Blue agave
The blue agave - or tequila agave - is native to Mexico and is used to make both tequila and mezcal.
Tequila and mezcal is often called 'cactus brandy', although it is not made from a cactus but from the blue agave.
The 'heart' of the agave, the part that remains when the leaves are cut off, is what is used in tequila production. In the Mexican highlands, 300 million plants are harvested annually.
The blue agave can be harvested at any time of the year, but the best time is at the end of the dry season because then the starch content of the plants is at its highest. During the rainy season, the plant stores water in its thick leaves, and the concentration of starch is diluted.
When the agave hearts are harvested, they are baked slowly or boiled to convert the starch into sugar, which is then pressed out. The juice is fermented for 2 to 3 days and then distilled twice.
Fact box:
- Greenhouse location: Dessert house
- Danish name: Tequila agave
- Latin name: Agave tequilana
- Family: Asparagus family / Asparagaceae
- Natural habitat: Mexico