It is a common misconception that some tequilas contain a 'worm' in the bottle. Only certain mezcals, usually from the state of Oaxaca, are ever sold con gusano, and that only began as a marketing gimmick in the 1940s. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hypopta agavis that lives on the agave plant. Finding one in the plant during processing indicates an infestation and, correspondingly, a lower quality product. (Note: for more information on how tequila is made, see mezcal.) However this misconception continues, and even with all the effort and marking to represent Tequila as a premium -- similar to the way Cognac is viewed in relation to brandy -- there are some opportunist producers for the shooters and fun market who blur these boundaries.
In the 2000s, a distributor known for their Tequilas, launched Villa Lobos, a vodka which had the unique selling point that it too featured the "agave worm". The marketing of this product highlighted the drink's links with Tequilas and said that it was developed in reaction to the Tequila crisis of the previous years
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McMavis
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Sat 2 Jun, 2007 11:46 pm
Very interesting I always thought that some Mexican just want us Norte Americanos to have more protein with our tequila.
Do you thing the worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila tastes as good and an olive soaked in a good martini?
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Coolwhip
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 02:28 am
I've been told it's just the mexican way of messing with us "gringos"...
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CalamityJane
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 09:58 am
The best Tequila comes from a region just a bit outside of Guadalajara
in the state of Jalisco. No worms in that one, though.
From Region's link, I can believe that Tequila with a lesser quality would
have a worm in it. Makes sense, doesn't it? I wish all poor quality liquor could be identified that way.
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gustavratzenhofer
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:04 am
Jane, has anyone explained to you what a stogie is yet?
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littlek
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:13 am
I think very few tequilas have worms in them. I thought just Mescal did.
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dyslexia
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:17 am
littlek wrote:
I think very few tequilas have worms in them. I thought just Mescal did.
The use of the worm is exclusive to mezcal, since the Mexican standards authority, NOM, prohibits adding insects or larvae to tequila.
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CalamityJane
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:23 am
gustavratzenhofer wrote:
Jane, has anyone explained to you what a stogie is yet?
No! Tell me then, wisecrack!
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gustavratzenhofer
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:30 am
A cigar
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gustavratzenhofer
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:32 am
Here I am, a few years back, smoking a stogie....
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CalamityJane
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Sun 3 Jun, 2007 10:35 am
Oy, I never would have guessed.
We used to smoke cigars when at the Octoberfest in Munich, and it was
a must to smoke it all the way to the end.