Reviews / Tomonotomo Tobala

Review · · by The Editors

Tomonotomo Tobala

Non-alcoholic tobalá is a category searching for a drinker

Score: 2.5/5 agaves

Tomonotomo Tobala bottle
  • Producer: Tomonotomo
  • Region: Oaxaca
  • Agave: Tobala
  • Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Removing the alcohol from mezcal removes the carrier for everything that makes it interesting, the esters, the heat, the way the agave's weight lands on the palate. Tomonotomo's tobalá gets closer than most zero-proof experiments, but the category is still a solution looking for a problem. Skip for a good agua fresca.

The ethanol isn't decoration. It's most of the flavor

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave essence, then wet stone, a chemical sweetness

Palate: Watery and thin at 0%, with a flavor-extract quality that reads as a simulation rather than a reduction

Finish: Vegetal, faintly bitter, short

The bottom line

A pass. The absence is louder than the presence

Where to buy online

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