The first patent for the invention of instant coffee, number 3518, was issued in 1890. The author of the technology was a New Zealand citizen David Strang. But he could not popularize the novelty and establish its mass production. Only years later, the product became known to coffee lovers.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to say who first came up with the idea to create the first instant coffee. But there is documentary evidence of the presence of the product since the middle of the nineteenth century. Moreover, it was produced both in the form of briquettes and in the form of thick syrup in bottles.
But, good idea can come to several people at the same time. So already in the first year of the twentieth century, another scientist developed his concept. They became a resident of Chicago Satori Kato. Prior to that, he was already known as the author of instant tea.
And just five years later, the namesake of the famous American president named George Washington created his own unique coffee recipe that does not require cooking. Inspired by his idea, he moved from Guatemala to the USA and released a drink under the Red E Coffee brand. But its products are not in great demand among the civilian population. While in the army, he became a mandatory component of dry rations.
Real popularity for coffee fast food came only in the late thirties and early forties. This was facilitated by an improved formula developed by the Swiss Max Morgenstaller, an employee of Nestle.
So, on July 24, 1938, the world saw NESCAFE for the first time. This date is considered official coffee day.
How coffee beans are made instant
A natural product is made exclusively from coffee beans. First, the grains are roasted and ground, and then a drink is brewed on an industrial scale, but more concentrated than for immediate consumption. The concentrate is filtered and cooled.
Depending on the production method, there are three types of instant coffee:
- Powder. In this case, the coffee extract is sprayed at high temperatures. Micro-droplets dry out, turning into powder. This is the cheapest product.
- Agglomerated. To obtain granules, the powder is further subjected to steam treatment. Such a product is more expensive, but in terms of taste it practically does not differ. Taste depends only on the quality of raw materials.
- Sublimated. This instant coffee was invented last of all. The liquid concentrate is frozen and then dehydrated and dried under vacuum. This is the most expensive product in the line. But the high price is justified - the taste of frozen coffee is as close as possible to that prepared in a coffee machine.
Subject to the production technology, such a drink is not more harmful than that made from grains.
Little Known Facts
The process of developing and launching mass production of instant coffee was accompanied by unexpected and often even curious events:
- George Washington developed his idea to relieve the boredom of waiting for his wife in a cafe.
- The name of the Red E Coffee brand is a pun, as it is consonant with the English "ready coffee".
- Satori Kato came up with the idea of dissolving coffee because no one was interested in the idea of instant tea.
- It was to the US military and the First World War that the drink made from coffee beans owes its popularity.
- Max Morrgenstaller began to improve the formula after an agreement was signed between Nestle and the government of the Republic of Brazil. The reason was the need to increase the shelf life of coffee beans, the harvest of which that year was simply huge.
Modern people drink almost every day half a billion cups with instant coffee. And the profit from its sale only to NESCAFE is several tens of billions of dollars annually.
Now read about who invented and. Interesting Facts about food will broaden your horizons.
Russia is the world leader in the consumption of instant coffee, and the share of this drink among all “coffee” sales is as much as 80%! What is the secret of the popularity of such familiar and familiar instant coffee from childhood?
The main advantages of fragrant coffee granules and powder are the speed of preparation (a spoonful of coffee instantly dissolves in boiling water and even warm water) and a long shelf life (if you follow all the storage rules and hide the coffee in a dry place). And yet - in comparison with natural coffee, instant coffee has less weight and volume of raw materials needed to prepare one serving of an invigorating drink. This coffee advantage is especially appreciated by carriers.
A little history of instant coffee
Instant coffee- one of the most famous fast drinks in the world - appeared at the beginning of the 20th century by order of the army, for the needs of military personnel. Several people are fighting for the honor of creating this unique product. According to the official version, the technology was invented in 1901 by a Japanese scientist who was then working in Chicago, Satori Kato.
And already in 1903 the first technology appeared. The inventive Ludwig Rosemus, by a stroke of luck, developed a “caffeine-removing” technology, quickly patented the idea, and soon began to produce an innovative product in the United States. Decaffeination had two goals - to reduce the amount of caffeine in coffee and make the drink less harmful, and to provide caffeine for use in the pharmaceutical industry.
The first instant coffee appeared on the shelves quite quickly - the average consumer already in 1909 was able to appreciate the taste and convenience of a new product called "Red E Coffee".
