavecito. You should go look for it.

MM: Yeah.

AP: Try it. Thanks for watching.