Reviews / Tepanal Cuche & Arroqueño
Review · · by The Editors
Tepanal Cuche & Arroqueño
Cuche and arroqueño in one clay pot – Rafa's weight-class ensamble
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Tepanal Agave Spirits
- Maestro: Rafael "Rafa" García Aragon
- Region: Santa María Sola, Oaxaca
- Agave: Arroqueño, Cuche
- ABV: 50%
- Price: $150 ($$)
Verdict
Rafa García blends cuche and arroqueño the way a good cook pairs ingredients, one agave does what the other can't. Arroqueño anchors with cooked-fruit weight; cuche lifts with herbal brightness. At 50% and through clay, the combination comes across coherently. Not the loudest Tepanal bottle, but one of the most thoughtfully constructed.
Cuche brightens what arroqueño anchors – the ensamble logic at work
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked fruit, wet clay, dark chocolate, a herbal edge
Palate: 50% carries the arroqueño's cooked-fruit weight with cuche's brighter, herb-forward lift, the ensamble reads as two agaves doing different jobs in one body
Finish: Mineral, chocolate-herb, long
The bottom line
A smart ensamble. Buy alongside the single-agave arroqueño
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.