Why does a rum (cacha\u00e7a) from Brazil develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Rhum](\"https:\/\/www.rhumfestparis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bresil-ok.jpg\" "\\"Rhum")
Photo d’illustration \u00a9 Anne Gisselbrecht<\/p><\/div>\n
You always want to learn more and understand more about Rum (yes, with a capital R). A vast and sometimes complex world, it’s not always easy to find your way around. As if things weren’t complicated enough, some cane brandies have names other than the usual rum\/rum\/ron. This is the case, for example, with Brazilian cacha\u00e7a<\/strong>.<\/p>\nOn the other hand, the good news is that your specialist wine merchant – who is becoming your best friend, given the frequency of your visits – has a not inconsiderable choice in this area.<\/p>\n
When you ask him the difference between cacha\u00e7a and rum<\/strong>, he remains evasive, which, as we shall see, is completely understandable.<\/p>\nOn his good advice, you leave with a bottle of white rum – sorry, white cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You only know two things about this spirit: it comes from Brazil and is used to make caipirinha, the famous cocktail with added sugar, lime and ice. Let’s see what your fresh catch has to tell you.<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
With the bottle uncorked, you pour a few centilitres into the appropriate glass (no, still no Winnie the Pooh mustard glass). Immediately surprised by its expressive character, this cacha\u00e7a is irresistibly reminiscent of an ‘agricultural’ rum.<\/p>\n
With its aromas of fresh sugar cane<\/strong>, its vegetal and slightly<\/strong> earthy notes, the clues lead you to believe that the raw material used is nothing other than freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Bingo! What emerges from the glass, however, is a more rustic identity<\/strong>, reflected in the relatively intense earthy and herbaceous notes you smelt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
You may be thinking that this Brazilian cane brandy is simply a form of rum made from pure cane juice. Well, you’re both right and wrong – it’s not quite that simple. Let’s see what it’s all about.<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
To begin with, the legal definitions of cacha\u00e7a<\/strong> vary around the world. In Brazil, for example, there is a set of rules – which we’re going to look at – which are not exactly the same in the United States, while in Europe there is simply no definition of this alcohol.<\/p>\nSo I’m not going to dwell on what the situation is like over here, because… there is nothing.<\/p>\n
The official Brazilian text stipulates that cacha\u00e7a must be obtained exclusively by distilling fermented cane juice<\/strong>, and that the cane must have grown on Brazilian soi<\/strong>l. Distillation must take place in a single pass<\/strong>. The alcoholic percentage at bottling must be between 38% and 48%<\/strong>. Water, colouring caramel and sugar (6 g\/L) are the only elements that can be added after distillation. Anything else? No, that’s it..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
There are therefore very few rules governing the cacha\u00e7a appellation. The yeasts used, the duration of fermentation, the alembic used, the degree of pouring… all this is kept under wraps.<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So you can easily deduce that there is no single style<\/strong> of cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\nAt one extreme, you’ll find a cacha\u00e7a fermented with wild yeasts<\/strong> and discontinuously distilled<\/strong> in a small copper still, bottled without reduction<\/strong>.<\/p>\nAt the other, an alcohol more akin to vodka, spat out at a very high alcoholic percentage through multiple columns<\/strong>.<\/p>\nFortunately, the one recommended by your wine merchant belongs to the first category (sometimes called ‘traditional<\/strong>‘), which explains its expressive profile dominated by a vegetal, earthy cane.<\/strong><\/p>\nTo get a clearer picture, let’s look at some figures.<\/p>\n
Brazil is the world’s largest producer<\/strong> of sugar cane, producing over 1.5 billion litres<\/strong> of cacha\u00e7a every year. Barely one per cent is exported.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
There are several thousand producers scattered across the country, but over 75% of annual production is in fact handled by distilleries with multi-columns.<\/p>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n
So much for non-aged cacha\u00e7as<\/strong> – most of which fall into this category. There are, however, some that spend some time in wood. The terminology used is governed by law (in Brazil).<\/p>\nFrom the youngest to the oldest, the following names are used: Ouro, Envelhecida, Premium and Extra premium<\/strong>. To qualify for the latter, a cacha\u00e7a must have spent a minimum of three years in a cask with a maximum capacity of 700 litres.<\/p>\nThere are also restrictions on certain chemical compounds, but as I don’t intend to make you take a nosedive in your glass, I’ll refrain from detailing them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I won’t dwell on the ageing of cacha\u00e7a, apart from one point: there are no restrictions on the types of wood used. In other words, there’s no obligation to use oak.<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
This opens up a whole new range of possibilities, especially when it comes to using local trees<\/strong> that can’t be found anywhere else. These include Amburana, B\u00e1lsamo and Araruva. Of course, such casks will bring aromas that are totally unknown<\/strong> to our little European palates.<\/p>\nArmed with all these explanations, you’ll be in a much better position to appreciate your cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
And now you probably understand why your wine merchant was a little vague about the relationship between rum and cacha\u00e7a<\/strong>, which is anything but elementary.<\/p>\nAnd, as I like to complicate things that are already not so simple, it should also be noted that there is also rum<\/strong> (in the literal sense) in Brazil. Independent bottlers have marketed several bottles whose juice comes from the Epris distillery<\/strong>. Yet another avenue to explore.<\/p>\n\n
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Brazilian rum (cacha\u00e7a), go to the bottom of the bottle Why does a rum (cacha\u00e7a) from Brazil develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,624],"tags":[398,410],"class_list":["post-13009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-whats-this-bottle-of-rum","tag-bresil-en","tag-cachaca-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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Photo d’illustration \u00a9 Anne Gisselbrecht<\/p><\/div>\n
