THE MESTRES CACHACEIROSÀ AT WORK
TIJUCA spirits could not exist without the know-how of Brazilian mestres cachaceiros and their French counterparts.
IN THE BEGINNING IS SUGAR CANE…
The question has been asked throughout history as to whether there is a variety of sugar cane ideal for the production of rum.
The debate remains open but TIJUCA considers that the choice of sugar cane remains important in order to meet the quality requirements of the brand, and in particular, to guarantee the desired characteristics in relation to maturation and sugar content.
TIJUCA directs its producers towards sugar cane from organic farming, thereby using agricultural techniques that are respectful of the environment and compatible with sustainable development.
THE HARVEST: “A SAFRA DE CANA”
Sugar canes take between 12 and 18 months to reach full maturity. When the stem becomes hard and waxy, the amount of sugar in the plant is at its optimum. About a month after flowering, cutting can begin.
The harvest period is from September to December in Brazil. Our producers harvest healthy cane by hand, just by cutting the stems and do not use the burning technique.
Once the cane arrives at the mill, it is crushed no more than 12 hours after harvesting so as not to start fermentation and not to lose sucrose.
FERMENTATION: THE “PÉ DE CUBA”
The cane juice, after decantation and filtration, is then left to ferment for 24 hours in stainless steel vats placed in a ventilated room kept at room temperature.
In the production of artisanal cachaça, the fermentation process must be completely natural. Fermentation is the partial oxidation of the glucose present in the surgar cane juice, by the sole action of yeasts and without the use of chemical additives. This is how the pé de cuba is created, a dense liquid composed of yeasts and sugar cane juice.
DISTILLATION: “O CORAÇÃO”
When this operation is completed, the vat contains an alcoholic wine of 7° to 12°, ready for distillation.
At TIJUCA, the process involves boiling the wine inside a copper still, producing vapors that are condensed by cooling to give a large quantity of alcohol.
At the exit of the still, the distillate is separated into the “cabeça”, the “coração” and the “cauda”; in French: the head, the heart and the tail. Only the purest part of the distillate, “o coração”, is used.
TIJUCA producers only need one distillation pass to obtain a quality distillate.
BREEDING: SPECIAL IDENTITY AND “ANGELS’ SHARE”
After an initial maturation in stainless steel vats, the distillate is then stored for at least eighteen months in barrels made of wood endemic to Mata Atlântica. The bouquet of the spirit then benefits from the fruit of complex chemical reactions between the distillate and the different components of the wood as well as exchanges with its environment (air and hygrometry).
The tropical climate that gave birth to TIJUCA cachaças further accentuates these exchanges. The distillate will partly evaporate during the process: “the angels’ share”. This phase of production, also called “breeding”, is essential to achieve the very special identity of TIJUCA spirits, whose aromatic palettes reflect the diversity of the essences of the Brazilian forest.
ASSEMBLY AND FINISH
Finally, the distillates from our Brazilian producers are assembled on site or in France with all the know-how of Brazilian mestres alambiqueiros or cellar masters from the Cognac region, but always according to original recipes specific to TIJUCA.
The cachaças are then left to rest in stainless steel vats while the BBR rum benefits from a finish in oak barrels previously used for aging white Port.
Beyond the symbolic reminiscence of the Portuguese empire in Brazil, this additional refining adds to the complexity of the aromatic notes which make TIJUCA rum so specific.
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