This batch from March of 2020 is only the third time Lalo has made a mezcla of tobalá-tobasiche. As he explained it, in the past, people in Minas never mixed tobalá with other magueyes. Not only was it relatively rare compared with the other local varieties, but tobalá mezcal was particularly prized for its medicinal properties.

Three years ago, Lalo and his team accidentally harvested a bit too much tobalá - more than they needed to fill the oven they were planning to cook. Rather than making a second, smaller batch of tobalá, he decided it would be interesting to to cook it with some tobasiche. The result was his new favorite mezcla.

“By my way of thinking” Lalo said, “ I don’t like to make mezclas with more than 3 types of maguey. More than that, and it’s hard to appreciate all of the distinct flavors and sensations of each plant. The aromas and flavors don’t represent the magueyes that are on the bottle’s label.”

When it comes to this specific batch, Lalo says, the two agaves combine in a very special way, “you get the creaminess of the tobalá, and the dryness of the tobasiche. Let it sit in the glass for 10 or 15 minutes, and the smells are so interesting. You take a sip, and both of the magueyes are there. This year, we made it 60/40 tobalá/tobasiche, but in the past and the future, the proportions will be different.

“It was an accident, but that’s everything in life, no?"