Hey Hey Agave

Maguey Minis

Maguey Minis + Episode Two 

How do agaves grow?

In our second installment of Maguey Minis, Lorena Teran Ibarra explains the anatomy of the agave plant. We begin with the difference between monocots and eudicots and describe the latter’s particular spiral growth patterns.

We discuss the leaves or pencas of the plants and touch on some of the different morphological variations they can present. 

Did you know magueys brea...

28 + Maguey Minis / Episode One 

What’s in a name?

Introducing our new miniseries all about agave plants! Joining Sabrina is our resident agave educator, Lorena Teran Ibarra. Lore is the director of Copita Project for El Buho Mezcal where she leads the regenerative agriculture and educational programs.

In this first episode, we cover the origin of the word Agave and explain the binomial nomenclature system that classifies all livin...

27 + Lorena Terán Ibarra

Regenerative Agriculture in Oaxaca

Lorena Terán Ibarra is the director of Copita Project for El Buho Mezcal where she leads the regenerative agriculture and educational programs. 

Initiated by the founders of El Buho, the Copita Project seeks to replenish and preserve the balance of the natural environment while planting cultivated and semi-cultivated agaves. 

Practicing regenerative, organic agriculture in...

26 + Felix Hernandez Monterroza / Adriana Correa / Fred Sanchez

Agua Del Sol

Félix Hernandez Monterroza is the founder of Mezcales Cuish and Mezcaleria Cuish; he and his wife Adriana Correa are the co-founders of Agua del Sol. Fred Sanchez is the founder and managing partner of Bad Hombre Importing. 

Adriana and Felix were super accommodating in speaking with us exclusively in English, sharing the story of Agua del Sol, and Felix’s...

25 + Martha Garza Vazquez

Cuero Viejo

We are joined by Martha Garza Vazquez the COO of Cuero Viejo Mezcal, produced in the town of Nombre de Dios in the state of Durango. Martha shares the history of Cuero Viejo, a vinata and mezcal brand her father dreamed about for over 40yrs and realized in 2015. We learn about the land where the vinata is located and the spectacular environmental beauty and culture that make this region, an off...

24 + Gabriela Badillo

68 Voices 68 Hearts (originally posted 11/15/20)

We are joined by Gabriela Badillo, the creator of Sesenta y Ocho Voces Sesenta y Ocho Corazones. Gabriela is also a co-founder of Hola Combo, a creative studio with a focus on animation, brand identity, and storytelling.  

Initiated in 2013, 68 voices 68 hearts is an animated series of Mexican indigenous stories told in their native language. These animated shor...

23 + Asis Cortés

Mezcal Family History

We are pleased to welcome Asis Cortés to the show. Asis comes from 6 generations of Zapotec mezcal producers and maguey cultivators in Matatlan, Oaxaca. This podcast is an excellent opportunity to learn about the history of mezcal culture and production from the perspective of a person whose family has been producing since the 1840s.

Asis has been involved in several mezcal projects over tha...

21 + Rion Toal

Maestros del Mezcal

Rion is a co-organizer of the civil association Maestros del Mezcal in Oaxaca. He is the host of the podcast of the same name, Maestros del Mezcal as well as the founder of Of Spine and Vine an importer and distributor of rare beverages.

We discussed how Maestros del Mezcal promotes and advocates for the protection of traditional mezcal in Oaxaca and the surrounding states in Mexico. This soci...

21 + Salvador Picazo Chavez

La Luna Mezcal

Salvador Picazo Chavez is the founder and President of Puente Internacional and the founder of La Luna Mezcal and Gustoso Aguardiente Rum, both produced in Michoacán, Mexico.

This is the first interview we have had with a producer from Michoacán but definitely not the first conversation about the State and the mezcal produced there. Michoacán is a rich and fertile region of Mexico, where m...

