Notes: Jose Cuervo – a name that more or less defined tequila for many people or at least was the name almost everyone knew ( and may have blamed for their lost innocence whether it was sexual or legal) .Cuervo is one of the big names in the tequila trade. In order to broaden its appeal and change a bit to keep up with the trend of adding flavors to a core line – like the many vodka and now whiskies out there, Cuervo has decided to come up with a new line extension flavored with cinnamon.  Called Jose Cuervo Cinge it is an interesting departure from their usual. In the past only other Jose Cuervo we have reviewed was the Tradicional  Other versions are the Reposado and Anejo, and a few super premium limited releases, none of which we have reviewed so far. They also produce a number of margarita mixes both in bottles and plastic buckets.
This new infused tequila uses a  mixto tequila as a base – meaning it is not made from 100% agave but a mix of agave distillate and some form of other alcohol mixed in (we strongly suspect white rum) along with the addition of cinnamon and other “natural flavors” (not specified) along with a fair amount of what is probably cane juice or cane honey as a sweetener, or possibly corn syrup.

Appearance: Clear, bright leaves a very thin even coat on swirling with  a  thick edge line and some legs forming.

First Impression: Packs a wallop of cinnamon with some agave/tequila, lime and citrus along with mulled cider type spice, with a distinct whiff sweet apple and berries ( probably some citric acid) and some cane slightly grassy notes.  It was also so sticky with sugar syrup that when I poured it on my palm it felt and acted more like an oil, but there was a decided coating and stickiness to it on drying

Taste: The agave and a white rum alcohol hit first with a very rapid  follow up cinnamon  “sting” /bite , followed on by the lime,sea salt, citrus, fruit, in rapid succession with the cinnamon growing in intensity for about 10 seconds then fading to a long cinnamon glow that clings with the rather sticky sugaring that almost qualifies this as a liqueur.

Drinks: Margaritas of course, and Tequila Sunrises with some new twists. They so far do not have any cocktails designed for this tequila yet so I would look at the Black Velvet Cinnamon and other cinnamon drinks for inspiration. I guess an obvious choice is to use Cinge  for a  hot mulled cider, egg nog or a twist on a Brandy Alexander for a start. All our experiments in this vein turned out as well as expected .

Cigars: Fuente Curlyheads or maybe White Owls.

Final Thoughts: I am somewhat at a loss as to how to categorize and score this, well, product, for lack of a more exact term.
It is not tequila as any aficionado of the spirit would define it, it is not 100 % agave, at is heavily flavored and sweetened, it is bulk shipped and bottled in Indiana etc., but it is not made for them. It is so sweet so it may qualify as a liqueur depending on the exact sugar content, so I am not only not a fan, but question the identity of this stuff and the fact they would use the term tequila on th label. It bears only a passing resemblance to tequila in a traditional sense.
It is clearly designed for the young drinkers who like flavored products without having to mix things that the rest of us call cocktails.Think of it as a fast food version of a cocktail ingredient. While I applaud the use of actual natural cinnamon the sweet and sticky nature of the drink and the mishmash of other flavorings leave a bit muddled palate of flavors overall. It is not soothing I would chose to drink.That being said, I think it will probably do well with the Frat Boy and Young Drinker type crowd as it is heavily spiced, sweet, and tequila, all of which seem to appeal to the young party types and they will no doubt find this product quite attractive. Coupled with the animated graphic novel and short films featuring a scorpion (which unlike a usual scorpion this one does not sting itself to death when exposed to alcohol) I predict it will do well in the younger market and among shall we say novice drinkers.

Bottle: Rectangular clear glass bottle similar in shape to the usual Cuervo bottle  bottle with simple pressed glass pattern of both Jose Cuervo and Cuervo under a shallow arch design which gives a good grip on the bottle. Small tan and red paper label on the front shoulder with a red accented clear plastic label on the front and a paper label on the back . Dark red neck capsule and screw on cap

Web site:  http://www.cuervo.com

Fast loading with lots of pages. Not a great deal of real amount of information about the tequilas but lots of pages about their numerous different products.