Beyond The Agave Masterclass at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos

Nobu HotelH Los Cabos. Photo Jill Weinlein Guests at the luxury Nobu Hotel Los Cabos have the opportunity to participate in an enlightening agave class to learn about the flavors and nuances of different spirits. Curious beginners or guests sipping tequila for years will discover new tequila in a sophisticated setting. This not a shots with lime and salt tasting, but an informative tres besitos (three little kisses) tasting with gourmet Mexican fare. Led by the charismatic Tequila Master Ana Maria Martinez, the resort’s Director of Food & Beverage, she engages guests to learn how to enjoy tequila like a seasoned pro. I was invited to meet Martinez for in the Nobu Agave Room for a tasting experience. Entering through the newer Muna Restaurant on the rooftop of the Nobu Residence tower, she warmly greeted me and invited me to sit down at a table with multiple drinking vessels and plates of exquisite food. Ana Maria Martinez - Director of F&B. Photo Jill Weinlein Martinez enlightens participating guests about her favorite tequilas that she has discovered throughout her travels in Mexico. She has been a food and beverage expert for many years at some of the best resorts throughout Mexico. She has worked at the Fairmont Hotel & Resort in Playa Carmen and Riviera Maya, Grand Velas Los Cabos, Conrad Hotels & Resorts in Nayarit, Hilton Los Cabos Resort and outside of Mexico at the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica before coming back to Baja California in October, 2025, to lead the program at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos. This guided tasting journey enlightens guests about boutique tequilas, mezcals, pechuga and Sotol traditionally made by families in different tequila growing regions. Martinez is a visual instructor offering maps of the regions in Mexico growing agave, while explaining the importance of terroir, and how the craftsmanship behind these exceptional spirits enhances the aromas and flavors. Beyond the Agave Tasting. Photo Jill Weinlein The stylish private room offers panoramic golf course and ocean views. It’s an ideal spot for a spirit and food tasting with shelves of premium spirits. Presented in front of each guest are five different tasting glasses and containers, behind special chef curated guacamole with slightly salty crickets and blue corn tortilla chips, a seafood and cucumber crunchy tostada, braised for hours beef taco, artisanal chocolates and citrus dipped in chocolate to enjoy with each tasting. “To taste tequila, one must swirl the spirit in the glass, put their nose to the opening of the glass to appreciate the aroma, and then take a sip, like a small kiss (besito),” said Martinez. Beyond The Agave. Photo Jill Weinlein The Importance Of Pure Agave Tequila “Not all tequilas are created equal. There are two primary categories: 100% agave tequila and mixto.” Guests learn that 100% agave tequila is crafted entirely from the sugars of the blue agave plant, offering a purity and depth of flavor. “No hangovers from 100% agave tequila,” said Martinez. “Mixto tequilas are blends of agave sugars with other sugars up to 49%. Many large popular tequila brands make mixto blends, while boutique tequila makers focus on flavor, integrity and craftsmanship.” Beyond The Agave. Photo Jill Weinlein Blanco Is The Soul Of Tequila Throughout the session, guests will taste boutique 100% Agave Tequila. For the Blanco tasting, guests might have Aguamiel Bacanora D.O.P. Blanco. To fully enjoy the tasting, guests take three “little kisses” one sip at a time. With each sip, the flavors and nuances of the spirit blossom on one’s palate. This 100% agave spirit ferments in stainless steel tanks for a clean without a burn taste. Blanco is a “silver” or clear tequila offering the purest expression of agave. It’s un-aged and bottled immediately after distillation. Sometimes it rests for one or two months. It’s raw, vibrant flavors of the agave plant shine brightest, offering a taste of the soul of tequila. Another delightful Blanco tasting is the 100% Agave Cascahuin Blanco made in the Jalisco’s Tequila Valley area of Mexico. This 38% alcohol volume spirit has notes of