20 + Niki Nakazawa & Leonardo Comercio

Neta Spirits / PM Spirits

We have two guests with us for this installment of the pod. Niki Nakazawa co-founder of the Agave Spirits Brand NETA and Leonardo Comercio of PM Spirits, an importer and distributor of small-production distillates made by artisan distillers from around the world.

Niki has lived in Mexico for the past 12 ½ years and has been involved in several culinary and spirits dri...

19 + Scott Rosenbaum

/ Spirits Portfolio: Taste, place and the market

Quarantine remote podcasting continues with our guest Scott Rosenbaum, Vice President of T. Edward Wine and Spirits. In addition to developing an exceptional spirits portfolio, he also teaches at the IWC and at NYU. If you’ve been listening for a while you might remember that T. Edward’s agave portfolio includes Lagrimas de Dolores and Cinco Sentidos. We have hos...

18 + Ferron Salniker

/ Mezcal Community Update

Welcome to our very first remote recording! Joining us is Ferron Salniker, a freelance journalist and events manager for Mezcalistas. We thought it would be good to check in with Ferron and see how the industry is adapting to this new #stayhome quarantine world. We discuss the current state of the pandemic in LA and NY including the repercussions we are seeing in the industry so far. F...

17 + Elisandro Gonzalez Molina 

/ Tosba Mezcal + PART TWO

In PART TWO, we discuss the traditional use of mezcal within Zapotec communities vs. the roll of mezcal in the international market. Elisandro explains some of the experiences he and Edgar have had within their community and how they are implementing initiatives to help support and sustain the community and the environment. Part of this collaboration is called G...

17 + Elisandro Gonzalez Molina 

/ Tosba Mezcal + PART ONE

This is PART ONE of a two-part series. We speak with Elisandro Gonzalez Molina, who along with his cousin Edgar Gonzalez Ramirez, are the producer-owners of Tosba Mezcal.

PART ONE focusses on Elisandro and Edgar’s early life. He explains his experience growing up in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca in a town called San Cristobal Lachirioag which is a Zapotec community.

We d...

16 + Jason Paul Cox

/ Cinco Sentidos

In this episode, we talk with Jason Paul Cox. Jason is the owner of Cinco Sentidos, a small batch agave spirits brand specializing in artisanal and ancestral single expression mezcals. Cinco Sentidos tends to be a sought-after brand due to the limited number of expressions that make it to a few lucky US States. 

Jason explains the brands' origin and development alongside El Destilado his farm-to...

15 + Dalton Kreiss & Hanna Woodside

/ Maguey Melate

In this episode, we talk with the founders and owners of Maguey Melate, a subscription-based agave spirits club. Dalton and Hanna explain how and why they decided to create a bi-monthly subscription model. We discuss what it’s like to build a business from scratch and how the creation of the signature box developed over time. 

They also spoke in detail about their motivation behin...

14 + Field Notes / Michoacán 

We are excited to announce that this episode is the first in an ongoing series we are calling Field Notes. These are conversations we have with friends and colleagues who have recently returned from trips to Mexico researching Mezcal and agave distillate production.

Today's edition features Michoacán. Our guest is Tess Rose Lampert who traveled to Michoacán with Ferron Salniker. Tess and Ferron were re...

13 + German Guttierez / Lágrimas de Dolores

/ we want to represent everything that Durango is

German Gutiérrez Gamboa joins us, who along with his family, owns and operates Hacienda Lagrimas de Dolores in Durango, Mexico. They bottle their mezcals under the name Lagrimas de Dolores. In addition to producing their own expressions, Lagrimas de Dolores also partner with vinateros in the region to offer a variety of expressions. 

This ...

12 + Ferron Salniker / Women in Mezcal

/ it’s about origins not trends

This episode focuses on women in mezcal. Ferron Salniker joins us to share her experiences traveling in Mexico and researching women in the industry. Ferron tells each producer’s story; how they came to mezcal, the obstacles they face and what their goals are for the future of their business. These women come from very different socio-economic backgrounds, and e...