Review: El Mayor Cafe Tequila Reposado

El Mayor has long been a favorite tequila of Drinkhacker, and it’s also one of the most innovative kids on the block. Its series of special editions is unmatched in depth and breadth, and its latest offering continues its run of creativity, using coffee beans to give a reposado a racy twist.

How it works is pretty simple: El Mayor Blanco Tequila (made from a blend of highlands and lowlands agave) is rested for three months in bourbon barrels which previously held coffee beans. El Mayor Café Reposado Tequila is packaged in an embossed opaque brown glass bottle with a rich-brown colored label and premium cork closure.

El Mayor Cafe Tequila Reposado Review

From the start, coffee is restrained but far from invisible. The nose kicks off with light-roast coffee and an edge of chocolate, giving it a mocha vibe. Vanilla aromas are present but even more nuanced, with whiffs of herbal rosemary and tobacco filtering in from the sides.

Your brain kind of expects some sweetness when you sip the tequila, but the palate finds a perfectly dry experience, layered with fresh, grassy greenery that hits first, immediately evoking the underlying tequila. A rush of cocoa powder and a thimbleful of coffee hits you shortly after, both rather bitter, adding an after-dinner quality to the midpalate and finish. The coffee influence may dim any richness you might get from the tequila at first, but the spirit makes up for it in the end, with light notes of white pepper, grated lemon peel, and some gravelly tar to chew on. What to do with it? Read on…

80 proof. NOM 1603.

A- / $34

How about a cocktail? Try this spin on a carajillo.

Night Shift
1.5 oz El Mayor Cafe Reposado
1.0 oz Licor 43
1.0 oz Espresso

In a tin filled with ice, shake all ingredients vigorously before straining into a martini glass. Top with three espresso beans.

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