HONOR THY PALENQUE
We created Un Momento to honor the art of Mezcal —and we mean true art. For those that have experienced the time-honored process, it truly is incredible.
This process can be long. Tepeztate, for example, takes up to 30 years to reach maturity before you can harvest it - 30 years! To harvest, the Mezcaleros cut the leaves off of the agave and remove the hearts, also known as the “Pina”. Once the heart is out, it’s time to cook the agave. No, not in a typical oven, but rather in a huge hole in the ground. This specific process involves setting a fire in the ground, laying wet agave fibers next, then placing the hearts on top of the fibers - only to cover everything with dirt. The cooking time here is specific and goes more off of intuition than anything but usually it takes 5-7 days to fully cook the agave.
The cook time affects the flavor profile desired and differs between agaves. Once cooked, the agave is put into a stone mill, and the horse pulls a tahona (stone wheel) over the cooked agave hearts. Once the agave fibers are fine enough, they are placed into an open-face, open-air barrel to ferment. Our Mezcaleros go by feel, smell, and sight from then on to determine the perfect timing. Once fermentation has happened, it’s time for distillation. Our agave is distilled in copper pots two to four times. After the Mezcal is finally finished, it’s time to bottle.
To be considered artisanal, you must hand-fill and label every single one of your bottles.
No conveyer belts or automated machinery to be found. This process is yet another labor of love. Once the labels are applied, and the bottles are checked once more for quality, they are ready to be reviewed by the Dirección General de Normas (DGN–The Mezcal review board).
Once stamped by the DGN, the bottles are ready to be palletized and shipped up to the US border. After a bumpy 12-hour ride to the border (and hopefully no broken bottles!), the bottles are ready for importation into the US. After we pass the border, the bottles make it to the facility.
Let’s raise a glass to the passion that goes into each and every hand-made bottle.
Every Un Momento bottle is art, made through a labor of love, both by our Mezcaleros, their teams, and even the horses that make our agave what it is. We hope that with every sip you take, you remember where the process started and the effort that goes into you enjoying your one moment.
