porter Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 What's difference between sugarcane juice and raw sugar crystals? Want to do cachaca style and looking for proper base. The crystals are easier to find but will they be correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumfarmer Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Sugarcane juice is just what it sounds like. It is unrefined juice pressed from sugarcane. It spoils very quickly, so distilleries that use it generally have sugarcane growing nearby. Once crushed, cane juice spontaneously ferments almost immediately. If you are in the midwest, it will probably be difficult to make a cachaca or agricole style rum unless you order refrigerated container loads of sugar cane from Texas or Louisiana and crush it at your distillery. The next closest thing to juice is cane syrup. It is much more stable and can be stored longer. But, it is very hard to find a bulk cane syrup supplier. Next, go for evaporated cane juice (ECJ). This is a crystalized sugar that is not completely refined yet. You might still get some trace elements of the vegetal notes you are looking for in the rum. I live in the tropics, so I grow my own sugar cane near my distillery. Even with a sugar industry here I found it hard to source any cane juice or even syrup. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porter Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 Turbinado sugar looks to be very close. Anyone have experience with it, other than on their breakfast cereal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumfarmer Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Turbinado sugar and ECJ are generally interchangeable, although there are non-food grade ECJ products that would probably work better and be cheaper for distillation. I think there are lots of people making rum with Turbinado, but I am not one of them. I am sure someone on this forum has done it. Not sure you can really make a cachaca style rum without cane juice, but it is worth trying. There are great rums made with molasses, syrup, refined sugar, pure juice, and a combination of any and all. Try different stuff and see what you get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Morgan Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Traditional, true Brazilian Cachaça is made from ONLY sugar cane juice. **However**, I know of several top brands that are made of either 1st run molasses or blackstrap. Cane juice will naturally start to ferment after 2-3 hours, it does not transport well, and spoils easily. An IWSC Gold medal winner I know is using raw sugar. You need to consider your overall process, as a pot still will struggle to strip the heavy flavors from a molasses wash, whereas a column would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Daddy Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 We supply cane syrup, dehydrated cane juice, and evaporated cane jice (in 50 lb industrial bags) that solves most of the short shelf life problems of sugar cane juice without sacrificing the taste. Contact me at sugardaddypanela@gmail.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Daddy Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 We produce sugar cane juice or panela. Please see the attached photo. It is nothing like non-GMO sugar or molasses for those that have tried it. We are family-owed and have distribution on both coasts and the Midwest. Please contact me at: Sugardaddypanela@gmail.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCCuRYLYfBY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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