How Mezcal Is Made: A Brief Step-by-Step Look at Traditional Production in Oaxaca
When you sip mezcal in a cocktail bar in New York, London, or Mexico City, you’re tasting far more than a smoky spirit. In most cases you’re experiencing generations of family knowledge, regional biodiversity, and deeply rooted rural traditions—most powerfully preserved in the state of Oaxaca.
At Mezcal Educational Tours, our behind-the-scenes distillery excursions take you beyond the tasting glass, and into the hills, villages, and family-run palenques where mezcal is still crafted by hand. We were the first company in Oaxaca dedicated exclusively to mezcal tours, and unlike general tour operators, we specialize in the cultural, agricultural, and technical dimensions of agave distillates.
This guide walks you step-by-step through how traditional mezcal is made in Oaxaca—from harvesting agave to the final distillation—so you can better understand what you’ll witness when you visit the source with us.
1. Harvesting: The Art of Selecting Mature Agave
Every bottle of mezcal begins in the fields with agave, a succulent that can take anywhere from roughly 7 to 25+ years to mature depending on the species and other factors.
In Oaxaca, dozens of agave varieties are used, both cultivated and wild. The most common is Espadín (Agave angustifolia), but artisanal and ancestral producers may also work with Tobalá, Tepeztate, Arroqueño, Madrecuixe, Jabalí, and many more.
The Role of the Jimador
Harvesting is done by skilled agricultural workers known as jimadores. Using a sharp, circular blade called a coa, they:
- Cut away the long, spiny leaves (locally known as pencas)
- Trim the plant down to its heart, or piña
- Cut the agave out of the field where the dirt meets the piña (neither the root nor the pencas are directly used in mezcal production)
What remains, with some species, resembles a massive pineapple—sometimes weighing well over 100 kilograms.
On our tours, guests learn firsthand how producers determine readiness for harvest. It’s not guesswork. Both palenqueros and growers must evaluate.
Harvesting too early results in lower sugar yields. Too late, and the plant may begin flowering by sending up its stalk, or quiote, redirecting energy away from fermentable sugars. Timing is everything.
2. Roasting: Where Mezcal’s Signature Smokiness Is Born
Unlike tequila, which typically uses steam ovens, traditional mezcal is cooked underground in earthen pits.
The Earthen Oven (Horno)
The roasting process involves:
- Using a conical shaped pit which has been dug into the earth
- Heating volcanic stones with usually locally grown hardwood
- Layering waste fiber from the distillation process (bagazo) over the hot stones, and then the piñas
- Covering everything with one or more of fiber, mats or tarps, and generally earth
The agave roasts slowly in the airtight chamber for approximately five days.
This underground baking caramelizes the plant’s complex carbohydrates into fermentable sugars. It also contributes to imparting mezcal’s characteristic smoky, earthy profile
3. Milling: Breaking Down the Cooked Agave
Once roasted, the agave must be crushed to extract its sugars before fermentation since we want to expose as much surface area to the airborne yeasts.
Traditional Methods
In artisanal and ancestral production, milling is often done using:
- A tahona (large stone wheel usually pulled by a horse, mule, or a team of oxen)
- Manual shredding in small batches typically with the aid of heavy hand-hewn hardwood mallets
- More recently many have switched to using machinery for crushing (and somewhat surprisingly, this method according to the regulatory board can result in production of artisanal mezcal)
On our tours, guests often observe the rhythm of the tahona—an image that hasn’t changed much in centuries. We discuss how milling method affects:
- Texture of the mash
- Fermentation dynamics
- Final mouthfeel
- Aromatic development
These are not industrial shortcuts, though as noted some have begun to employ simple machines for crushing. They are choices rooted in tradition, terroir, and family preference.
4. Fermentation: Wild Yeasts and Living Microbial Ecosystems
After milling, the agave mash (fibers and juice together) is transferred into open-air fermentation vats.
These vats may be made from anything, but typically:
- Wood
- Animal hides
- Stone /concrete enclosures
- Clay pots
- Even hollowed tree trunks
Natural Fermentation
Here’s where mezcal becomes truly magical.
Unlike industrial spirits that rely on laboratory yeast strains, traditional Oaxacan mezcal ferments with wild, ambient yeasts present in the environment. Microorganisms from:
- The air
- The agave fibers
- The vats
- Clay pots
- The producer’s surroundings (nearby vegetation and the like)
All contribute to fermentation.
