Our Process
The production of mezcal is an art and, like any great work worthy of admiration and respect,it has an artist in charge of its creation; The Master Mezcalero.
Cultivation and
Harvest
Mezcal is made from organically cultivated maguey, with skilled Mezcaleros selecting the best agave for traditional production.
Cutting the heart
of the Agave
After 7-12 years, the agave is harvested, its leaves are cut away, and the heart, or "piña," is extracted using a "Coa."
Transfer to the
Palenque
After harvesting, the agave piñas are cooked in large conical earth ovens, where they are layered with hot stones, agave leaves, and earth, absorbing earthy, smoky flavors over the course of three days.
The Grinding
Fermentation
The cooked piña, or agave heart, is shredded using a mallet or tahona stone. The tahona, a large stone wheel, is used to grind the piñas in an Egyptian mill, where it is pulled by a horse.
The crushed piñas from the tahona are placed in wooden tubs with warm water to ferment for 3 to 6 days using natural yeasts and microorganisms. The first distillation produces an alcohol content of 25%, known as "the ordinary," which is then refined in a second distillation to achieve the perfect alcohol percentage for the Mezcal.
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Cultivation and Harvest
The process begins with the cultivation of the maguey. The sowing takes place in the most diverse lands, and its cultivation is within what is now known as organic agriculture, since no artificial products are used for it.
For generations, Mezcaleros have been naturally selecting the best agave from the wild. The Mezcalero Master has to verify the plant's optimum condition through years of experience so that when it is ready, it can be passed on to the great ancestral process and production of Mezcal.
Cutting the heart
of the Agave
After 7-12 years. Mezcal is made with the agave stalk. Once the plant reaches maturity, the plant is harvested and the leaves are cut, leaving only the heart, which is also known as “la piña” (the pineapple) because of its shape. To cut through the sharp large leaves, the Mezcaleros use the “Coa”.
Transfer to the Palenque
After harvesting the pineapples, the traditional process begins with cooking them inside one of these enormous conical wells. These structures are built in the ground with a diameter that varies between 2.5 and 3.5 meters. For the cooking, the Mezcaleros fill the wells with hot stones, agave leaves (“Bagazo”), “petate”, earth and finally the maguey leaves. The pineapples will remain cooking in this oven for approximately 3 days while absorbing the flavors of the earth, wood and smoke, sweetening themselves a little more.
The Grinding
To the left we see the cooked pineapple, the heart of the cooked maguey, ready to be torn by means of a mallet or tahona stone.
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To the right we see a “Tahone”, a stone wheel. After cooking, the pineapples are placed in an Egyptian mill ready to be shredded. The stone wheel attached to a pole is pulled by a horse that causes it to roll and grind the pinecones.
Fermentation
The crushed pineapples obtained from the moving Tahone are placed in wooden tubs. Warm water is added and it is left to ferment for a period of 3 to 6 days with its own yeasts and natural microorganisms (inoculum).
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In the first distillation the alcohol comes out with an alcoholic graduation of 25 %. This first part is called ‘the ordinary’. To adjust the alcoholic graduation, a second distillation is carried out to achieve a perfect percentage of alcohol for the Mezcal.
Sustainability
We started the process with the cultivation of the maguey. Our sowing takes place in the most diverse lands, and the cultivation of our Mezcal is within what is now known as organic agriculture, since no artificial products are used in it.