What is green tequila and where can I find it?

Question

I had a professor that said he only drank green tequila. Does this really exist and where can I find it?

Answer 1

probably like green beer, just tequila with green food coloring.  I doubt there is anything specifically called "green" tequila unless they might color a flavored tequila like they do for some other things, maybe pre-flavored lime tequilala would be green?

Answer 2

I think it's a brand of cheap tequila, or else he just means "grean" as in eco-friendly, in which case it's probably organic.

Answer 3

I would assume you mean made from green agave instead of blue.  By law, to be labeled "tequila" it has to be made from blue agave, but green agave does exist, and arguably makes a good drink.

Many mezcals (similar but usually harsher than tequila) are made from green agave instead of blue, and there is a relatively new product on the market called Sotol, sold in the tequila sections that is essentially tequila made from green agave (they just can't call it that).  It's actually quite good, and like tequila, is labeled according to aging: blanco, reposado & anejo.  It is also 100% agave, which is important in any agave based liquor.

A few years back, the tequila company Porfidio, which is no longer (legally) available in the US was criticized for supposedly using green agave in addition to blue, when the agave scare happened.  Porfidio was once (and still by some) considered one of the best tequilas in the world.  They claim they still are and that they were bad-mouthed for not allowing themselves to be extorted.  They are recognizable as being in tall glass-blown bottles with a cactus shape (even though agave is not a cactus) inside the bottle.  I have seen some companies with similar bottles in more recent years though.  All the Porfidio I have ever tried was fantastic, no matter what it may have been made from.