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Cuban rum has no secrets
● A brief tour of its history
Lucía Arboláez
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THE history of Cuban rum is as old as colonization
itself, given that is a product extracted from sugar
cane, which was brought to the island by Christopher
Columbus on his second voyage to this continent.
What followed is well known, the roots of sugar cane
from the Canary Islands flourished in fertile Cuban
soil, where they found an ideal microclimate to
grow, primarily around indigenous villages and
trading posts.
There are many different stories about the origin of
rum. One version says that in 1650, a rum called "rumbillon"
was brewed by pirates and corsairs who worked this
part of the Caribbean Sea.
In
Cuba, however, it is said the extermination of the
island's original inhabitants coming up to the 16th
century and the subsequent arrival of African slaves
taken by force from their native lands, contains
another part of the story.
It
is thought that those slaves were accustomed to
drinking what they called "garapo," made from
fermenting yucca and maize. Later, they began to
extract sugarcane juice which, after fermentation,
turned into a strong liquor. The liquid was
originally obtained using rudimentary devices but
later, presses were used in the sugar plantations
and mills, the juice was converted into alcohol, and
aguardiente was born.
Desired for its clarity and pleasant odor, rum came
about through a process of distillation, but it was
not until the 19th century that it became a quality
product.
Different distilleries and brand names sprouted up
across the island. Distilleries were built in
Cárdenas, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos and Havana.
Many Cuban brands were sold abroad, including
Matusalén, Jiquí, Bocoy, Campeón, Obispo, San
Carlos, Albuerne, Castillo, Bacardí and Havana Club.
Bacardí came to be known as the finest brand and
became the largest exporter for most of the 19th and
20th centuries. One of the principal actions of the
Revolutionary government that triumphed in 1959 was
the nationalization of the large private
enterprises. The owners of Bacardí emigrated and,
although they took the brand name with them, they
were unable to find plantations elsewhere that
provided the unique flavor of Cuban rum, "which
remained in our soil, on the plantations, in the
wind, in the sun, the final syrup, the alcohol, the
barrels and the inherited technological process,"
according to an eminent Cuban writer.
Since them, the Cuban rum industry has been
reorganized and expanded. Founded in Cárdenas in
1878, the Havana Club brand reemerged. Dedicated to
the export market, its emblem is the Giraldilla, a
statue that symbolizing the city of Havana.
In
1993, this brand was launched by the Franco-Cuban
Havana Club International company (the French firm
Pernod-Ricard is responsible for its worldwide
distribution), and includes the Añejo Blanco (White
Rum), Tres Años Especial Reserva (Three-Year Special
Reserve), Siete Años, and Quince Años (Seven and
Fifteen Years, respectively), as well as the new
Cuban Barrel Proof and Extra Añejo Máximo (Maximum
Extra-Aged), all of which enjoy great popularity on
both the international and domestic markets.
For
a long time Havana Club was on its own on the world
market. However, other equally important Cuban
brands are now gaining international appeal,
including Mulata, Caney, Arecha, Legendario,
Varadero, Santero and Caney.
CURRENT PRODUCTION
"Behind the secrets of one of the finest rums in the
world is an essential man, the maestro of time and
of his universe of flavors, the maestro and señor of
the bodega, the maestro rum maker, who knows every
barrel like shepherds know their sheep…" (*)
José
Navarro, Havana Club's prime maestro rum distiller,
originally from Santiago de Cuba and a qualified
chemical engineer who has worked in the rum industry
since he was a young man, told us about his work and
affirmed that there is no secret in Cuban rum
production, that its quality does not come from a
formula kept in a locked box, but simply from "a
culture inherited and passed on from generation to
generation, from Cuban to Cuban, from heart to
heart."
"Cuba seems to have a talent for producing sugar
cane and rum because the plant grows well in our
soil and the extracted molasses has an exceptional
quality with a natural microflora that makes our
aguardiente something truly special," Navarro
emphasized.
After detailing the different stages in the
production of rum, he emphasized the importance of
the human input, principally that of the maestro.
Highly specialized in his work, José Navarro
recognizes the value of his co-workers, commenting
on their high levels of technical knowledge and
capacity for identifying and selecting raw
materials, as well as designing equipment and
introducing better technology, while maintaining the
historical quality of national rums without using
essences or artifacts.
"He
identifies the rum step by step, each stage of the
production process until the final mix, created with
all of the creativity born out of his identity,
culture, and race…
"We
prefer to call the maestro of rum the maestro of
Cuban rum, since that category now implies a
permanent and direct identification with the culture
and inheritance of rum in our country," he
concluded.
(*)
History of Cuban Rum •
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