THE GLASSES

      As with other fine spirits, there is not a general consensus about the best tequila and mezcal glasses, and their shape, volume and material remains more or less a matter of personal preference. For the discriminating cognoscenti looking to find that special glass which will enhance their agave spirit experience at its best, we offer four types of drinking vessels (balloon snifter, tulip snifter, Riedel tequila glass and traditional Mexican "Jarrito" [Small Jar]), along with a few tips for their use.

      Our principal line of glasses is hand-cut with an ancestral Mexican technique known as "Pepita" [Small Seed]. The "Pepita" consists of engraving the decorative patterns through small, seed-like cuts made manually with an abrasive wheel attached to a table-mounted arbor. An early version of the "Pepita" engraving was introduced from Spain to Mexico around 1542, when Rodrigo Espinoza opened the first glass factory in Puebla. Since then the "Pepita"  has mixed symbiotically with Pre-Columbian skills and designs, and evolved into a distinctive Mexican craft. Today the true artisanal "Pepita"  technique has become a dying art; what is commonly seen are imitations of "Pepita"  engravings in mass-produced pressed glassware.

      The featured "Pepita" designs are cut entirely by hand in the Arte Grabado en Vidrio [Artistic Engravings on Crystal] studio in Mexico, and each piece is personally finished, inspected and approved by their famed master engraver José Cruz Guillén. Upon request, a certificate of authenticity will be included with the purchased individual piece or set.

      Alongside the conventional types of snifters we also carry the iconic Mexican "Jarritos" [Small Jars] for mezcal and tequila. With centuries-old history going back to the Pre-Columbian pulque jars as well as a startlingly modern tulip shape, this drinking vessel provides a unique blend of tradition and functionality. The offered choices of "Jarritos" include mouth-blown glass with "Pepita" engraving, mouth-blown glass with sterling silver encasing, certified "Talavera," and conventional ceramic. 

      Although each "Pepita" engraving and "Jarrito" are made by highly skilled artisans, slight imperfections and variations in the crystal or glass engravings and the shape, size, texture, and the decoration of the "Jarritos" are to be expected. As far as they do not compromise the aesthetic and/or the functionality of the drinking vessel, they are not considered a defect but an inherent part of its hand-crafted characteristics.