The history of rum and tafia dates back to the 17th century. Both originated on vast sugar plantations in
Haiti. This is in dispute some sources attribute it to Barbados. In the colonial era, the rum trade became very lucrative and rum production was a major source of the demand for
slaves, who were needed to produce sugar cane. In 18th century Louisiana, sugar was grown more for households and local needs, not as an export crop, although it was used to make tafia for local consumption. Often, both tafia and rum were produced. Tafia is a kind of rum mostly for local consumption, as it is easier and cheaper to make. Rum took more time, effort, and resources to produce, but it was a more profitable product that could be shipped to distant markets, because it refined the taste. In the making of rum, the juice from sugarcane is boiled down to
syrup. This syrup is briskly stirred until crystals form. When the crystal layer is removed, the remainder —
molasses — is boiled again and water and yeast are added to the molasses and water mixture and allowed to
ferment. Rum made directly from cane juice is known as
rhum agricole. The fermented mixture is then
distilled. The distilled product is colorless until it is aged in wooden
barrels and other natural ingredients like
caramel are added. ==References==