#donemigdio

We’ve been talking about Don Emigdio Jarquín Ramírez for quite some time now and we are so honored to be able to continue to showcase his incredible style with the release of his first batch of Cuixe for Mezcal Vago.

This extremely limited 92 liter, 51.2% ABV batch of wild Cuixe was produced in the winter/spring of 2016 at Emigdio’s palenque in the Nanche district of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz (16°39'78.7"N, 96°55'07.5"W). The harvest consisted of 149 piñas weighing 1,420 kilograms that were collected on January 26th. They were only allowed to sit for two days before being buried in an earthen oven to roast from January 28th to February 4th. The cooked agave had a Brix level of 24°. They were allowed to rest for seven days before being crushed with a stone tahona on February 11th. The crushed agave were allowed to ferment dry for four days before adding 120 liters of distilled water on February 15th, to produce a total volume of 1,558 liters of tepache. Wet fermentation was allowed to continue for five days before undergoing first distillation on a copper refrescador still. Because the initial sugar levels were slightly lower than what Emigdio usually uses, this batch had to undergo two distillation runs. The first distillation took place on February 20th and produced 200 liters of ordinario at 30% ABV. This is a yield of only 13%! This ordinario was then distilled a second time the same day, producing only 72 liters (a final yield of only 4.5%!) at 60.1% ABV. On March 4th, Emigdio blended 4 liters of colas with 20 liters of distilled water to an ABV of 41.2%. The mezcal and cola/water mixture were then both allowed to rest for another four weeks before blending 23 liters of colas/water with the mezcal to produce a final batch of 92 liters at 51.2% ABV.

Agave Cuixe

What we have called Cuixe (pronounced cuishe) in the past is referred to as Bicuixe in the region surrounding Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz. When speaking with our mezcaleros, we typically refer to the agave using whatever regional term they are accustomed to, but to avoid confusion among consumers, we have tried to remain consistent when it comes to bottling. As such, although this label says Cuixe, Emigdio knows it as Bicuixe. Regardless of what it is called, it is a member of the Agave Karwinskii family. Karwinskiis are quite unique in that across the several sub-varities that exist, they all grow on stalks that can reach up to 4 feet tall with the rosette or piña growing on top of the stalk, resulting in a plant that can reach heights of up to 7 feet. Agave in the Karwinskii family can often take between 15 and 18 years to mature. 

Between the different sub-varieties, there are different ratios of stalk to piña which can affect the final flavor. The starches in the stalk are structured differently, such that they do not always break down during the roasting process. As a result, in sub-varieties like Cuixe and Madrecuixe that have more stalk in relation to the piña, this can result in mezcales that do have a core of agave sweetness that most are used to, but there is an overall dry and starchy quality to the mezcales that can linger on the palate. Madrecuixe typically has a larger piña than Cuixe, resulting in mezcales that do have that starchy, grassy note often associated with Cuixe, but with a touch more sweetness and body. One reason that Madrecuixe is so named is because they often grow as solitary plants surrounded by several Cuixe, as though they are protecting, or a “mother” (madre) plant. However, the Cuixe are not part of the Madrecuixe.

The distribution of Agave Karwinskii can be seen in the map below.

*Map provided by CONABIO website

Producer: Emigdio Jarquín Ramírez

Mezcal goes back in his family at least three generations, Emigdio having learned it from his grandfather. Their horno is a conical pit dug into the earth, which can hold up to 7 tons of Espadin. Emigdio usually roasts his agave for 5-7 days, which is on the longer end of an average roast. He then lets it rest in the sun to cool for one to two weeks.

Emigdio’s Tahona

They use a cement tahona lined with rocks and pulled by mule to crush their agave. Once crushed, they use four Ocote wood fermentation vats with volumes of 1,470, 1,600, 1,600, and 1,700 liters, which usually take around three days to ferment to completion.

Refrescador Still Exterior

Refrescador Still Condensor

Distillation is done in a 300 l. copper refrescador still. Refrescador is a technique that is common to the area surrounding Miahuatlan, but Vago has never used before. The still looks similar to a copper alembique still with a stainless steel cylinder surrounding it. This cylinder is then filled with water, allowing it to cool the upper part of the still. This upper chamber now acts as a condenser and sends the alcohol vapor back down into the boiler before being heated again and passing out of the still and into the condensing coil. This method essentially allows for two distillations during a single pass through the still. Cuts are made using a carizzo to test for ABV as well as taste and smell. A full capacity 300 l. still will produce, on average, 100 l. of mezcal in roughly 14 hours.

A full roast of 700 tons will produce up to 700 l. of mezcal depending upon the which agave is being used. ABV is then adjusted by using colas that have been rested with distilled water in order to preserve taste and mouthfeel. Like all Vago mezcal, Emigdio’s goes through a simple sediment filtration through a tubular cellulose filter before bottling. The bottling is done by hand in Oaxaca City. The very light filtration is the only way the mezcal is affected between when it was made on the palenque and how it ends up in the bottle.

Location: Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz

Emigdio distills outside of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz. We are very proud and excited to have finally found a mezcalero from this area we can put in a Vago bottle. Miahuatlán is a historically important town in mezcal production as well as where both Aquilino and Tío Rey’s families emigrated from. By adding Emigdio to the family, we are able to extend the conversation of our history and tradition even further back in time.

Emigdio’s land is in the Nanche district of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Diaz, about 2 ½ hours directly South of Oaxaca City. The palenque sits at around 4,970 ft., among gently rolling hills and shallow arroyos in a semi-arid climate.  In the surrounding area grows Agave Espadín, Mexicano Verde, Tobalá, Tepeztate, Arroqueño, Pulquero, Madre Cuixe, and Bicuixe (Cuixe).

