Reviews / Tileño Tepextate
Review · · by The Editors
Tileño Tepextate
Tilcajete tepextate at 45%. The agave at its proof floor, finally
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Tileño Mezcal
- Maestro: Elias Jose Angeles Ojeda
- Region: San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $150 ($$)
Verdict
Elias Jose Angeles Ojeda produces tepextate at 45%, which is the bare minimum the agave demands and a proof many commercial brands fall short of. His Tilcajete version shows the Central Valley's mineral profile in a way Miahuatlán tepextates don't. Not the reference bottle – that's Sin Gusano's 45.9% Ocotepec version – but a credible regional alternative. Consensus has no number; our read is 3.5.
Tepextate at 45% – the proof the agave actually needs
Tasting notes
Nose: Green pepper, wet stone, crushed herb, a mineral smoke
Palate: 45% is the floor for tepextate and Elias Angeles commits to it – peppery mid-palate, herbal sharpness, the Tilcajete slate-tinged through-line giving the agave a Central Valley signature
Finish: Peppery, slate-tinged. Long
The bottom line
A credible Tilcajete tepextate. Worth the comparison shelf