Apr 26, 2016 · In the mezcal world, a penca is the leaf of the agave. These fleshy leaves are chopped off to get to the heart of the agave, or piña, which is so essential to mezcal. Penca is one of those fantastic wandering words in Spanish that has picked up a number of connotations.

May 24, 2023 · The agaves are harvested by hand, and their pencas, or blade-shaped leaves, are chopped off with machetes or axes. Some of the harvesters will leave a couple of pencas on the agave to tie around a donkey or mule, which transports the agave piñas to be roasted.

At Penca, in Tucson, Arizona, the house tepache is made with whole overripe pineapples, cloves, allspice and a finisher of Mexican beer and brown sugar. The result is a pungent, tangy version perfect for mixing with beer or into a stronger cocktail like Brian Eichhorst’s Bourbon and Tepache. Cut crowns and butts from the pineapple.

Our talented bartenders have traveled through Mexico searching for the best agave spirits from different regions. We created the first Agave Bar in Tucson, bringing Mezcal, Sotol, Bacanora …

Jul 28, 2014 · The pencas can be used in cooking, particularly in making traditional barbacoa and mixiote. The corazón (heart) also known as piña (pineapple) of each maguey plant is then chopped into smaller pieces for baking.

Mar 3, 2025 · Here, the chino agave has more pencas (fleshy leaves), while the leaves of the cuerno curve like a sheep’s horn. Jaime reaches into the center of an agave to show us a signature cut he calls “picado.”

Sep 4, 2017 · Tepache is a low-alcohol drink, similar to beer but sweet. Its current form has an intense amber color and is made primarily of fermented pineapple, sweetened with piloncillo (panela) and seasoned with cinnamon and other spices.

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Sep 14, 2024 · First the agave heart, or piña, has to be uncovered in harvested plants. This is accomplished by chopping off the agave’s pencas, or leaves, typically with a machete.