Thanks Lady Lemon, Angie and Diemen. I was afraid I was just ranting and no one would care what I had to say. But for some strange reason it is an important issue for me. I guess you could say that I take my drinking seriously.
Angela, the easiest way to tell if a tequila is good is to check the label. If it says 100% Puro de Agave or 100% Blue Agave then you can be fairly certain that it is a good tequila. But if it says Distillado de Agave or nothing at all then you can be fairly sure that it is not pure tequila but a mixture of Agave and other nasty stuff like additives and bad alcohol. Yes, good teqila is expensive but it can be very nice in the summertime with some lime and chips and salsa. It is your summer now so you should treat yourself to a bottle!
"The most important identifier on the label is "100% agave" or "100% agave azul" - cien por ciento de agave azul. This means it is made only from the blue agave plant, and was approved by a government inspector to ensure purity. If it doesn't say this, it legally can be mixed up to 49 per cent with other ingredients (allegedly the amount of agave required was increased in 1995 from 51% to 60%, but this has not been confirmed). Sometimes this means added spirits, but usually it's sugar, caramel and almond essence - and it can still be called 'tequila.' Mixto tequilas bottled outside Mexico do not have to live up to the 1995 standard and may be diluted to 51% agave.
All those non-agave ingredients are the recipe for a hangover. And "100% agave" can make even a blanco tequila into a respectable drink, with a peppery flavour-sharp tang."
Official designations:
The four types of tequila
Blanco or plata (white or silver) is Tipo (type) 1: the most common type. It's considered 'unaged' and is under 60 days old, and may be bottled fresh from distillation. Sometimes this is a harsh, young (joven) drink, but it can also be tastier and more robust than highly refined varieties, if it's marked "100 per cent agave" (see below). Some distillers may 'rest' blanco tequilas in oak barrels for more smoothness - the maximum allowable period is 30 days.
Joven abocado (young and smoothed, also called gold - oro) is Tipo 2: basically the same as blanco, but with colouring and flavouring ingredients added to make it look aged. These are also called suave or oro (gold) because of its colouring (usually through added caramel and sometimes oak essence, up to 1% total weight). In the industry they're known as mixto, or mixed blends. Generally they're not as good as 100% agave, but they are also very popular for export sales. Note that Herradura calls its 100% agave reposado tequila "gold," but it is not to be confused with a gold mixto.
Reposado, Tipo 3, means rested. This is aged from two months to up to a year in oak casks or barrels. This is where the better tequilas start and the tastes become richer and more complex. The longer the aging, the darker the colour and the more the wood affects the flavour. Reposado accounts for more than 60% of all tequila sales in Mexico. It was the first type of aged tequila.
A?ejo (aged, or vintage) is Tipo 4: aged in government-sealed barrels of no more than 350 liters, for a minimum of a year. They may be aged longer - as long as eight to ten years, although many authorities say tequila is at its best at four or five years. It is usually removed from the barrels and racked into stainless steel tanks after four years because evaporation in the barrels reaches 50% or more). Many of the a?ejos become quite dark and the influence of the wood is more pronounced than in the reposado variety. After three or more years, these a?ejos may be called "muy a?ejo" or "tres a?ejos" by the manufacturers - a term not recognized officially.
Reserva de casa although not an officially recognized "tipo," usually means premium, and may be a limited production variety. Most are also a?ejo. Other unofficial categories include gran reposado - which should mean it was aged longer than the minimum - and blanco suave. These are attempts by manufacturers to identify their product as unique within the rigid government guidelines for labelling. Both should also be identified as 100 per cent agave.
Types aside, all tequilas have similar alcohol contents - roughly the same percentage as any standard scotch, vodka, gin or bourbon - around 38-40 per cent (76-80 proof).
I got those quotes from:
http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/buying.html
In Search of the Blue Agave
------------------
We plants are happy plants.