1- Care of the ecosystem
To ensure the continuity of the mezcal tradition, it is indispensable to take care of the ecological equilibrium, promote the reproduction of wild agaves, reforest and care for the fauna that pollinate the agaves.
2 - Maguey selection and trimming
Solely ripe agaves are selected - each species has a distinct maturation time ranging from 8 to 40 years. Trimming consists of cutting the long stalks in order to extract the heart of the plant.
3 - Baking the maguey
The agave hearts (also called piñas) are baked for 3 to 8 days underground in volcanic stone ovens in order to extract the sugars.
4 - Grinding of the maguey
The baked maguey is ground to extract the juice and begin the fermentation process of the sugars.
Fermentation
This is the longest stage of the process - the juice is allowed to ferment for 8 to 15 days depending on the climate and tradition of the region.
6 - Distillation
This is carried out in a still- the heat provokes evaporation of the alcohol which, upon condensation, will make up the mezcal. Distillation has three stages, the master mezcalero determines the quantity of mezcal to be used from each stage for the final blend.