Agave cf. tequilana var. ‘Espadin’

The Mother of Mezcal ~ Sword Agave ~ Mezcal Agave

In 2021 Living Seeds was the first seed company in Africa to make the tequila blue Agave, ‘Azul’, available to the South African public.
Now let us be the first to introduce the other half of the Agave spirit equation to farmers and craft distillers across the country, ‘Azul’s only slightly less famous sibling, ‘Espadin’, the so called “Mother of Mezcal” The name ‘Espadin’ means “sword” in Spanish, and refers to the plants characteristic leaf.
‘Espadin’ is the Mexican Agave spirits answer to the fame of tequila, which can only be grown and made in certain states of Mexico, allowing a similar product to be farmed and produced in other states. ‘Espadin’ is, in fact, so similar to ‘Azul’ that it takes an expert to tell them apart, and in all the ways that matter they are identical in field, from high sugar production (over 40 degrees Brix!), super-fast maturation time and general hardiness.
This release is priced to sell in quantity, as it is our suppliers devout wish to see an authentic, tequila style industry in South Africa, and that depends on YOU, our loyal customer, to grow these out and put them in a still, which is not going to happen if the plants are considered rare and special!
Generally, agave plants flower only once, converting all their energy into a flowering stalk that can reach 5m high and producing masses of flowers that are pollinated by fruit bats. However, to use the plant, farmers cut off this flower stalk just as it develops. The plant still converts all its starches into special sugars called agavins and fructans, that all collect in the piña, or core of the plant. This sugar-rich heart is then harvested by cutting all the leaves off with a special spade-like knife called a coa, after which it is then further processed by baking, juicing and finally fermenting and distilling the resultant brew.
‘Espadin’ and ‘Azul’ are known for fast “ripening” time, and can be harvested at maturity in as little as five to six years under ideal conditions. ‘Espadin’ is slightly larger growing than ‘Azul’ and supports densities of 1000-1500 mature plants per hectare, while ‘Azul’ is planted at 2000 plants per hectare.
The ‘aguamiel’ or “honey water” produced by the plant is used for fermentation, or to produce “Agave nectar” or can be processed in much the same way as sugar cane to produce sugar. In fact, trials in Australia with Agave tequilana show comparable outputs of sugar per hectare as sugarcane, with a fraction of the water use, just a longer turnaround time.

One can also roast and eat the pina, and this is one of the original uses of these Agave before distillation technology was introduced to Mexico. They taste much like sweet potato, if a sweet potato was 60 kilograms in weight!
With proper care, the Mezcal Agave becomes a large plant, able to reach over 2.5m tall and wide.
It is a sun-lover, able to withstand a little light shade but prefers full sun. It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, but needs well-draining soil (It does NOT like wet feet). They do equally well in pots though the plant will be smaller. The plant grows quickly with a light dressing of organic fertiliser like Talborne Vita Grow, applied during the growing season. The plant can tolerate extreme heat, and can handle temperatures of up to -8C for brief periods making it suitable for growing in most of the country (it is slightly hardier than ‘Azul’).
It can be grown as a specimen plant in succulent and food gardens, or can be established in rows against northern walls and hard to reach boundary fences. Remember to give the plants enough space to grow to their full potential, especially if you plan on harvesting it.
Another tip for producing a top-quality piña is to remove the suckers that form around the base of the plant (These can be replanted and will form new tequila plants).
Your aim is to grow a large, single plant.
A well grown piña can produce enough aguamiel to make three to five litres of high quality Agave spirit.

You will receive a bare-rooted bulbs that should be planted out within 7 days of receiving them.
You can “start” the bulbs in pots with a rich, well-draining potting soil or establish in a protected garden site.

Cultivation: Full sun. Enjoys rich soil. Drought hardy but appreciates water in summer.
Propagation: From suckers formed freely around the base.

Options available:

1 propagule

5 propagules

10 propagules

50 propagules

100 propagules