Tradicion 1862 Trevelez Jamon

Production is meticulously monitored by independent bodies and the quality assurance standards are strict. Tradicion 1862 is one of the fewer Trevelez producers also authorised to export its jamon worldwide. Every ham is individually numbered so that it may be identified and monitored throughout its production.

No nitric salts or other additives are used and the salt content is low - less than 10%. It is a naturally produced white jamon. The ham is slightly pale red, decreasing in colour towards the centre. The taste is exquisitely delicate with little saltiness.

This artisanal ham is dried very slowly (14 – 30 months) in an exclusive natural microclimate, which promotes the unique cultures that create its remarkable character and flavour.

Only local Large White, Landrace and Duroc pigs that have been raised on an exclusively vegetarian diet are used. All Trevelez ham comes from the Sierra Nevada National Park. Trevelez, at its heart, is the highest village in Spain.

In 1862, the quality of Trevelez jamon was rewarded by Her Majesty Queen Isabel II. Trevelezjamon was given the privilege of wearing the royal seal, which it still does today.

Joselito Jamon Gran Reserva

Jamon iberico is the top tier of Spanish jamons. Jamon iberico de bellota is the pinnacle. Joselito Gran Reserva Iberico de Bellota is the star crowning the pinnacle on the top tier of Spanish jamons.

Spain’s most influential food critic, Refael Garcia Santos, rated Joselito Gran Reserva at 9.75 out of a possible 10, or the best food product of any kind in the country.

This is the ham that ignites Ferran Adria and Joel Robuchon. Its colour is dark pink or purple with thin veins of yellowish fat that melt at mouth temperature. The aroma is complex and nutty. The taste? Well that has been called sublime: “A warm and intense aroma of acorn and hay, extremely expressive. A salty burst in the mouth with a deep but distinguished texture and an exuberance of aromas and flavours. It is well-balanced and noble overall.” Yes, it is as subtle and multi-levelled as a great wine.

Gran Reserva is made from only pure bred native black iberico pigs raised in their natural habitat, the dehesa (halfway between forest and prairie), on the Iberian peninsula. This precious ecosystem provides unique advantages for the pigs. A diet of acorns during a natural period of gorging called la montanera is the most significant of these. The animals put on 1/3 of their weight which transforms their fat. It is at least 50% monounsaturated and meltingly silky.
At Joselito in Guijuelo, salting, curing and ageing are done as they have been for centuries. The only mechanical apparatus is a button that opens or closes the windows in the drying room to regulate temperature.

Every stage takes as long as it should when it should. Nature dictates this. Bigger jamons are aged longer and the jamons sweat off their fat naturally in summer. Most Gran Reserva is not considered perfect until it is 36 months old.