Brazil was among the first to develop a new product - the government of the country estimated the future benefits, because there are many coffee plantations on the territory of the state. And in 1938, with the participation of Nestle, a trademark was born that is familiar to every Russian today. This brand still occupies one of the leading positions in the "instant coffee" market - Nescafe.
World War II propelled instant coffee to its peak of popularity. A strong and invigorating drink from the “just add water” series, which is so easy to brew and drink right in the trench, was appreciated by the soldiers of many armies. American soldiers were especially fond of fast fragrant coffee. And when they returned home after the victory, they realized that they could no longer live without this coffee. The states have always been famous for their concern for the needs of ordinary citizens - and soon the drink became wildly popular in America, and then throughout the world.
How is instant coffee made?
Instant coffee production line
What is instant coffee? This is an aqueous extract obtained from strong, freshly roasted coffee (natural!) and dried to a powder. It has a pleasant coffee taste and smell (although not as pronounced as that of grain coffee), an excellent tonic effect and a characteristic feature - it instantly dissolves in water without the slightest sediment.
The whole process of preparing instant coffee consists of 3 successive stages:
- grinding already roasted coffee beans;
- processing them with boiling water (several hours);
- cooling and drying the mixture.
As a result - depending on the method of processing and drying the coffee broth - one of 3 is obtained. These are powder (the cheapest way), granular and freeze-dried (the most expensive method).
- Powdered coffee appeared on Russian shelves in the first place, this is the most famous and most budgetary version of instant coffee. To get it, you first need to prepare coffee beans: peel, roast and crush. Then, soluble substances are extracted from small coffee particles - for this, the grains are treated for several hours with a hot jet of water under high pressure. The aromatic mixture must be cooled, filtered and dried (with hot air). The result is a coffee extract - the cheapest powder product.
- The granulated instant product is made in almost the same way, with the exception of one small nuance. Finally, the coffee powder is churned into lumps using high-pressure steam. It turns out the drink is more expensive (the technology is improved, and the raw materials are often better) and, frankly, more attractive.
- But freeze-dried coffee is produced according to a very special scheme. First you need to prepare a strong coffee broth from very good beans, and then freeze at the lowest possible temperature. Then this coffee "ice cream" is dehydrated (in vacuum) and crushed. It turns out strong coffee particles of irregular shape - we see them in cans of the most expensive instant coffee.
Production process of granulated coffee
To get a batch of instant coffee, producers usually use cheaper coffee varieties, such as the African Robusta variety. Popular and expensive Arabica is much rarer. But it's not just that Robusta is cheap, and Arabica is for the elite. It's just that Robusta has a higher percentage of caffeine and a higher extract. Compare: in the grains of robusta from different countries the percentage of caffeine is approximately 2.2, in the promoted Arabica - only 0.6%. The yield of coffee extract from Robusta is as much as 36%, which is a lot. Taking into account the fact that part of the caffeine evaporates during processing, cooling and drying, it makes no sense to make an instant drink from pure Arabica - there will be practically no strength or aroma left there.
Video: How instant coffee is made
If you describe the process of preparing soluble in a few words, the picture will be as follows: the grains are fried, crushed, brewed in boiling water, moisture is evaporated and crushed even more. The whole process lasts about 2 hours, of which 15 minutes are for roasting. No sugars, flavorings or food additives they don’t put it in an invigorating mixture - this is only when packing.
Another important coffee parameter is the glucose content. There is sugar in the husk from the grain, and if the “skin” gets into the product along with the grains, the percentage of glucose in it will increase.
Every coffee company, be it Nestle, Jacobs or the Russian “Moscow Coffee House on Payah,” holds its own production standards. Different equipment, raw materials, roasting method - all this gives original taste product, although the buyer does not always feel this difference.
For example, if you try three types of Black Card coffee - Brazilian, Ecuadorian and Colombian production, a different flavor palette will be noticeable. Ecuadorian coffee is made from Vietnamese and Indonesian Robusta. The cup of the Brazilian drink is made from conylon (Brazilian Robusta variety) and has a more tart flavor. And Colombian is a mixture of varieties of Colombian Arabica, there is no simple strong Robusta at all.
The aroma of instant coffee comes from the coffee oils added between roasting and brewing. There is no chemistry there, it's just a special technology for collecting aroma from a natural product, concentrating it and returning it back to a soluble mixture. A little essential oil - also for smell - is put into a dry drink already during packaging.
Instant coffee - good or bad?
