TASTING GUIDE
You don't need to be an expert to appreciate a great pour. Our Tasting Guide gives you a few tools to better understand what's in your glass, find the words for what you're tasting and discover what to try next.
You don't need to be an expert to appreciate a great pour. Our Tasting Guide gives you a few tools to better understand what's in your glass, find the words for what you're tasting and discover what to try next.
Instead of reducing mezcal to “smoky,” start with what you actually notice:
Bright + Fruity
Citrus · Pineapple · Mango · Stone fruit · Orchard fruit
Green + Herbal
Fresh herbs · Green pepper · Oregano · Grass · Bitter greens
Earth + Mineral
Wet stone · Crushed rock · Dry earth · Mineral · Saline
Warm + Savory
Roasted agave · Baking spice · Cocoa · Pepper · Smoke · Umami
Each accompaniment is there for a reason. Experience the spirit on its own first, then use the orange, salts and raw chocolate to explore the finish and prepare your palate for what comes next.
Orange — Fresh citrus complements the spirit and provides a clean, bright finish after each sip.
Regionally Flavored Salts — Salinity, spice and savory flavors add depth to the finish and can bring forward different characteristics in the spirit. Our selections include Sal de Gusano, Sal de Chapulín, Sal de Jamaica and Sal de Habanero.
Raw Chocolate — Used as a palate cleanser between different mezcals, helping reset your palate before experiencing the next spirit.
How to Explore It — Begin by smelling the mezcal, then take a small sip and experience the spirit on its own. Follow with an orange wedge. When you are ready to add salinity and depth to the finish, dip just the tip of an orange wedge into your chosen salt and eat the entire wedge after another sip of mezcal. When moving on to a different mezcal, finish with a small taste of raw chocolate to cleanse the palate before starting again.
Four things can tell you a lot about what's in your glass:
Plant
What agave was used?
Place
Where did it grow and where was the spirit produced?
Producer
Who made it?
Process
How was it cooked, fermented and distilled?
Copita
A small, shallow vessel traditionally used for drinking mezcal.
Jimador
The person who harvests agave.
Piña
The harvested heart of the agave plant.
Palenque
A place where mezcal is traditionally produced.
Tahona
A rolling stone traditionally used to crush cooked agave.
Explore Mi Cariño's full Spirits Book for the complete Agave + Sotol Field Guide, tasting profiles, bottle selections and Agave Glossary.
Explore the Full Spirits Book
