Tina

The tina is the fermentation vessel for mezcal. The exact translation in Spanish is tub, bathtub, vat, or large jar. These days, tinas are often made from wood – similar to an open wine barrel. Originally fermentation vessels were typically animal hides and naturally occurring rock holes. The wood tina now dominates the mezcal world. They are used repeatedly. The wood types includes pine, oak, and cypress, but may vary by region. Many tequila producers use a very similar fermentation vessel which can be called a pipon, while some use the “tina” term just like mezcal.

The approach to fermentation in the world of mezcal is rather unique within the larger spirits universe because these vessels are often made of wood, open to the environment, and depend on wild yeasts for fermentation. Most other distillers try to closely control the fermentation process by using synthetic fermentation vessels made of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, or concrete. Generally they’ll also enclose these vessels within a factory-like setting so that they can exclude wild yeasts and encourage the interaction of the commercial yeast they use for fermentation.

In contrast, when mosto is placed in the tinas, they are topped up with water and the wild yeasts in the surrounding environment take over to do the work of consuming and transforming all the sugar in the tina into alcohol. That’s it.

Generally fermentation takes days and it’s yet another part of the mezcal production process that requires close attention. Once the yeast take over, it can really get bubbling. Frequently, the fermenting mash needs to be held down with weighted wooden beams. Some agaves, like the Jabali, are notorious for their vigorous fermentations and require even more attention and constraint.

Fermentation is one of the key differentiators in how mezcal tastes because the wild yeast bring with them flavors from the surrounding environment, especially the fruits and flowers. Frequently you’ll see a special type of fruit or flower grown around a fermentation area; that’s most likely because they’ve been there for a long time and are known to give the local yeast a distinct identity. The wild yeasts in mezcal are responsible for a wide variation of flavors, perhaps second only to the agave itself for the nuance in mezcal.

For more on fermentation, check out Where do mezcal flavors come from?

Read more of our entries in the Mezcalistas Encyclopedia of Mezcal and email us questions or ideas for future entries.