Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

Mezcal Production from Maguey
Philippines, Commercial
Crop
Residue
Process
Equipment
Main Product
By products
Maguey
Fruit
Fermentation, Distillation
Special grinding mill, Wooden barrel
Low Grade Alcohol
Alcohol/ Liquor
Detailed Process Description
The Process for Making Mezcal
Mezcal is the generic name for all spirits distilled from the agave, as well as
the name of a beverage similar to tequila.
1. Maguey or Agave Plant. Maguey, Agave cantala Roxb. plant used to make
mezcal is called agave (”ah-gah-vay”) or maguey (”mah-gay”). Occasionally it
is called a “Century plant” in English because it can grow to be very large and
has a long life-span (not really a century, more like 25 to 30 years).
Sometimes mistaken for a type of cactus, it in fact belongs to a separate
family, Agavaceae. The agave only flowers once in its lifetime, putting forth a
tall stem from the center, and the plant dies after flowering. The agave that is
used to make mezcal is harvested when it is seven or eight years old.
2. The Agave Piñas. After the agave is harvested, the spines of the plant are
cut off and the remaining heart, called the piña (which means pineapple,
because of its resemblance to the fruit), can weigh up to 100 kg (220 pounds).
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