Agave Library Flashcards
Agave Angustifolio
Known as the ancestor of the tequila blue maguey. It has narrow leaves and is the agave of which more common names have been registered and this is due to its wide distribution in Mexican territory: Maguey Espadín, Maguey de Mezcal, Maguey Mezcalero, Maguey San Martinero, Maguey de Espadilla, Dob-Yee.
* Espadin
* Espadilla
* Tepemete
* Pelon Verde
* [Grandfather of A. Tequiliana (Weber Blue)]
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.
Agave Potatorum
Its rose-shaped shape makes its beauty remarkable. It grows among the pines and oaks, something that helps it to withstand the drought. It has smoky, light and subtle flavors unique to its kind.
* Tobala
* Papalome
* Papalometl
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.
Agave Karwinskii
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.
- Cuishe
- Baicuishe
- Madre Cuishe
- Barril
- Tobaziche
- Verde
- Cirial
These mezcals have flavors of herbs and roasted vegetables, often with a prominent note of peanut.
“All karwinskiis have a ‘green’ herbal nose, but because there are so many varieties, the mezcals can vary a lot,” says the co-owner of a mezcalería in Oaxaca. “Barril, for example [an especially large and long-lived karwinskii] is very complex, dry and elegant with notes of citrus peel.”
Agave Americana
Provides intense aromas, but soft to the palate, is one of the mezcals with greater flavor and distinction. Notes of fresh herbs, cooked agave, ocote and cinnamon are perceived. The mezcal El Tinieblo includes American agave, and smoked aromas are very present.
* Arroqueno
* Sierra Negra
* Serrano
* Sieruddo
* 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.
Agave Marmorata
This agave provides a lighter body with a bright, sweet smell of banana and cotton candy.
* Tepeztate
* 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. 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.
Agave Durangensis
It is exclusive to Durango and Zacatecas. It is used in the production of both pulque and, of course, mezcal. Cenizo is one of the most fibrous agave varieties that can take between 9 and 13 years to mature. Provides a sweet and deliciously creamy mezcal taste.
- Cenizo
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 a Durango-based maestro mezcalero. “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. When fermenting, the fermentation vats are buried in the earth to insulate them from temperature extremes
Agave Salmiana
Originates from the Potosino-Zacatecan highlands, a naturally and culturally integrated mezcal region.
- Maguay Verde
- Verde
Agave salmiana is mostly found in Central Mexico. It is originally from the highlands in Coahuila, Durango, and San Luis Potosi, but it is now cultivated in warm climates across the globe. This agave is often used in modern landscaping, but it can also be used to produce some very unique mezcal. It’s also known as “The Green Giant” for it’s large size, and it can take up to 25 years to reach maturity. It is also known as Maguey verde in San Luis Potosi and potentially other regions of Mexico.
Agave Univittata
Small variety but with a lot of sugar, it is characteristic of the Tamaulipas region of Mexico, near Texas, United States, where it is also grown.
- Amole
Agave univittata (univittata haw) is a species of agave that is native to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. Locals in Tamaulipas may refer to this plant as “amole”. It’s also known as the “thorn crested century plant” in the gardening world. It is rarely used in Mezcal.
Agave Rhodacantha
His beauty and solitary presence in the highlands earned him the name “Mexicano”
- Espadillon
- Ixtero Amarillo
- Cuixe (not to be confused with Cuishe)
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, as they make very smooth mezcals with a touch of anise.
Agave Maximiliana
Reputed for its history, mezcals that were banned during the eighteenth century in Sinaloa were produced with this agave.
- Raicilla
- Maximiliana
- Lechuguilla
- Manso
- Tecolote
The needles at the end of the pencas are long and copper in color. Shorter needles surround each penca. It can grow up to eight meters tall or 25 feet and flowers from January to May. It reproduces only by seed.
Agave maximiliana is an agave that is more commonly found in Raicilla. Raiciallero Don Ruben Pena Fuentes reportedly studied this agave’s chemical compounds. It is rumored that Don Ruben found that the makeup of this agave is drastically different from any other agave, and that Maximiliana could need to be reclassified in the future. It’s because of these unique chemical compounds (mixed with some heavy urban legend) that many believe in this agave’s medicinal benefits and ability to bring longevity to one’s life.
Agave Cupreata
Sweet and bronco like the mezcals and the cultures of the Balsas basin. Thanks to cupreata a mezcal’s aromas oscillate between mature fruits
- Cupreata
- 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.
