TAFIA

What are underwater Rhum?

Underwater rhum goes through a process of elaboration on land,of bay de St Pierre I. Martinique,Caribbean Sea  logically. Subsequently, its aging takes place under the sea where its quality will be enhanced. The bottles remain submerged in stainless steel cages for months at least 24 meters deep, maturing without altering their harmonious and round flavor.

This type of wine is of the highest quality. If it has been made with the best  barel and has received a good aging in the cellar, it will be a great tast if it finally receives an aging in the sea.

As you can see, this type is a rhum aged in barrels that has a subsequent maturation process under water. The physical conditions necessary for winemaking are sought: pressure, darkness, thermal inertia and, above all, agitation due to pressure variations linked to tides.

As well as for old rhum the selection of the grapes, pressing and first fermentation are three delicate preliminary stages that are key to the rest of the rhum conservation process.

How is underwater Rhum made?

The temperature and light have a direct impact on the ageing, since the one under the sea is significantly different from the one on the surface.

The defenders of this method of aging believe that the special microclimate, plus the movement of the currents and waves that cradle the bottles and the complete protection of the phases of the moon, create the optimal conditions for the wine to mature.

Characteristics of underwater Rhum

These rhum have a very delicate aging in the depths of the sea, where the following conditions are given:

• Constant temperature of about 14 degrees that allow the correct evolution of the wine.
• Under the sea there isn’t the same amount of light as on the surface.
• The presence of oxygen is less.
• There is great pressure and gravity under the sea that will influence the taste of the wine.
• The natural movement of the sea currents on the lees provide a total enrichment to the wine.

Rhummaker argue that underwater rhum have greater complexity, better integration and balance. Especially the producers of sparkling wines say that they have noticed that their wines have a more integrated type of bubble and what stands out most is that the life of their rhum is longer because they maintain a higher pressure level during aging.We wonder if underwater rhum has more complexity than if it had been terrestrial and the answer is that it does, due to the special equipment and specialized labor required for its aging.

The First Productions of Tafia: 1639-1654

The French began to establish a permanent presence in the West Indies in 1625. After a failed attempt to settle in Brazil,they established themselves on Saint-Christophe and, to a much lesser extent, on Saint-Domingue. At that time, the main crop in the Lesser Antilles was tobacco. However, this product, although profitable, did not find real commercial outlets in the face of Brazilian tobacco, which was of much better quality.

The "Compagnie des Iles d'Amérique" (Company of the Islands of America) was created in 1635 at the instigation of Richelieu. It was responsible for the colonization of Guadeloupe and Martinique and, later, of islands such as Saint Lucia,Grenada and Saint Barthélemy. The Company encouraged the colonists to plant sugarcane, but they were slow to do so,especially since the world sugar market was in a bad way.

At the end of 1639 or the beginning of 1640, the first sugar mill in Guadeloupe was built by Samuel Trezel.

In Martinique, it was Daniel Trezel, a Dutchman from Rouen, who received, on April 6, 1639, a seven-year monopoly on the cultivation of sugarcane in Martinique with a ban on planting tobacco there. The same year, in August 1639, de Poincy, lieutenant-general of the Islands of America, granted a certain Monsieur Fague a ten-year monopoly on the distillation of sugarcane brandy in Saint-Christophe and Martinique. The effectiveness of this authorization is unknown,but it is the oldest reference to the production of tafia in the French West Indies. In 1640, Daniel Trézel built the first sugar mill in Martinique, which, according to Father du Tertre, was located in Saint-Pierre.

In 1640, Father Bouton said, speaking of the slaves: "They are very fond of brandy, which they call belly-burner." This is the first French reference to the consumption of rum, whose name "Brûle ventre" echoes the name "Kill-Devil" in the English West Indies.