No matter how much you want to believe that instant coffee retains at least a little bit the unique benefits of natural coffee, you will have to be disappointed. Even an expensive sublimated product is boiled for 3-4 hours during the manufacturing process, and no valuable substances remain there. 50% of the naturalness and usefulness of coffee simply dissolves. Yes, improved technology, new production methods, richer taste - but there was no benefit, and there is no.
Video: Instant coffee - benefits and harms
The aromaticity of coffee is lost mainly during the preparation of the extract and its drying. Compare: roasted coffee has an aromaticity index of 0.60, a freshly prepared extract has an aromaticity index of 0.43, and a finished powder, dried and ready for packaging, has only 0.32.
Among the advantages of an instant drink, a reduced percentage of caffeine is called - therefore, allegedly, the daily number of cups of such coffee can be safely increased. But the truth, as usual, is somewhere nearby - in a mug of brewed grain drink caffeine is about 80 mg, soluble - about 60. The difference is small! And if you prepare coffee in a gentle way - brew it in a cezve very quickly and bring it to a boil just once, the soluble one will definitely become the caffeine leader.
So what is the danger of an instant drink?
- Caffeine increases blood pressure, so it can even help hypotensive patients. But with obvious hypertension - it is strictly contraindicated.
- In an instant drink, there is a lot of not only caffeine, but also dyes, flavors and preservatives. In grain natural coffee, these hazards are absent at all, in inexpensive ground varieties - the minimum amount.
- A cup of instant coffee increases the acidity of the stomach. Therefore, with chronic gastrointestinal ailments, doctors do not recommend such an energy drink.
- Powdered and granulated drink significantly speeds up the digestion process, mainly due to an increase in acidity. But this does not give any weight loss effect, but on the contrary, it can provoke the development of cellulite in women.
So should instant “fake” coffee be stigmatized once and for all, or should you switch to just this drink, which is so delicious and easy to make? Maybe, the best way is the classic golden mean. If there is no hurry, it is always better to brew a cup of real coffee beans. And in emergency cases, when there is neither time nor the right ingredients, you can brew a mug of instant.
Instant coffee is an eternal stumbling block for all coffee lovers in the world. Some coffee lovers are grateful to him for the fact that he saves time and maintains their energy. They are happy to start their morning with a cup of instant coffee, which for them in terms of taste is in no way inferior to freshly brewed ground coffee. Their opponents are sure: coffee can only be in beans. Ideally, it should be carefully ground with your own hands and brewed with them. For them, instant coffee is “not at all the same” and they make it from something “not that”. Lena Titok went to the Nestle Kuban factory to see with her own eyes how instant coffee is produced.
The Nestle Kuban factory is a large enterprise with more than 1,000 employees. Most of them live in Timashevsk, where the plant is located. Some come to work from neighboring Krasnodar. There is no staff turnover at the factory: the employees are completely satisfied with both the working conditions and the prospects for the development of the company. Cleanliness and order on the territory of the plant: neat lawns, pedestrian "zebras" along which employees move. The entrance to the territory is strictly in uniform: no heels and metal jewelry. In half an hour you can walk around part of the shops and see with your own eyes how instant coffee is produced. The technological chain is quite simple, like everything ingenious.
Acceptance of green coffee
Green coffee arrives at the factory in sea containers through the port of Novorossiysk. It is brought to the coffee receiving station on special vehicles - container ships. Here green grain is unloaded, cleaned and prepared for further production. During the emptying of the container, coffee samples are taken for carrying out the necessary analyzes for the suitability of the grain for processing. After the unloading is completed, the grain is in the bunker, having previously passed through several degrees of cleaning.
Green coffee warehouse
From the receiving area with the help of pneumatic transport (a pipe into which air is injected and transports grains) green coffee enters the warehouse. Here, for convenience, the grain is packaged in bags, and then taken to storage places, where they will wait for a decision on use. Only high-quality, proven coffee beans go further along the technological chain to the roasting department.
Roasting
To create a special flavor bouquet for each coffee, the optimal roasting mode is specially selected. The roasting process develops the characteristic aroma and taste of coffee. The roasting process itself takes place in special roasting drums, where coffee beans are treated with hot air. The roasting process is automated, which allows you to clearly monitor the quality of the product. After roasting, coffee enters the silos, where there is a uniform distribution of moisture and aroma.
Grinding
Roasted coffee beans are ground into a coarse powder in commercial coffee grinders. The goal is to obtain smaller particles to facilitate the extraction of coffee.
