✅ Los Javis mezcal's producer

Los Javis
At the beginning of the 20^th century, Don Esteban Mateo Arrazola was a pioneer who believed in the potential of mezcal on an international level. He was a passionate grower of agaves, reselling them to mezcal producers of the Oaxaca region. He made sure that his six kids learn all the basics of agaves’ cultivation and mezcal production. Two of his kids, Manuel and Javier, realized his dream and built the first family mezcal distillery (palenque).

Thanks to their entrepreneurial spirit, Javier and his wife Gloria were the instigators of what would become the brand Los Javis. In 1999, like many young Mexicans in the midst of the the economic recession, their son Javier II emigrated to the United States. Thanks to his talent and his enthusiasm for spirits and wines, he became an expert and reached the position of bar manager in less than two years.

In 2003, while perfecting his learning in the United States, he passed down his knowledge to his family, whose first agaves were reaching maturity. The same year, the third generation of Javier was born. The succession was assured and they obviously named their brand “Los Javis” (Javi being a diminutive for Javier).
The making of mezcal "Los javis"

Sacrificing the agave
The first step in the process of producing mezcal is sacrificing the agave. The pencas (leaves) are cut off, leaving only the piña (heart of the agave), which can weight from 20 to 200 kg.
Cooking and grinding the piña
After being collected, the piñas are cut into several pieces and steamed in a craft conical oven dug underground. Although the steps in the process of producing mezcal are very similar from one brand to another, each brand brings its personal touch giving its products a unique flavour, character and quality.

Once the piñas are cooked, they are cut into smaller pieces in order to be ground using a tahona chilena (round millstone pulled by a horse or a donkey). The maestro mezcalero then retrieves the agave juice and fibres (bagazo) in order to proceed with the fermentation.
Fermentation and distillation

The agave juice and fibres are placed in wood vats that have a capacity of approximately 1,000 kg each. Well water is then added to the vats. The fermentation is accomplished thanks to the sugars contained in the agaves’ hearts, the natural yeast and the microorganisms living in the palenque (distillery). This step can last between 7 and 20 days, depending on the season of the year and on the geographic location. The surrounding environment has a big influence on the mezcal’s final taste.

The distillation can be implemented using different kinds of stills. The most commonly used ones are the copper stills. The bagazo (agave fibres) and the tepache (fermented agave must) are placed at the bottom of the vat and then heated with firewood in order to separate the volatile elements (alcohols) from the solid elements. Alcohol vapours travel through a swan neck and into a coil. When coming in contact with water, the coil transforms the alcohol vapours into the ancestral elixir called mezcal. The maestro mezcalero then proceeds to a second distillation in order to obtain a mezcal that is suitable for consumption.

Los Javis

The making of mezcal "Los javis"

Sacrificing the agave

The first step in the process of producing mezcal is sacrificing the agave. The pencas (leaves) are cut off, leaving only the piña (heart of the agave), which can weight from 20 to 200 kg.

Cooking and grinding the piña

Once the piñas are cooked, they are cut into smaller pieces in order to be ground using a tahona chilena (round millstone pulled by a horse or a donkey). The maestro mezcalero then retrieves the agave juice and fibres (bagazo) in order to proceed with the fermentation.

Fermentation and distillation