Coa

A coa, also known as a “coa de jima,” is a specialized tool for shearing off agave pencas and cutting the hearts from their roots. The coa has a standard wooden tool handle with a round (and sharp) metal blade at the business end. The tools are most common in Jalisco, where they are used to harvest blue agave for tequila. Coas and jimadors, the workers who use them, are part of tequila’s iconography. But in certain regions, coas are also integral to harvesting agave for mezcal.