El Andar: April 2004

With sword-like arms that can extend higher and wider than a grown man, the agave plant protects its most precious organ, its heart. This sweet, juicy agave core weighs in at a hefty 80 to 175 pounds. Since putting on this type of weight doesn’t happen overnight, eight to twelve years of careful monitoring and growth are needed before harvesting.

Jake Lustig, owner of Don Amado Mezcal, sits on top of a piña mound.

As soon as a greenish-yellowish color shows itself inside the leaves close to the plant’s heart, this signals the jimador, the harvester of the agave plant, that it’s time to start hacking.

Grabbing a tool sharper than a butcher’s knife called a coa, the jimador sheers away leaves until the heart (also known as the piña for its pineapple-like features), is removed and taken to the distillery.

Unlike other alcoholic drinks such as wine, whose plants will be able to produce again, the harvesting of the agave is a sacrificial undertaking. Once the piña is removed, the plant is gone forever.

Upon arrival at the distilleries, the piñas are cut in half and cooked. Here is where mezcal and tequila part ways.

Mezcal piñas are roasted in stone-lined pits that are covered and left to smolder for two to three days, creating mezcal’s distinctive smoky trait.

Tequila, on the other hand, is slow-baked in steam ovens for 50 to 72 hours. Many large distilleries opt to cook their piñas in autoclaves, which act like pressure cookers, to cut down on time.

After cooking, the piñas are transported to the tahona, a giant grinding wheel, weighing up to two tons, that is often pulled by beasts of burden.

Modern distilleries use mechanical crushers or shredders to remove the juice, known as aguamiel, honey-water in Spanish, from the piña.

After a thorough thrashing, the aguamiel is separated and transported to large wooden or stainless steel vats where water and yeast ferment the agave juice.

The fermentation process takes seven to twelve days. Some distilleries accelerate the fermentation process to only two to three days by adding chemicals that stimulate rapid yeast growth. However, modern biotechnology does not mean better —longer fermentation results in a more robust body.

Once fermentation is complete, the mosto (fermented juice averaging 5-7 percent alcohol) is ready for the final stage of production.

Mexican law requires tequila must be double distilled, making it one of the purest spirits in the world. Like tequila, many premium mezcals also double-distill.

All tequilas and mezcals are clear after distillation. Any color comes later, from aging in wooden barrels or adding artificial ingredients like caramel or wood essence.