Extraction
Roasted and Pere ground coffee is sent to the extraction stage in the extraction plant, where the soluble coffee particles are extracted using hot water. For these purposes, several extraction chambers are used. This process is similar to the technology used in a conventional coffee machine. At this stage, roasted ground coffee is simply brewed with water, only in the factory is coffee brewed on an industrial scale. It is also important to note that the quality of water is also of particular importance for the production of NESCAFE coffee. The factory in Timashevsk has its own artesian wells, from where water is extracted.
Evaporation
After extraction, water is removed from the coffee extract in a special evaporator and the concentrated extract is ready for the next production stage - drying.
At the Nestlé Kuban factory, two types of drying are used: spray drying (NESCAFE Classic production) and sublimation drying (NESCAFE Gold production).
Spray Drying (Spray-Dry)
The concentrated coffee extract is atomized in a stream of hot air in a spray tower, where it dries instantly and turns into a powder. Then the powder under the influence of steam turns into granules (agglomerate). This type of drying is used for the production of NESCAFE Classic instant coffee. This technology allows you to save the taste and aroma of coffee.
Sublimation drying (Freeze-Dry)
With this technology, the concentrated coffee extract is first frozen at low temperatures, then crushed. Granules of the required size are screened out and proceed to the next stage - sublimation. Sublimation is the removal of moisture from a product under the influence of a vacuum. Water in a vacuum chamber turns from a solid state into steam, bypassing the stage of transformation into a liquid. This technology allows you to maximize the fullness of coffee aroma and taste.
Packing and packaging
The coffee filling process begins at the loading station, where bags and metal containers of coffee are lifted into the emptying device and the coffee is poured into the system. Empty cans for coffee packaging are palletized, unpacked, then distributed along the conveyor and transported to the filling machine. From the system, coffee enters the filling machine, where the jar is filled, closed with a lid and continues along the conveyor. The next step is to put a label on the jar and apply the production date in the label machine. Then the cans are stacked in trays and pallets.
Tastings
Tasting is an important part of the coffee production process. They are attended by specially trained people who have well-developed sensory abilities. There are two types of tasting: green coffee and the finished product. Tastings take place in complete silence, with maximum concentration. For tasting green coffee, samples of green beans are taken, roasted to a certain color, ground and brewed. And the finished NESCAFE coffee is brewed with water of a certain temperature.
The tasting process itself is very interesting. Coffee cannot be swallowed, it is spit out. Use only white cups to see the color and silver spoons. It is believed that they retain the taste of coffee.
As you can see from this simple step-by-step diagram, NESCAFE instant coffee contains no chemicals, food additives or dyes, only the finest coffee beans and water. Therefore, instant coffee is 100% natural product. Another thing is that everyone has their own preferences for the taste of this drink. By the way, pay attention to the new NESCAFE Classic. Now it has not only a new, even brighter and more modern packaging, but also an updated taste: it has become more fragrant, rich and soft.
Instant coffee. Can they replace a drink made from coffee beans. Benefit and harm. The use of taste improvers - the effect on the figure and taste qualities.
Many people are accustomed to greet the morning enjoying a cup of fragrant coffee. But there is so little time to pack, and real coffee cook for so long. Instant coffee saves time. But is it as useful as a real grain drink.
Instant coffee is offered to the buyer in three forms:
- Powder
- Granules
- Sublimation
What is the difference between instant coffee and natural coffee
Even an inexperienced coffee consumer can immediately determine what is poured into his mug. The difference in taste and aroma is obvious. There is also a difference in the content of caffeine and other useful substances. During the grain production cycle natural coffee lose almost all their useful and taste properties. Moreover, the cheaper the raw materials were used, the more obvious the difference in the finished product. Flavorings and flavor enhancers are used in its production. The most delicious, but at the same time the most expensive, is sublimation coffee. This technology makes it possible to save essential oils included in the grains. Therefore, the taste and smell of an instant drink is close to natural.How much caffeine is in instant coffee?
Usually when people talk about coffee, whether it's soluble or not, they're talking about caffeine. It is this alkaloid that is responsible for the strength of the prepared drink. Its sufficient concentration in the product gives the taste a subtle bitterness, but does not affect the smell. Independently, focusing only on the senses, it is impossible to determine either the content of caffeine, or even its presence. The vivacity that has appeared is only indirect evidence of the content of the substance.The industry produces two types of instant coffee:
- Caffeinated
- Decaffeinated
There is an established rule that the caffeine content should not be lower than 2.8% trade marks offer coffee with different percentages of alkaloid. The leaders are: Nescafe Gold and Chernya Karta Classic. They contain over 4% caffeine.
