Your Guide to Mezcal—And Why Agave Type Matters

| Wine Enthusiast Magazine

https://www.winemag.com/2022/01/11/mezcal-agave-types-guide/

Few spirits draw as many parallels with wine as mezcal. Microclimates,

varying soil types, plant ripeness, fermentation and distillation techniques,
along with the producers’ influence, play immense roles in mezcal
production. That’s in addition to the many types of agave used to make
mezcal, much like the various grape varieties used in wine.

Imagine a world where all wine was Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the case
with tequila, which is but one type of mezcal made exclusively from one
variety of Agave tequilana, known as “Weber Azul” or “Blue Agave.” Mezcal,
on the other hand, refers to any agave distillate, and can be made anywhere
in Mexico, although there are some legal restrictions on which regions can
label it as such. More than 20 very different agave varieties are widely used
in broader mezcal production.
Breaking Down the Difference Between Mezcal and Tequila

Just as Sauvignon Blanc or Syrah have wildly different expressions around

the world, it’s hard to make blanket generalizations about mezcals based
solely on agave type. The long roasting period before fermentation can
introduce potentially dominant flavors of smoke and hardwood. Also, many
commercial mezcals are diluted to a familiar strength of 38–42% alcohol by
volume (abv) rather than the higher proof that most mezcaleros prefer.

“The grade of alcohol is very important,” says Temo García, a maestro

mezcalero based in San Dionisio Ocotepec in Oaxaca state. “38 or 40% is
very low, and it makes it hard to clearly distinguish the real essence of the
maguey [agave]. We distill to at least 46% to bring out the best flavor.”
Agave variety, often listed on the bottle, is still usually the best place for
consumers to distinguish among mezcals. Here are eight that you’re most
likely to find.

A note on nomenclature: “Common names” are just that, informal names

that can vary by region and community. Like Zinfandel and Primitivo, the

same agave can go by many names. However, the same name can also
apply to very different agaves, depending on the region where it’s grown. In
practice (if not on export labels), some mezcaleros skip common names
altogether, referring to whatever agaves are available to them as simply
criollo or campestre.

Espadín, scientific name: Agave angustifolia / Illustration by Rebecca

Bradley

Espadín

Scientific name: Agave angustifolia

Other common names: Espadilla, Tepemete, Pelón Verde

The ancestor of the Tequila agave, espadín is by far the most

commercialized species after Agave tequilana, responsible for at least 80%
of all mezcal sold. It resembles Agave tequilana Weber closely enough that
espadín was discreetly brought from Oaxaca during Tequila’s severe agave
shortage of the early 2000s.
Espadín’s ubiquity is due largely to its high sugar concentration, which can
yield larger volumes of spirit than other agave species (it takes about 20
pounds of espadín to make a liter of mezcal, while some agaves can require
more than triple that amount). Its piña, the heart of the plant named for its
resemblance to a pineapple, usually weighs 120–150 pounds. Espadín
mezcals are full and sweet, with honeyed sweet-potato notes of roasted
agave.

Mezcal aficionados sometimes dismiss espadín for its preponderance and

perceived lack of complexity, but in the right hands it can make a delicious
spirit. “Espadin makes great mezcals, depending on the mezcalero, the
quality of the piñas, and what processes they use to bring out the best in it,”
says García.
Mexicano, scientific name: Agave rhodacantha / Illustration by Rebecca
Bradley

Mexicano

Scientific name: Agave rhodacantha

Other common names: Espadillón, Ixtero Amarillo, Cuixe

Mexicano agave is revered for its large size, relative scarcity, vivid green
hue and kaleidoscopic spray of rigid, tightly-spaced leaves. In some
Oaxacan towns it’s called Cuixe, a name otherwise reserved for Agave
karwinskii. Mexicano makes full-bodied mezcals, fruity and smoky.

“Mexicano is very special,” says García. “For me, they make very smooth
mezcals with a touch of anise.”

Arroqueño, scientific name: Agave americana / Illustration by Rebecca

Bradley
Bradley

Arroqueño

Scientific name: Agave americana

Other common names: Sierra Negra, Serrano, Sierrudo, Coyote

There are many subspecies of Agave americana that vary in appearance but
share certain qualities. Arroqueño usually refers to the oaxacensis variety,
but terminology can differ depending on the region. These huge agaves can
be 8 feet tall and 11 feet around, with piñas weighing from 200 to more
than 450 pounds. For producers, this can mean as many as 30 bottles of
mezcal per plant. The strong cooked-agave flavor shows through with
layered herbs and spices.

“These are huge magueys but they have very complex flavors,” says
maestro mezcalero Félix Ángeles of the Oaxacan village of Santa Catarina
Minas. “They can be intense, but compared to espadín, their sweetness is
much less obvious.”
Karwinskii, scientific name: Agave karwinskii / Illustration by Rebecca
Bradley

Karwinskii

Scientific name: Agave karwinskii

Other common names: Madrecuixe, Bicuixe, Cuixe, Tobaziche, Barril,

Cirial

Karwinskiis are easily identified by their piñas, which resemble long

narrow logs of hardwood rather than plump pineapples. There are several
subspecies used for mezcal, whose common names vary but all fall under
the distinctive karwinskii umbrella. These mezcals have flavors of herbs
and roasted vegetables, often with a prominent note of peanut.

