Blue Agave

Agave is a plant that is perennial and does not have stems. Only a small number of its varieties have short lignified trunks. The plant belongs to the family of agaves and grows in Mexico, as well as in Central and North America. The leaves are connected in a basal rosette and covered with a thick wax coating. They are large and fleshy, culminating in a hard subulate-like point. Some species of agave on the edges of their leaves have straight or curved spines. The color of the plant, depending on the species, is green or gray. Leaves along the edges can have bands of yellow or white. Agave, whose flower is a brush in the form of a panicle or ear, dissolves extremely rarely - once every ten to fifteen years.

Blue agave, which is one of two hundred varieties of this plant, grows in Mexico in the state of Jalisco. Only the only Tequila district, having an area of two hundred and nine square kilometers, is the optimal place for cultivation of this culture. The fields where this plant grows have a height above sea level equal to one and a half kilometers. The soil in this area is sandy. It well passes water and is enriched with iron and many other mineral components. An important condition for adherence to the optimal regimen during the growth of blue agave is:

- the amount of precipitation, which should be about a meter during the year;

- amplitude of temperature fluctuations - not more than twenty degrees;

- the number of cloudy days during the year, which should range from sixty-five to one hundred and five.

The blue agave is grown from the shoots of an adult plant, which reached a half-meter height. Planting can be done immediately if the rainy season is expected. Then the plant will quickly take root in the soil. Also, shoots that have the size of an orange, can be on the surface of the field for a month. This procedure is necessary for their drying. The age that is optimal for reproduction is a period of three to five years. At this time, the plant can give one or two shoots throughout the year.

Blue agave differs from other varieties with more fleshy leaves. In form it resembles a big rose. The leaves of the plant are bluish or greenish-gray in color. They have great rigidity and end with sharp spikes. The plant is covered with wax, a thick layer of which prevents moisture loss.

The process of growing agave lasts eight to ten years. During all this time, the following is important:

- control the condition of the plant;

- fertilize the soil;

- take preventive measures to prevent the development of various plant diseases:

- Transplant the agave;

- Control the growth.

At least eight years after planting the shoots, the blue agave reaches the stage of readiness for fermentation. Maturity of the plant affects the quality of natural sugar produced from it. Throughout the time of growth, the agave is pruned. She also cuts off the tips of the leaves. The implementation of these procedures prompts the core to more active growth.

In general, the cultivation of the plant is done manually. Its secret is passed on by the locals from generation to generation. When the leaves cease to grow in size and acquire a reddish-brown hue, they believe that the core is ready for collection.

Cultivation of blue agave is carried out with the purpose of production of alcoholic beverage "Tequila". For its production, a large core of the plant, having a mass of thirty-five to ninety kilograms, is subjected to high temperature processing. This process serves to extract juice, as well as for distillation.

The core of the blue agave is also a raw material for the production of traditional Mexican drinks "Muskal" and "Pulke". Blue agave contains in its composition a certain kind of trace elements and chemical compounds, which can enhance the therapeutic effect of medicines in combating colitis and Crohn's disease.