Piña literally means “pineapple” in Spanish, but in Mexico the world also describe sthe heart of the agave, which resembles a pineapple once the pencas have been sliced away. The piña has become one of the main motifs in the agave world and suffuses tequila and mezcal culture, triggering all sorts of nostalgic associations about the significance of tequila and mezcal and the centrality of agave to Mexican culture. As one example, Fortaleza tequila has a ceramic piña for its bottle top, but you’ll see piñas repeatedly in the marketing and media coverage of mezcal brands, including raicilla and bacanora. Check out some images from our travels to get a sense for how dramatic and evocative piñas can be.
Read more of our entries in the Mezcalistas Encyclopedia of Mezcal and email us questions or ideas for future entries.
Super interesting, love the photos!
Thanks! If you have any extras send them over and I’ll post them!
Looking to buy mezcal and agave pinas, preferably cooked/charred. Any ideas?
Are you looking to buy mezcal in bulk and to bottle and sell as a brand? You might start with COMERCAM one of the certifying bodies for mezcal as they may be able to lead you toward producers.