A Field Guide to Tequila: What It Is, Where It’s From, and How to Taste It

Really enjoyed this book, it's exactly what I was looking for... going into details about the legal requirements for using Tequila and different types like Mixto vs 100% Agave. It goes into details about the requirements for Reposado vs Anejo etc. AND also lists and describes in detail important brands. The part about bats being the pollinators was very interesting as well. Highly recommend this.

Like most of us, as a young man I quickly had a very bad experience with what I thought was the only tequila around….Jóse……. I quickly wrote off ever drinking tequila again. Fast forward a decade and trip to Mexico, where I was finally introduced to high quality, and well made tequila. Once I’d discovered that tequila could be delicious, lively, and exciting, I began learning what I could about it. In 2018 I found the author of this book’s company called “Experience Tequila” I quickly booked a trip. I was absolutely enthralled with the details and stories that Clayton and his tour guide Kami taught us, and showed us. It was a whirlwind trip through 4 tequila distilleries, where we experienced first hand how tequila is made from start to finish. I left that trip with a much better understanding and appreciation for my favorite spirit and all of its inclinations. I wanted to know more about tequila, and there really weren’t any great resources for me to read up on it. Once I saw that Clayton had written a book about tequila it was a no-brainer that I would preorder it.I got the book about a month ago, and quickly devoured it. Like he describes in the first few pages, a book like this, written in English has been missing for English speaking people who want to dive deeper into tequila from the planting of the Agave plants all the way through to the mixing, and bottling of the finished product. You will find that it’s well written, and a good read, you really won’t be able to put the book down.I loved it so much that I ordered 2 copies for gifts after about page 40. I would 100% recommend this book for any tequila lover oor as a gift to your tequila loving friends and family.

This could have easily been titled, “Chicken Soup For The Tequila Lover’s Soul”.This is the best book I have ever read, on a subject so near and dear to me.Prior to this book if you would have asked me which one you should my response would have been, “it depends”.Not anymore.Many of the tidbits in the book cannot be read about elsewhere for no documented accounts exist. Instead, many of the tales shared in the book require complete immersion into a land, a network of humans and personal experiences that cannot be replicated. Few people, let alone a foreigner, have committed themselves to the entire ecosystem of tequila as Clayton has, and reading this book will prove that to you. ⠀The trials and tribulations of the Partidas and the Vivancos. The grit of Enrique Fonseca. The tenacity and fortitude that is Carmen Villareal. A deeper explanation of Tamaulipas, and separately, of Chinaco itself. So much clarity, so many new questions.In a world where I see more and more subjective content and commentary, this book was a reprieve back to solid ground for me.When I finished it I simply inhaled a deep breath and felt refreshed.Tequila has become the highest selling spirit in America this year, overtaking bourbon first and then vodka. The need for a comprehensive summary of the history, events, ecosystem, science of distillation and so much more has arguably never been greater.

As the popularity of Mexico's treasured drink has grown, the tequila world has filled with so-called "experts" offering often ill-informed opinions and advice. That is not the case with A Field Guide to Tequila, concisely written by one of the most revered aficionados in the tequila world. Clayton Szczech has spent the better part of two decades living in Mexico, especially the tequila-central state of Jalisco, to understand the elixir that brings so many of us joy. In this book he explains why those cheap shots you consumed in college swore you off tequila forever, and why ultra premium sipping tequilas are now driving the US market (and how to taste the difference). The growing demand for tequila and the rising prices for agave (which he also explains) are prompting many commercially common distillers to cut corners with chemical additives-- and he explains all of that too. He also highlights a handful of distillers who, like boutique winemakers, still honor the time-old (but costlier) traditions of using only perfectly ripened agave to create additive-free tequila. You'll learn how to taste the nuances of a great sipping tequila, and perhaps turn into an aficionado yourself. This book is well-written and accessible. You can tell throughout that the author cares deeply about Mexico's national spirit and its culture. People new to tequila will come away enlightened, and aficionados will learn a thing or two as well. I highly recommend this book both as an informative reader and as a reference book to guide your spirit choices moving forward. Salud!

We live in the state of Jalisco, about 90 min from Tequila. My friends and I have developed "a real fondness," my wife joking calls it, for the spirit visiting distilerias such as Fortaleza, Tequileno and Tequila Cascahuin. This book written for the us common folk to understand and appreciate the skill and work that goes into making a better tequila. A Field Guide To Tequila is excellent and very readable. Highly recommend!

If you love tequila, and if you love additive free tequila, this is your book. Learn about the history, the science, the industry, and the culture of agave and tequila. Great read.

Estoy empezando en un trabajo en el cual me desempeño vendiendo tequila, y ahora leyendo este libro, llego y les cuento a mis amigos del Tequila y todo se quedan con la boca abierta, hay mucha información es un diamante del libro

Please don`t judge a book by its cover. This book looks like it belongs in the bargain bin at your local book store.Its is probably the most concise and current book on the subject of tequila. I highly recommend it.

A beautiful book full of interesting and well researched information. I love tequila and love Mexico so am enjoying every page.

Me parece un libro muy fácil de entender para personas no expertas que buscan aprender sobre el tequila, sin muchos tecnicismos pero con información valiosa. Ayuda también a identificar algunas de las marcas que siguen procesos tradicionales, personalmente he comprado algunas botellas de las que vienen en el libro y ha sido útil leerlo mientras los pruebo.