El Tuito means small valley or place of beauty. The meaning of the word comes from the words Tuito “Teotl” god Tiul, Tuitlán, which may mean: home of a God, divine place or place of beauty. This town is the capital of the municipality of Cabo Corrientes and has a population of approximately 9,000 inhabitants according to the 2005 census.
Who would have thought that only 45 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta, at an altitude of 1000 meters, El Tuito, is a secret Paradise. Visiting this small, tranquil and peaceful town is like traveling a couple decades back in time.
This is a very charming town with a lot of history – going back over two hundred years. El Tuito is the municipality for Cabo Corrientes..
Many delicious food products such as milk and cheese from local cows are produced here, all kinds of fruits such as mango, limes, avocado, oranges, guayabas and lots of star-fruit.
Walking around is the best way to see Tuito. The plaza is surrounded by original one-story adobe buildings dating to the late 1700’s
Famous for its Panella Cheese and Raicilla, a liquor similar to Tequila and produced locally. There are a couple of places just outside town that make Raicilla.
One such place is the Hacienda El Divisadero, 15 minutes due west from El Tuito. Hacienda El Divisadero is nestled amongst mountain trails and rural roads. It is a special place, full of history and ancient traditions. Discover nature in its purest splendor, with beautiful views of rivers and mountains full of flora and fauna.
The Ancient Process of Raicilla Production
RAICILLA is an alcoholic beverage whose process has become a tradition in this region, which to date has been maintained as a private family business. Most “Tabernas” (Raicilla distilleries) are usually managed by families. The sale and distribution of Raicilla is mainly local and regional.
The RAICILLA is regulated by the Mexican Council for the Raicilla Production, which is the organism in charge of overseeing that the rules and regulations of the production process are carried out properly.
The production of Raicilla is a 100% natural process, the main ingredient is the Agave plant growing amongst the oak, pine and fir trees of the Sierra Madre, and the characteristics of the land gives it the aroma and distinct taste of the mountainous region.
Raicilla is obtained by the artisan work of cooking the agave fruit (the pineapple shape trunk, left after cutting the leaves of the agave plant).
The agave plants endemic to this region are then baked in a clay oven heated with wood from local oak and fir trees, giving the Raicilla a strong yet pleasant flavor.
This tasty but potent Liquor can be enjoyed by itself or in many different refreshing combinations; the complete Raicilla production process, consists of:
La Jima (The long leaves are trim to the bottom of the agave trunk)
The agave plant is planted requiring patience as it will take 8 years or more to harvest the rewards. Once the agave plant is ripe (takes between 8 and 12 years) it yields the strongest concentration of sugars, and it’s ready to be harvested.
Cooking the agave
With the intent of obtaining the sweet natural honey of the Agave Plant the pineapple shape trunk of the plant is then cooked, transforming the natural starch of the plant into sugars, this process is known as Hydrolysis.
Traditionally this process in occurs in clay ovens which are built by digging a deep hole, reinforcing the sides with clay bricks filling the pit with lava rocks and wood, burning until it reaches a temperature of 1,250° C (2282°F) the pit is so extremely hot, making every brick and rock inside glow bright red), at that point the agave is thrown in and baked for a period of two to three days.
By cooking the agave plant in this fashion (oven baked) directly in the fire and completely dry, is what gives the drink a distinctive smoky flavor once distilled.
The use of pressurized steam ovens is one of the most common methods used nowadays to cook the agave plants in the Tequila industry. This is one characteristic that makes the Raicilla different from Tequila.
The grinding or crushing
The purpose of this process is to extract the natural juices of the agave plant, during which it is being cooked to develop a sweet, soft pleasant aroma, nearly fruit like, and can even be used to sweeten a gourmet meal or enjoyed as a dessert.
In the old times the Tahona (a heavy rock wheel fixed to a center axel by means of a wooden beam) was kept rolling over a rock bed.
The Tahona was pulled by a mule going around in circels. All the sweet juices, where collected in containers and put aside for the fermentation process.
Now days there are several different ways, to grind the agave fibers and collect them for their next step in the process.
The Fermentation process
Once all the fibers and natural juices are collected in the containers, distilled water is added, producing the fermentation process. The ferment is mainly composed of water and the agave natural sugars. This is a nutrient rich food.
The natural yeast aids in the natural degrading of the sugars, transforming them into ethylic alcohol and other nutrients.
This process could be affected by the variety of yeast that develop and enhance the natural sugars, as well as any biological process, temperature, and natural weather conditions.
Also the form and size of the fermentation container could affect the final fermented product. Once the fermentation process is completed we obtain the “must”.
Distilling
Through this process, (which consist in evaporating diverse components) different substances from the must are separated. The ethylic alcohol is also separated from these substances.
The quality of the Raicilla is determined by the experts handling this process heating, boiling and condensation. This procedure is repeated twice; the first time we obtain a low degree alcohol labeled as ordinary and it is also known as mezcal. After the second distillation we obtain a purer higher quality beverage, the perfect balance of the congenerics reflect the alcohol and the flavor that can proudly be called Raicilla.
During distilling the beverage must be maintained at a medium temperature to receive the product starting at 65°C and maintaining it at a maximum of 96°C.
SPECIFICATIONS RAICILLA
MINIMUM MAXIMUM
Alcohol % in volume 36° 55°
Miligrams per 100 cubic centimeters in reference to anhydride alcohol.
Methanol mg/100ml 100 mg 300 mg
Superior alcohols mg/100ml 100 mg 400 mg
Aldehydes 30 mg 40 mg
OUR PRODUCT CONTAINS 41ª OF ALCOHOL
The Raicilla obtained after the distillation is the White Raicilla: It’s composed by the unique flavor from the agave. The criteria in the distillation process will determine its degree of alcohol. This has to be adjusted to make it pleasant to the palate.
This beverage is 100% green agave and by combining with other distilleries we will obtain different characteristics in its flavor.
It’s important to mention that every RAICILLA producer must register with the Mexican Council of Raicilla Production and has to carry the distinctive signature brand on its label authorized by the Council; this label guarantees that the product you are buying is under strict regulated production supervised by the Mexican Council of Raicilla Production, therefore you can be confident that you are buying genuine Raicilla.
For more Information
Tel (322) 225 2171 • (322) 145 3455
(322) 2245584 • or email
www.haciendaeldivisadero.com
Information and photos courtesy of
Hacienda el Divisadero
(Scientific Name: Agave Angustifolia) and its different varieties are known by the following common names:
• Small Aguiar Agave
• Yellow Agave
• Maximiliana Agave
• Foliage Agave
• Curled Agave
• Ash Agave
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