Ordered out of desperation, hoping my memory was wrong after my initial tasting several years ago. Unfortunately, it was as I remembered, typical diffuser product. Mental note to avoid in the future.

Unlike a traditional Joven, this is a mix between a Blanco and Extra Añejo that is then filtered out to remove the color and some flavors in exchange of greater smoothness. Functionally it's closer to a Cristalino than either a Blanco or XA. The influence from the barrels is immediately apparent with a strong presence but it isn't nearly as potent as it would be even with an Añejo, think more of a mild mannered Reposado. Aside from the wooden scents there is also a prominent black and white pepper aroma that's quite enticing with a nice spicy kick, almost as if this had been infused with a hot pepper. There's also a nice herbaciousness to it with a distinct kick of Yerba Buena influence. A bit further in the background are hints of pear, green apple and lime that complement the more woodsy & herbal fragrances. Sadly the smell of agave is it's most muted one. It's present but hardly makes an appearance. What's nice about the taste is that it allows the vanilla and butterscotch of the barrel to shine through without overpowering the white and black pepper that defines all of the palate. Quite frankly it's an interesting dance between barrel flavors and the pepper that slowly gives way to the midpalate were the fruit notes take over. There's pear, tart green apple and even a nice jalapeño kick! They aren't nearly as prominent as the barrel flavors and they are more in the background of the pepper burst. Towards the back palate you get a bit of the yerba buena but unlike the nose it's surprisingly muted. It's also only near the back palate that you get any taste of agave. But the real story of the back palate are the black and white pepper maturing and mixing well with a minerality that seems endemic of carbon filtered products. Overall it's a great mix of sweet and heat flavors. As you might expect from a heavily filtered product, the finish is not very long or pronounced. Just a lingering black pepper sensation, a touch of agave then nothing. There's not much of an alcohol burn and this goes down extremely smoothly. A smidge more complexity would go a long way but it's not a bad finish and by far the worst part of it is just a hint of chemicals that most diffuser made products suffer from. But it's brief and muted without being too unpleasant. While this Tequila will not appeal to a traditionalist, I found it to be a very accessible, easy to drink modern Joven. It can't quite shake off that diffuser agave feel to it but everything else is quite interesting and pleasant to sip on. I think it's well worth giving a chance especially since 10% of the proceeds go to help animal shelters. While how carefully constructed the flavor profile is will be a turn off for some, when they put so much effort into making a smooth, compelling drinking experience, I can hardly be mad at having a bottle on hand!

Impulse buy, didn’t know anything about this tequila. The aroma is apple/pear... a bit of agave, but not much. Flavor is lacking much agave as well, LOADS of pepper. Smooth mouthfeel and easy to drink, despite the pepper spiciness. Now that I see this is diffuser-made, the lack of agave makes sense. Traditionalists might not like it, but this is actually a decent tasting liquor... just don’t expect a ton of agave. I’ll take this over most of the artificially-sweet crap out there.

Aroma is pretty muted, but I do get some faint agave and some spice. Maybe a touch of earthiness. Very spicy on the palate, lots of white pepper there. A bit of agave here too, and some minerals. No real influence from the oak that I can taste or smell. It's decent if you like spicy tequila, although I would recommend Tapatio Blanco over this one if that's what you're looking for.

Smooth and friendly