This process can take anywhere from roughly 4 to 15 days, depending on:
- Weather
- Altitude
- Sugar levels
- Microbial activity
Fermentation is one of the most critical stages affecting flavor. It’s also unpredictable. A cold snap, a heat wave, or a sudden rainstorm can alter timing and outcome.
5. Distillation: Transforming Mash into Mezcal
Once fermentation is complete, the mash (called tepache) is ready for distillation.
Traditional Stills
In Oaxaca, you’ll encounter several types of stills:
- Copper pot stills (artisanal method)
- Altitude
- Clay pot stills (ancestral method)
- Refrescaderas
Clay stills, in particular, are increasingly rare and offer a different texture and aromatic expression. The same holds true with referescaderas. In our estimation, over 90% of traditionally produced mezcal available for purchase in English speaking countries is distilled in copper.
Tepeztate: The Wild Giant
Most mezcal is double distilled, though some producers adjust cuts and proof carefully between runs.
During distillation, the producer usually separates:
- Head (punta or cabeza) – high in alcohol and volatile compounds
- Heart or body (corazón or cuerpo) the desirable middle cut
- Tail (cola) heavier compounds
Each of the foregoing has a different character from the other. These decisions are based on smell, taste, temperature, and experience—not digital sensors. It is a craft typically learned from one’s father, uncle, grandfather, etc. To our thinking, the proportions of the head, body and tail employed are perhaps the most important factor impacting the ultimate quality of the mezcal.
Our tours focus heavily on helping guests understand:
- Proofing methods (often done by sight using bubbles, known as perlas)
- Why some mezcal is bottled at still strength
- How distillation choices impact texture and finish
Beyond the Process: The Cultural Dimension
Understanding how mezcal is made is only part of the story.
At Mezcal Educational Tours, we emphasize that mezcal production is inseparable from:
- Zapotec rural life
- Family economies
- Agricultural cycles
- Community relationships
We are licensed by the federal government of Mexico to lead mezcal and pulque educational excursions. Our tours are conducted by long-time Oaxaca residents and recognized authorities on agave distillates—not generalist tour guides
We do not crowd guests into vans with strangers (unless a specific request is made, and even then our preference remains in providing custom individualized excursions). Each experience is customized, whether you are:
- A bar owner wishing to improve knowledge, or perhaps researching export opportunities
- A spirits aficionado exploring “wild” agaves
- A photographer documenting rural Mexico
- A curious traveler who simply wants to understand “what the big deal is about mezcal”
As noted by Travel + Leisure when Oaxaca City was named the best city in the world in 2022, this region offers something extraordinary. Mezcal is at the heart of that distinction.
Why Seeing the Process Matters
Reading about mezcal production is informative, but gets you only so far. Watching:
- A jimador harvest a 15-year-old agave
- Smoke rise from a roasting pit
- A mule pull a tahona in slow circles
- Wild fermentation bubbling in open vats
- A mezcalero making precise cuts by scent and generational experience alone
That’s transformative. When you stand inside a tiny village palenque, you begin to understand why mezcal is not just a drink—it’s a living cultural artifact.
Experience It for Yourself
If you’re planning a visit to Oaxaca, we encourage you to contact us well in advance. Our tours are a full-time passion but a part-time operation, and availability fills quickly.
Whether for a few hours or a multi-day immersion into agave, cuisine, and rural life, Mezcal Educational Tours offers unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to traditional production in southern Mexico.
To understand mezcal, you must walk the fields; smell the roasting pits; taste the honey-sweet baked agave, the fermentation in process, and the mezcal slowly dripping out of the still; and meet the families who have kept this tradition alive for generations.
FAQs
No. While roasting in underground pits often produces smoky notes, smoke levels vary significantly depending on technique, wood type, and producer style. Many mezcals emphasize fruit, floral, mineral, or vegetal characteristics rather than smoke.
From planting agave to bottling can take 7 to 25+ years. The production process itself—from harvest through distillation—typically takes several weeks.
These categories refer to production methods defined by regulation. Ancestral mezcal uses more traditional materials like clay stills and manual milling, while artisanal mezcal may use copper stills and mechanical shredders but still follows traditional guidelines.
Because it relies on wild fermentation, natural climate conditions, and small-scale production, each batch reflects seasonal and environmental variables. Mezcal is agricultural and artisanal, not industrially standardized. There are upwards of two dozen factors which dictate no two batches being the same.
Absolutely not. Many guests are simply curious travelers interested in rural culture and traditional craft. Our excursions emphasize education, cultural context, and personal interaction as much as tasting.