For decaffeinated drinks, there is also a standard according to which the mass fraction of caffeine should not exceed 0.3%.
instant coffee calories
Many people are careful about the calorie content of foods. And instant coffee also comes under their scrutiny. It is necessary to take into account the number of calories consumed by people who are trying to lose excess body weight, or, conversely, who are struggling with insufficient weight.
The amount of energy that the body can receive from the product depends on the proteins, fats and carbohydrates contained in its composition.
Important! When calculating the calorie content of coffee consumed, all products added to it should be taken into account. Sugar, milk, cream, ginger, lemon - all this affects the amount.
Calorie content of instant coffee without sugar.
If you count on 100 g of the product, then the powder of instant coffee contains:
- Carbohydrates - 40g;
- Proteins - 12g;
- Fats 0.5g.
Calorie content of instant coffee with sugar
Adding sugar to coffee greatly increases its calorie content. Accordingly, the more it is added to the drink, the more calories will enter the body.
Sugar is a sweet substance that enhances the taste of a drink. One teaspoon contains approximately 16 kcal.
Calorie instant coffee with milk
Milk is a very popular addition to coffee. It gives a softer and refined taste, painting it in lighter colors. 100 g of skim milk contains 50 kcal. 100 g of cream will add 100 to 300 kcal to the drink, depending on the fat content.
So is instant coffee harmful to the body?
The harm of coffee, as well as its benefits, is determined by the presence of caffeine in it. This alkaloid, in addition to cheerfulness and good mood, can cause harm. There are a number of contraindications, according to which the intake of all caffeinated products should be excluded or reduced from the diet.
Instant coffee is not recommended for people with:
- Disease of the cardiovascular system
- hypertension
It is not recommended to drink coffee for pregnant women, as this may affect the development of the fetus.
Rating of the best instant coffees
Focusing on taste and grain processing technology, a rating of three the best varieties instant coffee.
- Carte Noire. In Russia, there are 11 factories producing this product, and all of them are equipped with high-quality equipment. Coffee of this company has a balanced and deep taste without the presence of bitterness. It is obtained from blends of Arabica coffee with a caffeine content of 4%.
- Egoist. Produced in Europe, mainly in Germany and Switzerland. Freeze-dried product with a caffeine content of 4% has a good, pleasant taste.
- bushido. The Swiss company produces instant coffee with a pronounced chocolate flavor.
Instant coffee has been popular all over the world for many years. Millions of people start the day with a cup of invigorating instant coffee - after all, it does not need to be ground first and then brewed. Fill it with boiling water and you're done. The recognition of this drink by people resulted in a separate holiday - Instant Coffee Day, which is celebrated on July 24th.
The first samples of instant coffee were known in the middle of the 19th century. So, in No. 17 of the Tiflis newspaper "Kavkaz" for 1852, it is offered for sale "a newly invented English preparation of COFFEE in tiles, completely ready, convenient for use on the road and not subject to damage from cold or warmth, and in bottles, in the form of syrup"
Instant coffee was invented and patented in 1890 by New Zealander David Strang. Also, a similar invention is attributed to the Japanese scientist Satori Kato, who worked in Chicago in 1901. In 1906, the English chemist George Constant Washington, who lived in Guatemala, developed the first mass-produced instant coffee. In 1909, he introduced Red E Coffee to the market, the first commercially produced instant coffee. It wasn't until 1938 that the first truly widespread brand of instant coffee appeared, Nescafe, as a result of a joint effort between Nestle and the Brazilian government. These efforts were aimed at solving the problem of coffee surpluses in the country. The product quickly gained popularity and spread around the world.
Instant coffee is not only a drink loved by many, but also the basis of many different culinary masterpieces. They make cakes and pastries, mousses and cocktails, sweets and lollipops with it.
They also draw pictures for him and make cosmetic face masks with him. All in all, a versatile product worthy of its own holiday!
July 24, 1374 - the day of the founding of the city of Vyatka, better known to us as Kirov. This date marks the first mention of the city, which until 1780 had the name Khlynov.
In 1412, the famous battle between the Vyatichi and the Ustyugians took place. The battle took place at night, in a ravine, later named Razderikhinsky. According to one version, the Ustyugians came to the aid of the Vyatichi for defense against the Tatars, according to another, they, in alliance with the Moscow princes, wanted to capture the city. In memory of those events, the Vyatka folk festival “Svistoplyaska” appeared, and a chapel in the name of the Archangel Michael was built on the banks of the ravine.
