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Mezcal is the most famous distillate of fermented must of Agave, known as the "magic plant", it is produced in seven states of Mexico: the main area, which boasts almost 60% of production, is the region of Oaxaca, south of the state, but is also produced in the Guerrero, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Durango and Tamaulipas regions.
The name Mezcal takes inspiration from the Indian idiom "METL", given to the agave of these territories in order to identify the fertility of this plant, essential for the peoples who used it as a source of water, sugar, fiber and to make tools, food for animals and even fuel.
The main feature of this beloved distillate is the capability to release an articulated bouquet of floral, fruity and spicy aromas with a rustic, rich and enveloping flavor, in stark contrast to the topography of the regions of origin, far from fertile.
The soils, mainly poor and mountainous, have hindered the proliferation of crops, but have also prevented intensive cultivation and massive production over the years anchoring the entire production cycle to manual processing. The cultivation on the terrace is the most used and, for the rarest varieties (the "espadin" agave is considered the most valuable), the yield per hectare does not exceed 400 agave plants; in some blends it is even possible to find wild agaves.
The most popular agaves:
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The process of production:
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The phases of the production process:
CULTIVATION AND HARVEST
The process begins by cutting the leaves and roots when the agave reaches maturity (from a minimum of 8 years and up to 30 years depending on the type of plant), leaving only the heart, called "piña" (which means pineapple in Spanish) this because of the similarity with the fruit.
COOKING, TOASTING
The piñas are cut into pieces and baked in a natural underground oven on wood and stone. This step lasts from 4 days up to 7 days depending on the quantity of agaves.
GRINDING
The cooked fragments are again cut and placed in a millstone. The stone is pulled by a horse or donkey, grinding and extracting the juice of the agave pieces. The agaves are rigorously ground by hand with wooden sticks in case the ancestral methodology is followed.
FERMENTATION
The ground agaves are placed in wooden vats with water, allowing them to ferment using only 100% natural yeasts and microorganisms (no chemicals are added).
DISTILLATION
The fermented product, called “tepache”, is distilled several times in copper or terracotta stills, creating the final result: mezcal. In some cases the mezcal is then placed in oak barrels and left to age for a defined period of time (reposado).
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To sum up: