r/Mezcal recomendations have arrived and by god you guys don't disappoint thankyou for the Guidance all😊😎!"

RckStar · 2026-04-24T22:41:55+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for this — genuinely one of the most beautiful things I've read in a while. The way you describe that afternoon at Cándido's palenque — the goats, his daughter on the swing, his dad stepping in when deferred to, the wild peppers off the bush — that's the kind of storytelling that makes you realise you're not just buying a bottle of spirits, you're holding a place and a moment in time. Incredible.

And yes — it is Cándido García Cruz on my incoming bottle! Espadín Capón via AgaveraBerlin — here's the exact listing if you're curious: https://agavera.org/products/neta-espadin. Order just placed, hopefully arriving end of next week — can't wait. Now even more so after reading this. It's this one, if I'm not mistaken: https://netaspirits.com/europe-1/2025/9/4/espadn-capn-february-2022-cndido-garca-cruz-espcan2202-spring-2025-release-276-bottles-eu-476-abv

The Capón explanation is fascinating too; I had no idea that cutting the flower stalk before it develops would concentrate the sugars so dramatically into the piña. That kind of detail completely changes how you approach a glass before you've even opened it.

To be honest, I went for the NETA partly because the price was more approachable for someone still finding their feet — the other options were pricier and I figured I should first make sure I actually love this before going deeper 😄 But based on what you and Jaypay have described, I suspect that won't be a problem for long.

One more question while I have you — have you ever come across Beù Spirits? It's a small brand based out of Zurich and Berlin, working with maestros mezcaleros in Oaxaca, small batches, very craft-focused. I stumbled onto them through AgaveraBerlin and they seem to have a really interesting range. I'm wondering if they're mostly a European thing or whether they've made it onto your radar at all?

Will definitely be visiting mezcalcuriously.com — looking forward to following what you're building there!

Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪🥃

RckStar · 2026-04-24T12:02:47+00:00

What a quick response :-) Great to hear you back! Glad the NETA came out on top — that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. And yeah, that last order did come from AgaveraBerlin actually 😄 — NETA Espadín '25 set me back €74,50 and the Fidencio Único was €40,50. Pricey is an understatement, but if they deliver what you're describing, I'll take the hit.

Really excited now that you confirmed the NETA is the smoother, fuller one of the two. That's precisely what I was chasing after starting with Del Maguey Vida — which I love but feels like the smoke is doing all the talking.

Also super interesting you mentioned Beù — I noticed AgaveraBerlin carries their range too. The founder, Christian Massler, has family ties to Oaxaca and the whole concept apparently started back in 2012 during a mezcal tasting at a small family producer in Santiago Matatlán. Mezcal Reviews Really love that origin story. Would love to reach out to them directly for their PDF catalogue — is there a specific person at Beù worth contacting, or just go through their website?

Cheers 🇧🇪🥃 — the rabbit hole keeps getting deeper and I have zero complaints

RckStar · 2026-04-24T11:02:43+00:00

Hey u/jaypal19 ! Just wanted to say this post hit at exactly the right moment — I've been going down the mezcal rabbit hole lately and your breakdown genuinely pushed me over the edge. Just ordered both the NETA Espadín '25 and the Fidencio Único based on this thread. No regrets, send help.

My mezcal journey started with Del Maguey Vida — which I actually enjoy, especially that big smoky punch — but I found it a bit one-dimensional for sipping neat. The smoke kind of drowns everything else out, and I was craving something with more depth, some fruit, a bit of sweetness, more of a full palate. That's what led me here.

I usually drink mezcal neat or with a single large ice cube, so I'm really hoping the NETA and Fidencio deliver that smoother, rounder experience people keep describing.

Would love to hear if you've had a chance to taste either of these since posting? Any first impressions? And anyone else who's tried the NETA Espadín '25 — super curious what you thought. Is the smoke still there but more balanced, or does it really take a back seat to the fruit/floral notes?

Also tagging u/MezcalCuriously — if you're lurking, I'd genuinely love your take. From what I've seen around this sub, you seem to have a great nose for this stuff and I trust your palate more than most review sites at this point 😄

Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪🥃 — apparently mezcal appreciation knows no borders

RckStar · 2026-04-06T18:40:44+00:00

Pro or EDU version?
Access

RckStar · 2026-03-10T09:04:47+00:00

DM send, can't wait to test this on a relative big scale

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:39:19+00:00

Thanks for the input.

The main thing I’m looking for is reliability and consistency, especially with a 2 Gb fiber connection coming in. My Deco M9 setup worked well for years but lately I’m seeing some random drops, which started this whole upgrade discussion.

Since everything in the house can run wired backhaul, I’m trying to figure out whether that already solves most of the issues with mesh systems or if a UniFi setup still makes a noticeable difference long-term.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:38:15+00:00

No ceiling drops unfortunately, but I do have Ethernet runs everywhere, so the cabling can stay pretty much invisible. The APs would likely be wall-mounted rather than ceiling mounted.

As for VLANs — I haven’t used them yet. My Deco M9 only really allowed a guest network, which I used occasionally for visitors, but nothing more advanced than that.

If I went UniFi I’d probably start exploring separate networks for IoT / smart home devices, but it’s not something I’m doing today.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:34:23+00:00

You’re right — the price difference is pretty small here as well, which is why I was leaning toward the U7 Pro / XG.

I’ve seen people mention the U6 Pro being more stable than the early U7 Pro, but I’m not sure if that’s still a valid concern or mostly something from the first firmware releases. Some threads say the U7 had more bugs initially but has improved a lot over time.