In 1455, a wooden Kremlin with an earthen rampart was built in Vyatka for defensive purposes, which was given the name of the Khlynovitsa River flowing nearby. Subsequently, the name Khlynov spread to the township part of the city, and from 1457 the whole city began to be called Khlynov. In 1780, by decree of Empress Catherine II, the city was given the name Vyatka.
After the October Revolution, the council of the supreme administration of the province announced the non-recognition of the power of the Bolsheviks and the separation of the Vyatka province into an independent republic, which did not last long - December 1, 1917, the Bolsheviks took power in the province into their own hands.
On December 5, 1934, in memory of Sergei Mironovich Kirov, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the renaming of the city of Vyatka into the city of Kirov and the formation of the Kirov Territory, which in 1936 became the Kirov Region.
So the history of the Vyatka land is rich and unique, as well as the Vyatka cuisine. The Vyatka cuisine reflects the historical overlap of several cultures - Russian, Mari, Udmurt, Tatar, Chuvash. The variety of Vyatka dishes is based on the multinationality of the region. Various elements folk recipes intertwined with each other and embodied in new dishes inherent in the Vyatka cuisine. Vyatka cuisine is an abundance of recipes with a large number of herbal dishes, simple field or garden dishes - sorrel, nettle, dill and others, and with little or no spices. Also, its difference is the multiplicity of recipes for the preparation of tripe - liver, kidneys, lungs, stomachs and other animal entrails.
The names of traditional Vyatka dishes are very peculiar: black grouse, tepnya, oyster, podkogol, korovech, bean. Vyatka sauces for pancakes, which were called “pomakush”, “lumps”, also add color to this cuisine. There is also a "dozhinalnitsa" - milk soup with potatoes, "Oserdnitsa" - stewed liver with potatoes, and many other extraordinary dishes. Indicative for the people of Kirov was the expression: "Vyatka is the mother of all bread," since they always treated bread with respect and baked a lot of it. And of course, everyone remembers the “kvass? - kvass! Vyatka kvass.
So, "in every region they love their own cooking"! Happy holiday, Kirovites!
National Tequila Day in USA.
Tequila is a strong alcoholic drink made from the blue agave plant. No wonder this exceptional drink is dedicated to its own day. After all, a huge number of stories, myths, legends and beliefs have been around tequila at all times. Some of them are close to the truth, some are just fiction. Here is a small selection of theories about tequila:
There is always a worm in bottles of quality tequila. In fact, there were only a few such bottles, and they were sold in the 40s. The worm had no practical purpose and did not affect anything, except for the interest in the drink itself. The worm marketing gimmick was invented by the drink's makers to attract more customers. By the way, he was not even a worm, in fact, it is an agave moth larva.
In Mexico, they drink tequila with salt and lime. This is not true. Just the Mexicans drink tequila without diluting or snacking. The "lemon + salt" method is considered tourist-oriented, i.e. another marketing ploy. This “tradition” itself was born in the 20s of the 20th century during a great flu epidemic. In the absence of antibiotics, Mexican doctors prescribed tequila with lemon and salt as a medicine - salt restores the balance of minerals, and alcohol and lemon are strong antiseptics. The combination was remembered and someone came up with the idea to give it a touch of legend, which played into the hands of the producers perfectly, creating a beautiful ritual.
The history of tequila supposedly began in the 8th century, when the Toltec tribe learned to make pulque from agave - fermented juice, essentially agave beer, a viscous and slightly frothy drink of milky color with a strength of 4 to 6 degrees. According to legend, lightning struck the agave and split it into two halves, and nectar poured from the core, which the Indians noticed and decided to use it for business. Pulque played such a prominent role in the life of the Indians that even the divine feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, according to legend, loved this drink. Pulque even had its own god in Indian mythology - Ome Tochtli. Before colonization, pulque was the only Mexican alcoholic drink. The engine of alcohol progress was the Spanish conquistadors, who brought European technologies for the sublimation of alcohol to the New World. History calls the father of tequila Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagli, Marquis of Altamira, who in 1600 founded the first tequila factory on the Cuisillos hacienda. The popularity of tequila grew so rapidly that already in 1608 the government introduced a special tax on its sale. The first manufacturer to receive an official license for the production and sale of tequila in 1795 was Jose Maria Cuervo. The Jose Cuervo brand still exists and is considered to be the oldest in the world.