Navigating the Mezcal Maze

“All karwinskiis have a ‘green’ herbal nose, but because there are so many
varieties, the mezcals can vary a lot,” says Sandra Ortiz, co-owner of Oaxaca
l í I Sit “B il f l [ i ll l dl li d
mezcalería In Situ. “Barril, for example [an especially large and long-lived
karwinskii] is very complex, dry and elegant with notes of citrus peel.”

Tepeztate, scientific name: Agave marmorata / Illustration by Rebecca

Bradley

Tepeztate

Scientific name: Agave marmorata

Other common names: Pichomel, Pichometl

Tepeztate has an almost mythical reputation, being the agave that takes the
longest to reach maturity—up to 35 years in the wild. It also has very low
yield. More than three-times the amount of tepeztate is needed to make the
equivalent amount of mezcal as espadín. It usually has a rich, earthy
aroma, but with notes of ripe tropical fruit as well.

“Tepeztate is the most aromatic of all mezcals,” says Ángeles. “If you think
of how long it stays in the ground, it absorbs so much character from the
soil and even the other plants around it.”

Tobalá, scientific name: Agave potatorum / Illustration by Rebecca Bradley

Tobalá

Scientific name: Agave potatorum

Other common names: Papalomé, Papalométl

A squat, diminutive plant, tobalá is the darling of the mezcal world, partly
for its small-but-mighty appearance, but also for its reputation as an
“always wild” variety. It doesn’t make hijuelos (the clonal offshoots
responsible for most agave propagation), but rather must be propagated by
seed.
Today, most tobalás are planted intentionally and wouldn’t be considered
“wild” by most measures. The mezcals, though, are the most delicate of all
varieties, light in body but big on aroma and flavor. “Tobalá is more floral,
sometimes a little waxy, and can be lightly fruity or caramelized,” says
García.

Cupreata, scientific name: Agave cupreata / Illustration by Rebecca Bradley

Cupreata

Scientific name: Agave cupreata

Other common names: Papalote, Gordito, Ancho

Abundant in Guerrero state (which borders Oaxaca), cupreata resembles

tobalá in appearance, if not taste. Where tobalá is light and floral, cupreata
usually boasts aromas and flavors of ripe tropical fruit, and earthy notes of
black pepper or roasted poblano chile.
Cenizo, scientific name: Agave durangensis / Illustration by Rebecca Bradley

Cenizo

Scientific name: Agave durangensis

This agave is found almost exclusively in southern Durango state, as well as

parts of neighboring Zacatecas. Its singular mezcals are becoming
increasingly popular as an alternative to Oaxacan mezcals made over 800
miles to the south. It’s called cenizo, or “ashen,” because the green leaves
have ash-grey tips, as if they’ve burned. The mezcals are fruity, with an
almost creamy texture.
“Cenizo can take on aromas from the huizache [sweet acacia] and mesquite
trees that are so abundant where it’s grown,” says Durango-based maestro
mezcalero Pablo Díaz. “It has a sweet flavor with hints of burnt caramel.”

Cenizo grows in areas with high diurnal shifts and seasonal variation.
Temperatures in the regions where it’s grown can range annually from 25°F
to 105°F, and swing 40 degrees in a day. “It flourishes under this
temperature variation and develops very complex sugars,” says Diaz.
“When fermenting, we bury the fermentation vats in the earth to insulate
them from temperature extremes.”

As Global Thirst for Tequila Grows, Who Benefits?

What about mezcal blends?

Blends of multiple agave types, called ensambles, are made for a variety of
reasons. Rather than blending finished mezcals (the way winemakers blend
different wines after fermentation), ensambles are usually cooked,
fermented and distilled together, akin to a field blend wine. Because of
consumer demand for single-variety mezcals, as well as and pride in their
product, mezcal producers have little incentive to blend finished mezcals.
Instead, the decision usually has more to do with availability and
economics.

Before the piñas are crushed and fermented, they are roasted in an outdoor
underground oven with large quantities of hardwood—not an inexpensive
endeavor. “It takes the same amount of firewood to bake three tons of
agaves as it takes to bake eight tons,” says Alvin Starkman, a Oaxaca
resident who has been studying mezcal since 1991 and has lead tours of
small palenques for over a decade. “So sometimes palenqueros will acquire
whatever they can to fill the oven and decide after baking whether to make
a blend or to segregate the species. Sometimes there’s only enough of one
species to fill a third of a fermentation vat, so it’s simply not worth it to
segregate.”

For those with an ample agave supply, the decision is less about agave
affinities than pairing an especially flavorful variety with a high-yielding
variety like espadín. “This is often the case with tepeztate,” says Starkman.
“A palenquero might mix, for example, 70% tepeztate with 30% espadín,
yielding the tepeztate flavor but the high yield of the espadín enables the
palenquero to sell at a more reasonable price.”

Still, some mezcal producers will do the same blend repeatedly. “Some
palenqueros will blend two to five species and love the result, and keep
doing it that way,” says Starkman. “They also might find that buyers love a
particular mix, and that motivates them to keep doing it.”