Cooking
Mature agave piñas are slowly cooked in traditional brick and stone ovens for 28 hours. This slow cooking caramelizes the natural sugars and develops the rich, sweet flavors of cooked agave. After cooking, the agave is left to cool naturally in the oven to preserve its full aromatic profile.
Milling
Felipestein
At the heart of G4 Tequila’s unique production process is an ingenious creation by master distiller Felipe Camarena: a custom-built tahona affectionately called “Felipestein.”
This innovative milling machine is made from repurposed industrial parts, including the axle of an old railroad car and the base of a steamroller. Despite its Frankenstein origins, it plays a crucial role in preserving tradition while enhancing efficiency.
How It Works?
- Massive Weight, Gentle Crush: Felipestein weighs over 19,000 lbs but runs on just a 1-horsepower motor, thanks to its clever design and heavy construction. It rolls along rail tracks, slowly crushing cooked agave with precision and consistency.
- Tahona Effect, Modernized: While not a traditional volcanic stone wheel, it mimics the gentle crushing motion of a tahona, extracting juices without shredding the agave fibers—preserving the rich natural flavors.
- Built by Hand, With Heart: Felipe personally built Felipestein at his El Pandillo distillery using only salvaged materials, making it a symbol of both ingenuity and sustainability.
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Water
G4 stands out for its use of a unique blend of collected rainwater and natural spring water from their own estate. This clean, untreated water contributes minerality, smoothness, and purity to the final product—while also reflecting G4’s deep environmental commitment.
This stage lasts several days and is crucial for developing G4’s layered flavor profile.
- Stainless Steel Tanks: Fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks for a clean, consistent process that preserves the natural agave flavors.
- Open-Air Fermentation: Wild yeasts from the environment initiate fermentation, adding local character and complexity unique to the distillery’s location and climate.
- Without Agave Fibers: Fermentation uses only agave juice, not fibers, creating a cleaner, lighter profile with citrus, floral, and mineral notes.
Fermentation
Fermentation takes place in stainless steelusing wild airborne yeasts in an open-air environment. The process uses only agave juice—no fibers—for a cleaner, lighter profile with citrus and mineral notes.
Distillation
The fermented mosto is distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills, a method that retains the agave’s aromatic intensity while removing impurities.
- First distillation (“ordinario”) removes volatile compounds.
- Second distillation (“tequila”) refines the spirit to its final, clean form.
Copper allows for better heat control and interaction with the alcohols, yielding a smooth, bold, and expressive tequila.
