Chumilín (aka Mexican Wasabi)

Agave, Water, Yeast, and Cheekiness

(Excuse my Spanglish)

Sweet Victory!

Presenting this Chumilín to all you dear club members is one of the biggest joys I’ve had since I started working with spirits. It took more than three years of negotiations and full stubbornness, but it is finally here.

I love this expression because, in the same way that Tepextate made it clear that agave’s complexity has no limits, Chumilín made me understand that the relationship between humans and agave spirits is deeper and more convoluted than what I had ever imagined. But before I move on with this argument, which may take more than a few sentences, let’s talk about the star of the show: the lovely Chumilín.

The Mexican Wasabi

The Chumilín (also spelled Jumilín) is a “chinche” (stink bug) found in many regions of Mexico (according to the internet, there may be close to 5,000 species distributed worldwide). Here are some references that I freely translated, from the Mexican Archeology Magazine, to paint a more precise picture of how we Mexicans have created a relationship with these bugs:

The “Jumiles” in Taxco (state of Guerrero) develop over the stems and dry leaves of small oaks. In Huixteco hill, the insect is so abundant that the natives of the region are called “Jumileros”. In their turn, they celebrate the day of the “Jumil” on November 5th. These insects are prolific from November to February, and they disappear with the first rains. They expel a very intense odor that intensifies when touched. 

When collected, they are kept in baskets covered with cotton fabric, which are sprayed with water to keep them alive, as they tend to die quickly when retrieved from their natural habitat. At the market, they are sold wrapped in green cucharillo leaves (Quercus urbani), stiffly tied so that they can’t escape. 

 – Castelló Yturbide

To this very detailed description of Jumiles, one should add that a very similar stink bug is eaten in the towns of the Guerrero Mountain, like Chilapa, where it is called chumilín. In that region, they prefer to consume them alive, smearing them on a tortilla so it can act as a spicy salsa. 

 – Enrique Vela

Spicy Mezcal

Most of the documentation (if not all) that you’ll find about Chumilines is linked to gastronomy. It’ll talk about how they can be grilled or fried, served as a taco, or converted into a salsa. Unfortunately, I’ve never consumed them that way. The first time I saw them in the flesh was at the Chilapa market, alive and kicking, packed in a simple paper envelope. Mezcaleros in the region have long used them to flavor spirits by submerging them in carboys and letting them sit for a few months.

I call it the Mexican Wasabi because it reminds me of the only time I had high-quality, freshly grated wasabi in Tokyo: ample flavors carried by just enough violence. One mezcalero even told me that when they are out harvesting agaves, if they find a few Chumilines in the field, they’ll save them in their chest pockets. When they feel like having a drink, they’ll pop them, like menthol cigarettes, and add them to the mezcal glass – a grown-up version of the Corona lime.

Floriberta Barranca has been working with agaves and mezcal since she was twelve. She says that back then, there were so many agaves that you couldn’t walk through the mountains freely; the fields were so densely packed with Cupreatas that not even trees were capable of growing amongst that many agaves.

When I asked if her mezcales were any different from those made by Faustino Castro, the famous mezcal producer that also happens to be her husband, she earnestly laughed and answered, ” If these mezcales have my name, it is because it is my work, I’ve made them. We say that everything that comes out of our alambiques tastes the same, but you are the ones to decide if that is true”.

A few months ago I had the chance to do a tasting of all Floriberta-made mezcales (thank you, Salón de Agave, for the invite!), and I can’t put into words, but her spirits, all of them exceptional, are very hers. Sometimes you don’t even think “Guerrero”, you just think “Floriberta”.

Agave, Water, Yeast, and Cheekiness

At the very beginning, I mentioned that Chumilín mezcal made me rethink how the mezcalero’s imagination works. I believe that spirits are the pinnacle of human imagination (sorry, Picasso), and I’ve grown obsessed with understanding what makes for an interesting modifier, a useful tool, or an exciting innovation for those who have dedicated their lives to this craft since they were children. How did they know that the powerful flavor profile of the Chumilín would make perfect sense with a Cupreata-based spirit? How do they know how many Chumilines to add? What defines a more perfect or desirable Chumilín? Should they be fat, skinny, coarse, or showcase a specific hue to impart the best possible flavors? Infinite questions, only answered by the artisan’s palate, experience, and cheekiness.

I really wonder about all the recipes that have been forgotten, and I am enthusiastic about the ideas that they will integrate into the mezcal vocabulary now that they have access to produce and ingredients from all around the world. Happy and exciting times ahead!

Sharing The Love

I love Chumilín mezcal with passion, so much that on my brother’s birthday, I always gift him 4 liters of this beauty to party away. In this Melate bottle, the slow-growing monumental Cupreatas and the spicy, agile Chumilines welcome you to the Ahuacuotzintla, “the door of the mountain”.

We truly hope you enjoy it!

Follow along throughout the month on facebook or instagram to get all the videos, fun facts, and conversations about this month’s feature. Some topics to look forward to include:

• More on Ahuacuotzintla and why we believe that the so-called “door to the mountain” is such a special terroir.
• More quotes and data on Chumilines, along with theories on why they were chosen to spike the mezcal.
•  The Barranca’s family perspective on how to safeguard mezcal tradition for the next 200 years.

Quote of the Month

” Other women said that this was a man’s craft. They were afraid of getting hurt. But if men can be careful enough not to be hurt, I can do the same. I can do mezcal”. 

– Floriberta Barranca