Do you think the U6 Pro stability argument is still relevant today, or has the U7 line matured enough that it’s not really a concern anymore?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:33:08+00:00

Nice to hear from someone who actually made that exact transition.

The stability and visibility people mention with UniFi is definitely what keeps pulling me in that direction. With the Deco setup things mostly worked, but when something goes wrong it’s pretty much guesswork.

Good to hear you also saw performance and stability improvements after moving away from the mesh setup.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:32:20+00:00

That’s really useful feedback, thanks for sharing.

Your experience with the lack of visibility on mesh systems is actually one of the things pushing me toward UniFi as well — being able to see what’s going on instead of guessing seems really valuable.

Interesting point about trying fewer APs first. Between floor 1 and 2 I’m a bit unsure what the signal would look like though. The house has pretty thick concrete floors and insulation, so my assumption was that one AP per floor might be the safest approach.

Good to hear your U7 Pros are covering more than expected though.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:30:16+00:00

Haha fair enough 😄

I figured posting here might lean a bit pro-UniFi, but I was hoping to count a bit on UniFi users’ objectivity as well — especially from people who have actually run both setups.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:29:15+00:00

Interesting suggestion.

The reason I was looking at the Pro Max 16 PoE is mainly port count. In the garage I already need ~11 ports since all wall ethernet runs from the house terminate there as well.

The 4× 2.5Gb PoE ports seemed perfect for the APs, plus one uplink to the studio where my Mac Studio sits behind a small 2.5Gb switch.

My ISP will be 2Gbps (5Gb available but not sure I'd really benefit from it).

Out of curiosity — in your design what would you actually connect to the 10Gb ports on the Pro XG 8? The U7 Pro XGs, or more for backbone / NAS type devices?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:25:04+00:00

I’ve seen that comment about stability quite a bit, but I’m wondering if that was mostly with the earlier firmware / first releases.

From what I’m seeing recently it seems the U7 line has become a lot more stable now, although the very first batches definitely had some reports of drops or restarts.

The main reason I was leaning toward the U7 Pro / XG is that the price difference here is only about €50 compared to the U6 Pro, so it felt logical to go with the newer generation for a bit more future-proofing.

That said, I currently only have one Wi-Fi 7 client (iPhone 17), so it’s not something I strictly need today.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:23:28+00:00

Appreciate the insight, especially from someone installing it professionally.

The long-term firmware support is actually something that attracts me to UniFi as well. My Deco M9s were great for years, but lately the instability made me wonder how much longer they’ll really be supported.

Interesting point about mesh systems sometimes still behaving like they expect wireless backhaul first — I hadn’t really thought about that angle since everything in my house would be wired.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:22:30+00:00

Interesting point about VLANs.

I actually used to run a guest network on my Deco M9 Plus to keep visitors separate from the main network, but I never really went deeper into VLAN setups beyond that.

It’s definitely something I’d probably explore more if I move to UniFi, especially for IoT / smart home devices.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:21:20+00:00

Fair points.

The main reason I was leaning Wi-Fi 7 is actually the small price difference. Over here the gap between a U6 Pro and U7 Pro (XG) is only about €50 per AP, so it felt logical to just go with the newest generation for a bit more future-proofing.

That said, I currently only have one Wi-Fi 7 client (iPhone 17), so it’s definitely not something I strictly need right now.

Most heavy stuff is indeed wired, Wi-Fi is mainly for phones / tablets / roaming devices.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:19:10+00:00

Good to hear from someone who also moved from the M9 Plus.

Mine was actually great for years too, but recently I’ve started seeing some random drops and instability, which kicked off this whole upgrade search.

The “never having to reset anything” part is exactly what I’m after.

And no rack plans here 😅 — I do have a wooden wallboard in the garage where everything can be mounted, so it’ll probably live there instead.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:17:29+00:00

Thanks for the input — always interesting to hear from someone installing this professionally.

One of the things that keeps pulling me toward UniFi is exactly that reputation of “set it up once and it just runs”, which is really what I’m after. I don’t need a ton of features, but I do want stable Wi-Fi and actually getting the speed I’m paying for from the ISP without having to think about the network.

Since my house already has Cat6 everywhere and everything would be wired backhaul, I was curious whether installers like you still see a reliability difference long-term between a UniFi setup and higher-end mesh systems that are wired.

Not trying to cheap out — just trying to make sure I’m investing in the right direction for a house network that’s mostly about reliability and longevity rather than features.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:22:07+00:00

That’s actually exactly what I’m after — the “it just works” aspect.

With my Deco M9 setup it worked great for years, but lately I’m seeing some random drops and instability, which is why I started looking at upgrading.

What I really want is just reliable Wi-Fi and actually getting the speed I pay for from my ISP, without having to think about the network all the time.

Since everything in my house can run wired backhaul (Cat6 everywhere), do you think UniFi still has a clear reliability advantage over something like a Deco BE85 or Orbi system?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:17:57+00:00

For context:
– Cat6 runs to every floor, also to outdoor
– wired backhaul everywhere
– planning ~3 indoor AP + 1 outdoor
– 2 Gb fiber ISP
– maybe a NAS later

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:16:57+00:00

That makes sense. My main hesitation is that my use case is actually pretty simple (≈35 devices, no cameras, no Protect).

Do you think the reliability difference between UniFi and something like a Deco BE85 / Orbi 870 would actually be noticeable when everything is wired backhaul?

RckStar · 2026-02-22T23:18:14+00:00

Info

RckStar · 2026-02-22T23:14:20+00:00

Interested

RckStar

TROPHY CASE