Glossary

Brix - Brix is a scale of sugar content measured in grams/solution, where one degree Brix equals 1 gram of sugar per 100 grams of solution. 

Ordinario - The regional term for first-run distillate. It usually has an ABV between 20 - 30% ABV. Sometimes called xixe. 

Rectifiicación - The refining of xixe or ordinario through a second distillation. 

Tepache - A low-alcohol mixture of agave juice, fiber and water. Tepache typically has an ABV of ~4-8%. Often referred to as mosto. 

Works Cited

CONABIO. Agave, Mezcales, y Biodiversidad. A. Karwinskii http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/usos/mezcales/A_karwinskii.html

We know we gave y’all a nice little preview of Don Emigdio Jarquín’s amazing talent back in December with our Special Holiday Release. Well, now it’s time to show his full potential. We took a lot of time with this batch, making sure that it was at the right proof and that it rested long enough. Now we are ready to share this incredible producer’s skill with the rest of our friends.

This batch of 100% Espadín was distilled by the newest member of our family, Emigdio Jarquín in El Nanche, Miahuatlán de Porfirio Diaz (16°39'78.7"N, 96°55'07.5"W). The harvest took place on the 20th and 21st of August and consisted of 75 piñas, weighing a total of 5,405 kilograms (~6 tons). They were roasted in a stone-lined earthen pit for a period of 7 days from from August 22nd - August 29th. They were allowed to cool for 4 days before being crushed by a tahona over a period of 5 days between September 3rd and September 8th. The crushed agave fiber was then loaded into Pine wood fermentation vats and allowed to dry ferment for 3 days before having well water added and undergoing wet, anaerobic fermentation for 4 more days for a total fermentation time of 7 days. The three fermentation vats were then distilled in one pass through a copper refrescador still on September 10th, 12th, & 15th, respectively. The batch produced 357 liters of still-proof mezcal at 57.1% ABV. 24 liters of colas at 41.8% ABV were then blended with 50 liters of distilled water on October 6th and were then allowed to rest for three weeks. Don Emigdio then took 65 liters of that mixture of colas and water and then blended it back with the 357 liters of mezcal from the still to produce a final batch of 419 liters of mezcal de Espadín at 50.6% ABV.

Agave Espadín

Espadín typically takes 7 – 12 years to mature, reaching roughly 5 – 6 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height. The rosette has very straight, narrow pencas with a gray-green hue and small spines. Once the pencas have been removed, the piña of a mature espadín can weigh around 100 kilograms.

The genetic “mother” of a. Tequilana, a. Angustifolia var. Haw, or “Espadín,” is the most prolific species of agave used in mezcal production. The plant grows prevalently throughout Oaxaca but its range extends between both the north and south borders of Mexico. The plant is very disease resistant, has a large yield of mezcal produced per kilo of agave harvested (due to high sugar concentrations) and has a shorter maturation time compared to most other agave used for distillation. The plants can be easily cultivated and are able to reproduce clonally; all of these factors combining to allow a. Angustifolia to dominate the mezcal market. Almost every brand of mezcal begins by bottling an Espadín and it is usually the first one that consumers experience; both because of its availability and price point. 77.4% of mezcal produced in 2014 was from a. Angustifolia. The geographic range of a. Angustifolia can be seen in the map below. 

*Image taken from CONABIO website

Producer: Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez

Mezcal goes back in his family at least three generations, Emigdio having learned it from his grandfather. Their horno is a conical pit dug into the earth, which can hold up to 7 tons of Espadín. Emigdio usually roasts his agave for 5-7 days, which is on the longer end of an average roast. He then lets it rest in the sun to cool for one to two weeks.

Emigdio’s Tahona

They use a cement tahona lined with rocks and pulled by mule to crush their agave. Once crushed, they use four Ocote wood fermentation vats with volumes of 1,470, 1,600, 1,600, and 1,700 liters, which usually take around three days to ferment to completion.

Refrescador Still Exterior

Refrescador Still Condenser

Distillation is done in a 300 l. copper refrescador still. Using a Refrescador is a technique that is common to the area surrounding Miahuatlán, but Vago had never bottled mezcal made this way before. The still looks similar to a copper alembique still with a stainless steel cylinder surrounding it. This cylinder is then filled with water, allowing it to cool the upper part of the still. This upper chamber now acts as a condenser and sends the alcohol vapor back down into the boiler before being heated again and passing out of the still and into the condensing coil. This method essentially allows for two distillations during a single pass through the still. Cuts are made using a carrizo to test for ABV as well as taste and smell. A full capacity 300 l. still will produce, on average, 100 l. of mezcal in roughly 14 hours.

A full roast of 700 tons will produce up to 700 l. of mezcal depending upon the which agave is being used. ABV is then adjusted by using colas that have been rested with distilled water in order to preserve taste and mouthfeel. Like all Vago mezcal, Emigdio’s goes through a simple sediment filtration through a tubular cellulose filter before bottling. The bottling is done by hand in Oaxaca City. The very light filtration is the only way the mezcal is affected between when it was made on the palenque and how it ends up in the bottle.

Location: Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz

Don Emigdio distills outside of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Diaz. We are very proud and excited to have finally found a mezcalero from this area we can put in a Vago bottle. Miahuatlán is a historically important town in mezcal production as well as where both Aquilino and Tío Rey’s families emigrated from. By adding Emigdio to the family, we are able to extend the conversation of our history and tradition even further back in time.