You always want to learn more and understand more about Rum (yes, with a capital R). A vast and sometimes complex world, it’s not always easy to find your way around. As if things weren’t complicated enough, some cane brandies have names other than the usual rum\/rum\/ron. This is the case, for example, with Brazilian cacha\u00e7a<\/strong>.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the good news is that your specialist wine merchant – who is becoming your best friend, given the frequency of your visits – has a not inconsiderable choice in this area.<\/p>\n When you ask him the difference between cacha\u00e7a and rum<\/strong>, he remains evasive, which, as we shall see, is completely understandable.<\/p>\n On his good advice, you leave with a bottle of white rum – sorry, white cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With the bottle uncorked, you pour a few centilitres into the appropriate glass (no, still no Winnie the Pooh mustard glass). Immediately surprised by its expressive character, this cacha\u00e7a is irresistibly reminiscent of an ‘agricultural’ rum.<\/p>\n With its aromas of fresh sugar cane<\/strong>, its vegetal and slightly<\/strong> earthy notes, the clues lead you to believe that the raw material used is nothing other than freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Bingo! What emerges from the glass, however, is a more rustic identity<\/strong>, reflected in the relatively intense earthy and herbaceous notes you smelt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n To begin with, the legal definitions of cacha\u00e7a<\/strong> vary around the world. In Brazil, for example, there is a set of rules – which we’re going to look at – which are not exactly the same in the United States, while in Europe there is simply no definition of this alcohol.<\/p>\n So I’m not going to dwell on what the situation is like over here, because… there is nothing.<\/p>\n The official Brazilian text stipulates that cacha\u00e7a must be obtained exclusively by distilling fermented cane juice<\/strong>, and that the cane must have grown on Brazilian soi<\/strong>l. Distillation must take place in a single pass<\/strong>. The alcoholic percentage at bottling must be between 38% and 48%<\/strong>. Water, colouring caramel and sugar (6 g\/L) are the only elements that can be added after distillation. Anything else? No, that’s it..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So you can easily deduce that there is no single style<\/strong> of cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\n At one extreme, you’ll find a cacha\u00e7a fermented with wild yeasts<\/strong> and discontinuously distilled<\/strong> in a small copper still, bottled without reduction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n At the other, an alcohol more akin to vodka, spat out at a very high alcoholic percentage through multiple columns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the one recommended by your wine merchant belongs to the first category (sometimes called ‘traditional<\/strong>‘), which explains its expressive profile dominated by a vegetal, earthy cane.<\/strong><\/p>\n To get a clearer picture, let’s look at some figures.<\/p>\n Brazil is the world’s largest producer<\/strong> of sugar cane, producing over 1.5 billion litres<\/strong> of cacha\u00e7a every year. Barely one per cent is exported.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/h3>\n So much for non-aged cacha\u00e7as<\/strong> – most of which fall into this category. There are, however, some that spend some time in wood. The terminology used is governed by law (in Brazil).<\/p>\n From the youngest to the oldest, the following names are used: Ouro, Envelhecida, Premium and Extra premium<\/strong>. To qualify for the latter, a cacha\u00e7a must have spent a minimum of three years in a cask with a maximum capacity of 700 litres.<\/p>\n There are also restrictions on certain chemical compounds, but as I don’t intend to make you take a nosedive in your glass, I’ll refrain from detailing them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This opens up a whole new range of possibilities, especially when it comes to using local trees<\/strong> that can’t be found anywhere else. These include Amburana, B\u00e1lsamo and Araruva. Of course, such casks will bring aromas that are totally unknown<\/strong> to our little European palates.<\/p>\n Armed with all these explanations, you’ll be in a much better position to appreciate your cacha\u00e7a.<\/p>\n And now you probably understand why your wine merchant was a little vague about the relationship between rum and cacha\u00e7a<\/strong>, which is anything but elementary.<\/p>\n And, as I like to complicate things that are already not so simple, it should also be noted that there is also rum<\/strong> (in the literal sense) in Brazil. Independent bottlers have marketed several bottles whose juice comes from the Epris distillery<\/strong>. Yet another avenue to explore.<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Brazilian rum (cacha\u00e7a), go to the bottom of the bottle Why does a rum (cacha\u00e7a) from Brazil develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,624],"tags":[398,410],"class_list":["post-13009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-whats-this-bottle-of-rum","tag-bresil-en","tag-cachaca-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYou only know two things about this spirit: it comes from Brazil and is used to make caipirinha, the famous cocktail with added sugar, lime and ice. Let’s see what your fresh catch has to tell you.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You may be thinking that this Brazilian cane brandy is simply a form of rum made from pure cane juice. Well, you’re both right and wrong – it’s not quite that simple. Let’s see what it’s all about.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
There are therefore very few rules governing the cacha\u00e7a appellation. The yeasts used, the duration of fermentation, the alembic used, the degree of pouring… all this is kept under wraps.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
There are several thousand producers scattered across the country, but over 75% of annual production is in fact handled by distilleries with multi-columns.<\/p>\n
I won’t dwell on the ageing of cacha\u00e7a, apart from one point: there are no restrictions on the types of wood used. In other words, there’s no obligation to use oak.<\/strong><\/h3>\n