Jose Cuervo Especial is garbage, and we’re going to explain why. In a nutshell, 51% of anything is only half what is advertised. But, you get what you pay for and it is no different with Jose Cuervo Especial.
Why do I have such a passion for making it clear what you’re getting when you buy cheap ass tequila like Jose Cuervo Especial? Because Tequila can be some of the most flavorful and unique spirit on the market today. It’s got a rich history, a deep sets of rules and regulations that define it’s heritage and what can and cannot be Tequila (unfortunately the 51% loophole is part of the “rules”.) Sure, Jose Cuervo is the first Tequila company to go to market, but that doesn’t mean they’ve taken the torch they picked up and carried it to a great future. The problem I have with Jose Cuervo is that they should be enriching the lives of all tequila drinkers by spreading the message of a real tequila.
The message of Tequila is very simple, explaining to your consumers why 100% de Agave is important and why drinking a rich flavorful tequila expands your experiences with the lovely liquid should be priority one. Telling consumers why spending a bit more to buy a real tequila by the manufacturer that defined the market is not an option, it should be a requirement. Instead, we have people ordering dirty awful Jose Cuervo Especial and their end experience is “I don’t really like tequila, but it’s cheap and gets you drunk.”
Really? Perhaps people would consider being more responsible with their tequila if they had to pay a bit more to get a quality product. Perhaps they’d walk away with a good experience rather than, “meh, tequila is pretty crappy, I’ll stick with vodka or rum.” Many people go through life completely ignorant of the fact that they’ve never had real tequila and all the get is 51% real liquid and a few nasty headaches. On top of it, they’ve left Patron to pickup the pieces and offer the only real tequila in most people’s minds and that’s also sad. Patron has decided to gouge the market on pricing of their tequila when other great silvers come in for half the price and double the heart and soul.
If Jose Cuervo would pickup that touch and preach great tequila at a mid-level price they’d destroy Patron and create a new audience of real tequila drinkers.
You like headaches and awful tasting fake tequila? Perhaps this is the product for you! But, this is just my opinion, you can choose for yourself.
Remember, mixto is a no no as is oro.
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15 Comments
Anon
May 29, 2014 at 2:25 pmi have 1 liter bottle of jose cuervo Especial TEQUILA SILVER made with BLUE AGAVE it whas given to me as a gift
so this is telling me it is shit? really? i cant just throw it becuse it whas a gift
dschommer
June 3, 2014 at 10:55 pmAll tequila is made with blue weber agave, that’s part of what makes it tequila over, say, a mezcal, but it doesn’t mean it’s 100% de Agave or 100% blue weber, it just means it used the right agave plant…just 51% of it. 😉
usefulball
August 29, 2014 at 12:52 amGarbage is probably a little harsh – all things being equal. Relative to fancy tequilas it is not the best, but it never fails to deliver that smoothness and after effect I get from all tequila, even aristocrat (true) – sipped neat. We all have preferences, depending on the mood, but I usually find people’s dislike of cuervo is that it went down too smooth and they got loaded without knowing it (that’s a positive of sorts)/cuervo margaritas. Of course, responsible alcohol consumption disclaimer..
Moral: ‘garbage’ is a mis-characterization.
PS. While I understand and agree with your points on quality and popularity, bad tequila (like aristocrat) is just not that bad ~
dschommer
August 29, 2014 at 1:01 amI respectfully have to disagree and has everyone that’s ever sat down beside me while I did both a visual and blind side-by-side comparison. In a more extreme example (because it’s fun) When one is stuck on a desert island eating bugs and larvae are more preferable to starving. If you have no basis for comparison to your tequila, then it might be “smooth” compared to nothing at all. But, side-by-side when someone has an option, they’ll take a home cooked meal over bugs as they’ll take a real 100% tequila over sugar and caramel color.
The “smooth” characteristic (which I don’t get at all) would probably be the excessive sugars associated with the products of lower grade which also tend to creep up badly in the morning with those nice headaches. Nothing like a good grain alcohol and sugar detox!
The phrase “with all things being equal” would put 49% more tequila into that bottle and create… Cuervo Tradicional which is a very nice quality low priced tequila. So…why pay $14 for Gold when you can get Tradicional (100% de Agave) for $19. The only reason would be not knowing it existed or not finding it locally (which is a travesty!)
There just isn’t enough sugar to make up for the rough bite of cuervo gold. But, again, I’ve REALLY taken a liking to tequila from the flavor profiles, histories and categorizations. To a college kid, whatever, it might not matter. But, to those leaving comments on youtube, it seems most people didn’t know there was any difference between a cuervo gold and any other thing labeled “tequila.” And, once they tried the others, they never went back.
Thanks for the comments!
Geoffrey Wilson
November 16, 2014 at 5:07 pmThank you for the information. Information is power, and now I am sticking to Hornitos or other 100% de agave tequilas. Jose Cuervo is indeed crap. Their adverts have fooled millions of suckers like me.
Randy
December 8, 2014 at 9:00 amWhen tequila says 100% agave, I take it, it means not 100% blue agave, otherwise they would have stated that? Final question, what is the difference between the two, if there is one (category, price, taste, etc.) Thank you.
dschommer
December 28, 2014 at 1:00 amAll tequila must be blue weber agave, so if it says 100% de agave and it also says Tequila it’s implied to be “Blue” (but sometimes it’s overstated)
Randy
December 28, 2014 at 11:47 amThank you for your the info, I enjoy your informational and entertaining posts/videos.
Candy Apple
January 1, 2015 at 2:00 pmWell, guess what? I live in Utah. It’s Cuervo or over-priced Herradura (to the tune of FIFTY-FIVE fucking dollars a bottle) to choose from at the fascist state-run liquor stores. If you bring YOUR OWN favorite brand of tequila in from another state, you can be charged with a felony. So I’m drinking Cuervo, dumbass.
Dave
January 13, 2015 at 3:22 amJust FYI, José Cuervo does have 100% agave versions. Those are: Tradicional Silver, Platino and Reserva de la Familia.
dschommer
January 15, 2015 at 10:57 pmYep, we’ve reviewed it, and we’ve reviewed the reposado.
Jeremy
February 20, 2015 at 10:21 pmWhy do I read these reviews AFTER I buy something!? Ugh! I’ll have to take my time with this one, because I don’t want headaches. Thanks for the info.
Sam Garner
May 5, 2015 at 6:28 pmLove your Video I love Gran Centenerio Anejo!!!!!
Robert
May 18, 2015 at 10:19 pmThanks for clearing it up for me, and telling the truth. I am a for vodka and rum drinker. I am new in the tequila world.
Robert
May 18, 2015 at 10:25 pmThanks for the info, you have cleared it up for me. I am a former vodka drinker who is now hooked on tequila. I was drinking cuervo but I will now only drink 100%. thanks again!!!