Cuixe Verde | November 2020 | Manuel Aquino García | CXVMAQ2011 | Summer 2022 Release | PARA YANA | 48 Bottles
The Cuixe Verde (also known simply as Verde) is a very interesting and rare Agave karwinskii phenotype micro-endemic to the area in and around the village of San Luis Amatlán, Miahuatlán. There exists similar looking maguey with the same nomenclature around different parts of Miahuatlán, but the “true” Cuixe Verde is considered to be this very particular large, chunky, and very green-leaved type. It is also not to be confused with the Agave rhodacantha (Mexicano) Verde that comes from El Nanche and Mengoli.
Cuixe Verde appears to be the product of open pollination, and from seed, it can sometimes be found from what is collected from the also regionally specific Madrecuixe, aptly named as the “mother” of agaves given the diverse offspring that is born from its seed stock. In eight to twelve years, Cuixe Verde grows extremely tall and thick, reaching over three meters in height. The plants can weigh hundreds of kilograms and yield a liter of spirits for every 6-8 kg of cooked agave. This plant reportedly does not produce seeds of its own, limiting its means of propagation to its rhizome system. There are very few farmers that have had the means or knowledge to propagate this varietal. As such, Verde is an extremely prized, but very rare cultivar. Made from just four quiotudo agaves, this 60L production from Manuel Aquino is a beautiful glimpse into the hyper-regionality of gastronomic traditions of Miahuatlán.
§ Maguey(es): Cuixe Verde (Agave karwinskii var.)
§ Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown
§ Producer: Manuel Aquino García
§ Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
§ Soil type: black soil tierra negra
§ Rest time after harvest: six days
§ Oven: Conical earthen pit; eight days with mesquite wood
§ Rest time after oven: eight days
§ Maceration: Machete and shredder
§ Fermentation: Native yeasts, plastic tub
§ Dry fermentation time: two days
§ Wet fermentation time: 12 days
§ Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
§ Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
§ Batch size: 60L
§ Date of distillation: November 2020
§ ABV: 50.4%