Reviews / Reyes y Cobardes Cupreata

Review · · by The Editors

Reyes y Cobardes Cupreata

Guerrero cupreata at 41.5%, the right agave, the wrong proof

Score: 3.0/5 agaves

Reyes y Cobardes Cupreata bottle
  • Producer: Reyes y Cobardes Mezcal
  • Maestro: Rafael Cuenca
  • Region: Zitlala, Guerrero
  • Agave: Cupreata
  • ABV: 41.5%
  • Price: $43 ($)

Verdict

Guerrero cupreata is one of the more underrated agaves in the category – papalometl and cupreata together make the Rio Balsas region worth exploring – and Reyes y Cobardes has the sourcing right. But 41.5% is the tell: this is being bottled for a broader commercial tier than the liquid deserves. Pick it over nothing, but not over Derrumbes Michoacán or any Mal Bien Guerrero.

Cupreata deserves proof the brand didn't give it

Tasting notes

Nose: Wet stone with a trace of cooked agave, faint smoke

Palate: Thin, Rafael Cuenca's Zitlala cupreata losing weight that the agave usually carries – minerality and salt present but the mid-palate is flattened. The commercial 41.5% ABV on a specialty agave is the problem

Finish: Short-medium, mineral, dry

The bottom line

Pass – the agave is good, the proof isn't

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

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