• Real Minero

     

    Real Minero produces one of the most coveted mezcals. For several generations, the Angeles family has been producing mezcal in Santa Catarina Minas and they now have a reputation in Mexico and abroad for producing one of the finest mezcals one can find. After Lorenzo Angeles Mendoza passed away in 2016, his daughter Graciela Angeles Carreño and his son, the maestro mezcalero Edgar Angeles Carreño, took over the family distillery.

     

    They have maintained the traditional craftsmanship typical of the Santa Catarina Minas region, distilling all their mezcals in ollas de barro (clay pots). They still grind the cooked agaves using mallets (ancestral method), but they have also started to use electric grinders in order to improve their employees’ working conditions. Before the bottling, almost all of their mezcals are aged in demijohns (bulbous narrow-necked glass bottles) during several months. This method provides the benefits of maturation, giving the mezcal more body and flexibility, without adding flavours from the wood casks.

     

    Aside from producing exceptional mezcals, Real Minero has created one of the most important agave reforestation and preservation programs in Mexico: the LAM Project. With the help of the community, they have been able to save many varieties of agaves threatened with extinction. They also collaborate with universities, helping with research on different agave reproduction methods.

     

    The alcohol content can vary from one batch to the other as each one is unique.

     

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  • The making of " Real Minero "

     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 collected, they are cut into several pieces before being steamed in a craft conical oven dug underground. The steps in the process of producing mezcal are very similar from one brand to another, but 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 for the grinding, which is performed using mallets (ancestral method) or an electric grinder.

     Fermentation and distillation

    The agave juice and fibres are placed in wood vats (usually oak or pine) 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.

     

    For the distillation, Real Minero uses clay Filipino stills (ollas de barro). The concept is simple: two connected clay pots are stacked on top of each other. The bagazo and the tepache are placed in the first pot, which will be heated with firewood. The vapours stabilize in the second pot, underneath a metal plate that is fed from the top with cold water in a closed circuit. The mezcal drops created from the condensation are then collected in a wood spoon that comes directly out of the still, in order to be retrieved by the maestro mezcalero.

     

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