Lush Guide To Pensador Mezcal

After one sip, Ben Schroder became such a Mezcal enthusiast that he had to bottle it and bring it back with him. Its unique flavors were different to anything he has experienced before and so Pensador Mezcal was born.

After the fateful road trip through Mexico, Ben began working with the Garcia Family in the Miahuatlán region of southern Mexico. After trying masses of mezcal from different producers, Ben chose to work with the Garcia family for the only reason you would – their mezcal was the best. Don Atenogenes Garcia and his son Jose Garcia use traditional methods and are their own growers and producers of organic agave.

Later as production increased, the Garcias suggested Ben also worked with a another producer as well and he began working with Alberto and Onofre Ortiz.

Now there are three Mezcals or “Destilados de Agaves” in the Pensador family: Espadin, Esample, and Especial – each and every one distinct in its own way.

What is Pensador Mezcal

To hear the entire history of Pensador Mezcal, please listen to my interview with Ben on Lush Life Podcast!

The short story is that after Ben found the Garcia family and was destined to enter the mezcal world – he needed a name for his new spirit. La Calle Pensamientos is the main road which goes straight through Miahuatlán La Calle Pensamientos means “Thoughts Road” in English or El Camino Del Pensador – The Path of the Thinker.

Still, the crazy thing was that Ben had thought of the name Pensador ages before he came upon this road. He chose that specific name because he wanted those who enjoyed his spirit to take the time to think about that they were drinking, take the time to think about how it was made and the effort that went into mezcal production. It was kismet.

How is Pensador Mezcal made

Mezcal is the smoky sister of tequila. One thing is for sure and that’s you need a bottle for your drinks cabinet! It all starts with the agave. Unlike tequila which only uses the blue agave, you can make mezcal from all type of agave.

Great care is put into every batch of Pensador. The heart of the agave plant is roasted and then, traditionally, put into stone ovens underground, and then the fermentation process can begin and distillation. It can be made with agave or semi-wild agaves from any of the incredibly diverse of mezcal regions.

There are three expressions to choose from right now:

Pendador Esample: Pensador’s first expression was Ensamble. It is made with a combination of Espadín 70% and 30% Madrecuishe agaves (or madre-cuishe agave). It’s roasted for 8 days in an earthen ground oven using Guamuch (Oak) and Mesquite.
Pensador Espadin: This was their second expression and the first pure Espadín. It’s 100% Espadín, the most popular agave varieties, and roasted for 5 days.
Pensador Especial: This third and limited edition expression is made from 100% Tepextate agave. This will be made in small batches and when it’s gone, it’s gone!

How does Pensador Mezcal taste

As mezcal is a product of terroir, the different expressions have incredibly different flavor profiles depending on the different species of agave and the techniques of the region.

In every batch of Pensador, its crystal clear liquid has the aroma of the gentle smoke through out and taste a bite of black pepper and orange twist. You have to try each of them and tell me what you think!

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Where you can buy Pensador Mezcal

UK: You can find Pensador Mezcal at Spirits Kiosk. (don’t forget to use ALushLife10SK to get 10% off! – it’s only for my readers and good on anything in their shop! USA: You can’t find it in the USA yet!

USA: Sorry – it’s not in the USA yet!