black pepper, citrus and earthiness. There is a pleasing wisp of herbs with each kiss sip. Blanco is the starting line, a palate primer for the journey ahead. This taste paired well with chunky guacamole topped with crickets and the ceviche tostado. “Crickets are the new protein of the future,” said Martinez. These crickets were crisp, salty and fun to eat. Añejo Tequila. Photo Jill Weinlein Barrel-Aged Añejo Next is the Anejo, or “aged” tequila that matures for many months to three years in oak barrels to produce a rich, amber color spirit. The layers of aroma and flavor include vanilla, dried fruit and earthiness. The wood of the barrels soften the bite. As she offered a pour of El Tequileno Gran Reserva, awarded Best Tequila of the Year by the ISC (International Spirits Challenge), she shared that this spirit is aged for a minimum of 8 months in American Oak to produce this beautiful caramel color. With a swirl and our nose in the glass, aromas of banana, caramel and pineapple awakened our senses. One tiny kiss- taste offered notes of vanilla, spice and toffee. This tasting paired well with a small and flavorful braised beef taco. It also was ideal with chocolate. The craftsmanship in making Añejo transforms agave into a luxurious, smooth, complex spirit that drinks like fine whiskey, but with a uniquely Mexican soul. Beyond The Agave. Photo Jill Weinlein Magnificent Mezcal Other tastes included Júrame, an artisanal Mexican Mezcal Joven, a favorite of Martinez. Crafted in a small mezcal-producing community, it’s elegant and drinkable profile is made with agave hearts piñas that are slow-cooked in pit ovens, then crushed, naturally fermented and double distilled in copper stills. With an alcohol content of 37%, this clear spirit with a delicate shine offers tasting notes of citrus, fresh herbs, and hints of floral and light mineral notes. It’s smooth and balanced, and its gentle sweetness went well with a bite of chocolate. Pechuga From Oaxaca One of the most interesting tastings included Montelobos Pechuga, a 100% agave that undergoes a third distillation. “The craftsmen who make this mezcal suspend a turkey breast (pechuga) in the still along with fruit and spices for a savory and aromatic spirit,” said Martinez. Agave is cooked in a traditional underground pit and then fermented in open wood vats before it is distilled in copper stills with the turkey, fruit and spices before the final pechuga distillation. This provides layered character and notes of tropical fruit, nutmeg and orange peel. After a sip, I bit into the chocolate covered orange slice. As she poured a tasted in a Oaxacan ceramic cup, she told me that “Pechuga mezcals are traditionally made for celebrations in Oaxaca, weddings, births, and community festivities. The meat and fruit symbolizes abundance and ceremonial importance.” Ana Maria Martinez - Director of F&B. Photo Jill Weinlein The Wilder Sotol As Martinez poured a taste of Sotol into a natural plant bowl, she shared how Sotol is not an agave, but is distilled from the Desert Spoon plant. “This spirit offers a more herbal, earthy and wilder profile than tequila or mezcal,” she said. “This plant grows naturally in the desert and mountain regions of Chihuahua and Durango.” While saying a traditional ‘salud’, which means ‘to your good health’, Martinez shared how they slow-cook the hearts of the Desert Spoon plant in underground pits. It’s crushed, fermented and distilled. Flor del Desierto Sotol is tripled distilled. Flor del Desierto is a collective brand that works with artisan sotoleros (master distillers) in Chihuahua. Flavors range from lemongrass, citrus, earthiness and wisp of smoke. It pairs beautifully with chocolate and is a great to sip on its own or as a base for margaritas and Palomas. Nobu Los Cabos. Photo Jill Weinlein Nobu Hotel Los Cabos is a beachfront resort that blends Japanese minimalist design with Mexican coastal style and features luxury accommodations, a luxe spa, multiple wellness areas including infinity pools and swim-out pools from guest rooms. The world-class dining venues include the oceanfront Nobu Restaurant Los Cabos. The bar offers artisanal boutique agave tequilas for tastings at sunset, during dinner and as a ‘three-kiss’ nightcap.