View “How an Artisan Makes Mezcal”

Photography by Grace Rubenstein
Written by Grace Rubenstein

When the mezcal makers heat these rocks to blazing, throw in agave plants, and cover the pit with dirt, this oven “becomes a sauna,” says Iván Saldaña. The mezcaleros watch the oven throughout the three-day cooking process. If they spot any steam escaping, they cover the gap with more dirt.

These agave shoots, or hijuelos, sprout from the mother plants’ sides and are genetically identical to them. To preserve the agaves’ genetic diversity and keep the population healthy, the Montelobos makers also allow some plants in each field to live long enough to produce flowers and seeds, which are pollinated and thus genetically unique. The rocks in the background, to be used in the oven, are volcanic and come from nearby Nueve Puntas hill.

Only the heart, or piña, of the agave is used for making mezcal. If the spiny leaves are left on the plant, they impart a bitter flavor. The caramelized color of these piñas, fresh out of the Montelobos oven, is what mezcal maker Abel Lopez is aiming for.

Worker Procuro Luis Bautista and Rambo the mule have to pull the grinding stone, or tahona, for four-and-a-half hours to crush enough agave for one fermentation vat. The Montelobos makers are experimenting with a new mechanical grinder that would reduce Rambo’s work time to sixty to ninety minutes. Unlike the autoclaves and other machines that sap the flavor from industrial mezcals, says managing director Iván Saldaña, “This to me is technology for good.”

The sugars that naturally rise to the top of fermenting agave form a paste that seals off the vat’s contents from oxygen. That’s a good thing, explains Montelobos managing director and biochemist Iván Saldaña, because oxygen in fermentation produces acetic acid, which smells and tastes like nail polish.

Agave fiber left over after fermentation is used to seal the tops of the copper stills. The bell-shaped container placed over the top then captures the evaporating water and liquor to make mezcal.

The fermented agave fibers, here being removed from the still by worker Francisco Javier Vazquez Perez, release their flavorful and alcoholic compounds during distillation. The first compounds to evaporate as the mixture heats up, called the “heads,” have a harsh petrol-like flavor. The last compounds, evaporated at the highest temperatures, taste cheesy and are called the “tails.” The best, most balanced escape in the middle, near the boiling point of water. This is the “heart” of the distillate and is the main component of mezcal.

Grace Rubenstein is a journalist and media producer specializing in public health, behavioral health and immigration. Her stories have appeared in TheAtlantic.com, New York Times, Boston Globe, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco’s Bay Citizen, and Parenting and Edutopia magazines.

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