Iberian Jamón

The four qualities of jamón ibérico

Spanish law recognises four qualities, each identified by a coloured label fixed to the piece. Two things separate them: the pig's breed and what it ate. Our range covers all four.

Ibérico de Cebo — white label

50 % Iberian pig, farm-raised on cereals and pulses. It never goes out into the dehesa, but this is still artisan production. It is the way into Iberian ham: a straightforward taste, less marbling. 26 months' curing minimum, 7 to 9.5 kg for the whole piece.

Ibérico de Cebo de Campo — green label

Same 50 % breed, same base feed, but the pig lives outdoors and tops up its ration with grass and whatever it finds in the dehesas that do not produce enough bellotas. The exercise changes the meat: more marbling, a longer finish. 30 months' curing minimum.

Ibérico de Bellota — red label

50 % Iberian pig that spends the montanera free in the dehesa, from October to February, fattening almost entirely on acorns (bellotas) and wild grasses. The acorn is what gives the melting fat and the hazelnut notes. 36 months' curing minimum, 7 to 9.5 kg for the piece.

100 % Ibérico de Bellota — black label

Two purebred Iberian parents, the same montanera, the same acorn diet. The 100 % refers to the breed, not the feed: that is what separates this category from the previous one. It is the only one legally entitled to the name pata negra since the 2014 Spanish standard. 42 months' curing, 6.5 to 8.5 kg for the piece.

From one quality to the next, the sliced kilo goes from CHF 159 to CHF 499. Three things explain the gap: the pig's breed, the montanera, and sixteen extra months of curing.

Our producers

Cárnicas Pozas

They supply our Cebo, Cebo de Campo and Bellota jamones. A family house from Baños de Montemayor, in the Ambroz valley in Extremadura, where the pigs are raised on the region's fincas.

Juan Pedro Domecq

Our 100 % Ibérico de Bellota comes from them, in the province of Huelva, where the house has been established since 1978. Why these two houses.

Not sure which quality to choose? Our guide to the four qualities, from Cebo to Pata Negra.