Mezcal is a big part of the essence and everything around Oaxaca, the biggest mezcal-making region in Mexico.
In today's podcast, I'm going to talk about mezcal in Oaxaca, Mexico, also, going to give you tips and talk about mezcal tours.
About Marina 'Travel Experta'
- I am an Experience Collector, World Traveler, Expat Mama and Wife
- I have been an expat for over 20 years, raising 2 trilingual sons
- My family and I have traveled to over 40 countries and counting …
- I’m here to inspire you to travel, move internationally, have fun with your family and so much more!
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Today we're gonna be talking about mezcal in Oaxaca. Are you guys ready for an adventure? Let's begin.
Mezcal is pretty much the essence of everything around Oaxaca. It's absolutely incredible the amount of mezcal that is made from this region. This is the region of mezcal . So if you hear it being done in any other places, chances are it's not the real mezcal. So Matatlan, which is a town about 45 minutes outside of Oaxaca, is where there's over 250 distilleries and as you're driving to or around Oaxaca. All you will pretty much see are the agave fields. That is really where it all pretty much originated from. And if you are visiting Oaxaca, I really recommend doing a mezcal Journey tour experience, whatever you want to call it, because this is a way to really learn what mezcal is all about. We personally do not enjoy the flavor of mezcal. That doesn't take away from the fact that mezcal is such an important part of Mexico. the Oaxaca culture and that whole region. And just because our flavor, our taste buds aren't really into mescal doesn't mean that yours aren't.
Because mezcal is considered a very important alcohol and a lot of people are really into it. And as you walk around Oaxaca, all you see is pretty much mezcalerias where they sell mescal. And you know there are good top shelf mezcals. However, just going and doing it and really understanding the whole process will blow your mind. It is one of the most laborious Alcohols that you will find today. It is literally 99 % manual labor and the 1 % is only because they have to pour it in and that is done through a machine, but everything else is completely done by hand.
So first of all the process is the actual plant, the agave root, the agave plant or how they call it a margaris it’s the corazon of it, the heart. Or the Pina to get it. And it usually takes about 7 to 9 years to really become alive. Some of them are actually 15 years old and obviously there are the more expensive ones. And what's really interesting is when they plant it that you have the mother plant and then they plant the baby plant and it takes up to a year for the baby plant to kind of take root and then they have to move it because then it starts to drain the mother plant of all this nourishments, so they move it.
It starts there. I don't know if you guys have actually seen the plant. It is not the most cuddly plant. It is actually quite rough and it's like a cactus. And everything has to be done by hand. So you could get really cut up. Then you don't use the leaves. So you have to machete the leaves to cut to get them off first before you could even cultivate the heart or the carazon of this plant, which is where all the sugar is accumulated.
Then each 8 kilos of a plant and they could grow up to 60 kilos. That is only giving you about one liter of the actual mezcal. So that is literally how hard it is and you have to take it into your hands. You have to put it on the ground. You have to ax it up. Once you ax it, you have to throw it into this huge dirt oven to make sure to get it. All the juices in it and then people move it out. Then the distillery process happens.
Each thing, each process is handed including a horse which rips it up into shreds that you put into the distillery. It is a two time distilled process all done by hand cooking it in the heat. Then you extract the alcohol from it. And I mean the process is super long and laborious. And honestly, like when you're looking at prices of mescal, Please remember the amount of work that is involved behind it.
And it just really gives you a whole new take on understanding what goes behind this particular alcohol. And it is a very deeply loved and cultural alcohol here. And interestingly enough, the agave plant is actually called the gift from the gods, even though Miss Kyle has probably been around for around 350 years. There has been historical readings that it goes back to almost two 3000 years ago during when the assets and the Mayans actually processed it themselves and there's obviously this whole thing.
Oh, what's the difference between tequila and mezcal which comes from the exact same plant? Tequila is a region and even though it wants to be called as a completely different alcohol, pretty much is around the exact same type of a process, however. Pascal is definitely the first process before it becomes more of a tequila. Since I'm not talking about tequila, I'm not gonna get into the, you know, the ideas and all that goes behind the tequila. But that is done from the exact same plant. They are different regions. Tequila is further up north and the actual region of tequila as well, if you guys wanna check that out, I would love to hear more about how tequila sun and whatnot, but I am definitely talking about miscall, so.
There are different flavors in mescal, but interestingly enough that is considered like the ones that is the creamier one that comes from condensed milk. And personally in my taste that's the one that we enjoyed the most, but it's considered to be the least. The less premium ones, right like the top shelf ones are the more purer ones. And there's even an interesting one that they use a pechuga of a Turkey or a chicken, the breast that they put in that.
Becomes part of the mescal itself and obviously they also have ones with worms. This is something that you could taste and during the tour you will be able to taste all of them and as much as you possibly want and can. So honestly this is something that I truly recommend doing and when you do, some of them offer you dinners, which is a very walhachin dinner flavor as well to different restaurants. Honestly guys, one of the coolest tours that we have done while visiting wahaca. It is an entire day trip so make sure that you allot a full day for this trip. If you guys have done one of these, I'd love to hear your take on it and if you have feedback I'd love to hear about it.
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