Our Process
Rooted in Tradition,
Distilled with Passion
What does Artesanal mean
While there are specific guidelines for production, each mezcalero has their unique touch (Sazón) of doing things, which can result in a unique mezcal with its own DNA.
KAWÍ is hand made by third generation maestro Mezcalero Don Fermin Santiago using traditional Zapotec techniques to produce high quality small batch Mezcal.
Step 1: Harvesting / Cortar
The agave plant's outer leaves are cut away from the heart "Piña", which is used to make mezcal.
Step 2: Roasting / Horneada
The piña is roasted in an underground pit for several days, using lava rocks to help maintain heat consistency. The roasting caramelizes the agave's natural sugars. The smoke level is highly dependent on the roast.
Step 3: Mashing / Molienda
This time-consuming & labor-intensive method, traditional called "Tahona", is done using a large stone wheel, usually pulled by a mule of horse, to crush the cooked agave to extract the juice and brake down the fibers from the piña to help release the sugars as part of the fermentation process.
Step 4: Fermentation / Fermentación
The agave juice & piña husk is left to ferment in 1-Ton oak barrels for up to a month.
Step 5: Distillation / Destilación
The agave juice is twice distilled in copper still to refine and intensify the flavor.