Cinco Jotas

Who they are

Cinco Jotas is one of the ham houses of Jabugo, in the Sierra de Aracena in Huelva. Its own story begins in 1879, when, as the brand tells it, the family's great-grandparents produced their first 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham; since then it has cured its pieces in the village's centuries-old natural cellars. Bookings are handled from an address belonging to the Osborne group. It has a gourmet shop and visitor centre on the carretera de San Juan del Puerto, in Jabugo.

Dehesa, montanera and cellar

The pigs are 100% Iberian and are raised free-range in dehesas in the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche, within a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with more than two hectares per animal among holm oaks, cork oaks, oaks and gall oaks. During the montanera, the acorn season, each pig can walk up to 14 km a day looking for the acorns that fall on the grass, and that diet is what gives the ham its marbling of fat. The house defends slow rearing, far from mass production, and attributes the secret of curing in the cellar to the climate of Jabugo, with its mix of coolness, heat, dryness, humidity and sun.

The visits

The cellar visit is the way to see it from the inside. Esencia Cinco Jotas is a guided tour of about 60 minutes through the cellar that ends with a tasting of acorn-fed ham paired with wine; it costs €28 per person and €15 for ages 3 to 12. There are departures at 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 16:00 and 17:00; on Sunday only the morning ones are available. You can add an extended tasting, about 80 minutes in total, with caña de lomo, caña de presa and acorn-fed salchichón and a glass of oloroso, for €18 more.

For those who want to go further there are personalised visits, a day with one of the master cutters with workshops or courses on ham carving, with no published price, and a pairing of Riofrío organic caviar on acorn-fed ham with a bottle of champagne, at €120 per person.

Booking, hours and languages

All activities need advance booking and are subject to confirmation. You book by email, at [email protected], or on 603 599 061 and 600 955 703, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00, which is also the opening time of the shop and visitor centre. The website does not publish a cancellation policy, visit languages, accessibility or group conditions: ask when you write.