Our Process
Maguey Harvest
Once the juice is fermented, it is transported to the stills. These stills can be made of copper, clay or stainless steel and are fired in most cases by wood. In a nutshell, distillation is the process of separating components or substances from a liquid mixture by using a mix of boiling and condensation. In the case of spirits you are essentially separating the ethanol from whatever else is in the fermented must. This process is not 100% efficient as the final product is a mix of ethanol, water and other congeners (chemicals other than ethanol and water). Traditional mezcal’s elevated complexity and breadth of aromas and flavors are due in large part to its high level of congeners relative to other spirits.
Roast & Cooking
The most common way to roast agave for mezcal is in an earthen pit oven. These pits are usually lined with rock and then fired by wood which is covered by more rocks, which heats to enable a slow roast. The piñas are then piled into the ovens, then covered with leaves, dirt and a cloth covering to seal in the heat. Sometimes the piñas are cooked in above ground brick ovens heated by wood under ground. Additionally, the piñas can be cooked in stainless steel ovens with steam. This is the most industrial type of roast and the predominant method used in the production of tequila. The oven is called an autoclave.
Milling
After the agave has been roasted, it is ready to be crushed in one of three ways, by hand using wood mallets; by a tahona, or stone wheel pulled by a horse, donkey or even a tractor. The cooked agave is crushed in order to release juice and sugars.
Fermentation
The crushed fibers, or mosto, are then put into fermentation tanks made of wood. Water is added, though not all the time, and then the mosto is left in an open air environment so that wild yeasts in the air can kick start the fermentation process. This process takes anywhere from three days to a week depending once again on the climate. In areas outside of Oaxaca there can be variations on this fermentation process.
Distillation
Once the juice is fermented, it is transported to the stills. These stills can be made of copper, clay or stainless steel and are fired in most cases by wood. In a nutshell, distillation is the process of separating components or substances from a liquid mixture by using a mix of boiling and condensation. In the case of spirits you are essentially separating the ethanol from whatever else is in the fermented must. This process is not 100% efficient as the final product is a mix of ethanol, water and other congeners (chemicals other than ethanol and water). Traditional mezcal’s elevated complexity and breadth of aromas and flavors are due in large part to its high level of congeners relative to other spirits.
