Jose Cuervo nearby regions in central Mexico. All Jose Cuervo tequila continues to be made in the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco in Mexico. The blue agave plant has spiked leaves and a round, fleshy core (the piña). The leaves are chopped off and the core is cooked and crushed to create juice, which is fermented and distilled to make tequila. The resulting unaged, clear tequila is then diluted with water to bring the alcohol content down to around 40%. Pure tequila is distilled 100% from the sap of the blue agave plant, while mixto tequilas only need to
Tequila long maturation of the plant, will likely continue to affect prices for years to come. Only certain "mezcals", usually from the state of Oaxaca, are ever sold "con gusano" (with worm). They are added as a marketing gimmick and are not traditional. The tequila regulatory council does not allow "gusanos" or scorpions (which are sometimes also added to mezcals) to be included in tequila bottles. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth "Hypopta agavis", which lives on the agave plant. Finding one in the plant during processing indicates an infestation and, correspondingly, a lower-quality product. However, this