Page 33 - Agave News Today

I feel like ive slipped back in time. oaxacan families have been making alcohol from roasted agave for centuries, but the spanish brought copper stills, which took it to another level, and helped create the smooth mescal we know today. the aztec goddess of fertility and agave watches over the familys production. and then to cover all religious bases -- >> oh, wow. this is all her mescal? >> yeah. >> so she keeps all the mescal on the altar? >> the precious stash is stored under the watchful eyes...

Tequila is only made from blue agave, while mescal uses a variety of species. so to see the field out here of all this diverse agave is pretty cool. hot arid plains are the perfect breeding ground, but youve got to be patient. some agave can take over 30 years to mature. hola! >> hola, eva. a mescal authority, thee years ago she discovered donna bertas artisanal spirit. >> what dona berta is doing now, how we say it in oaxaca, saving the agave. >> and what type is this one? >> a species you can ...

Prehispanic language from the aztecs which means cooked in open earth oven. >> caliente. >> muy caliente. >> she doesnt trust me to put in a bigger one. to close up the holes. ill put it there. >> the hearts are then covered with crushed agave husk for the cooking process, which can take up to five days. then youre going to put some soil on top. >> i love seeing her boss everybody around. she is youre doing it wrong!

What she is doing is she is taking out all the leaves so we can have the heart of the agave. >> and this is the part thats going to be cooked? >> yes. >> so this is a very important part of the process. this is where mescal takes the smoky qualities and flavors and aromas, and this is what differentiates mescal from teq tequila, because tequila is not using an earth oven to cook, its using machinery. >> the oven is lined with rocks and heated by firewood. the agave hearts roast slowly, releasing...

[upbeat music] ♪ ♪ - oh, look at these agave. ♪ oh, look at these agave. oaxaca is the land of the agave plant. and where there is agave, there is mescal. the smoky liquor this region is famed for. ive always been more of a tequila girl myself so, im off to a pelenque and an agave farm for a little education. im excited because this palenque has a female master of mescal, and its very rare in the mescal industry.

May is one of the most anticipated months in the garden, regardless of which part of the country. Many places it can represent the time when frosty nights are past

Starting on Thursday, the 15th annual Agave Heritage Festival will kick off with various events taking place across Tucson until Sunday. More than 16 businesses and organizations will participate in celebrating the sustainable, cultural, and commercial significance of the agave plant.

He grew up with a good family who gave him "every advantage".

I love tequila so much, i went into business with ale and mariana to produce our own brand. but im always ready to learn more. im heading to where it all began-- 27 miles northwest, just outside the city of tequila, where the mineral-rich red volcanic soil provides the perfect growing conditions for the blue agave. 98% of the worlds tequila is produced right here in jalisco. legend goes that when 16th-century spanish rulers ran out of their favorite brandy, they turned to the plentiful agave, an...

- salvador rosales trejo makes tequila as distinguished as fine whiskey. [soft music] i dont think theres anything more beautiful than a field of blue agave. this is stunning. today much of the industry is highly mechanized. but salvadors vision is about trusting the past and sticking to traditional methods. ive done this work before, and it is hard. it is not easy. ♪ ♪ hola. - hola. buenos días. - how does he not have gloves? ah, ¿sí? - [speaking spanish] - look at the calluses. wow.