It is the traditional job of men to ensure an exact distillation of this symbol of the island. For several years, chemical engineers Noemí del Toro and Sulema Alemán have held this category in the factories of Santiago de Cuba (east), and Santa Cruz (Mayabeque, West), in that order.
Del Toro and Alemán spoke with Prensa Latina in one of the few moments of tranquility they had, together with their colleagues, at the 40th International Tourism Fair (FITCuba-2022), held in this western and famous resort.
“Rum is not a product, it is a culture linked to our history, that is why being a Master is an honor but it is a high responsibility assumed when you are designated for your career, values, knowledge and way of being, depository and responsible for maintaining this tradition,” said the woman from Santiago.
For the expert from Mayabeque, who lives in Havana, “the Master of Cuban rum, due to its integrity, is the repository of generations that taught us and marked a path on how to make that drink and differentiate it from others in the Caribbean.”
And he added: “That’s where the concept of light rum arose in the 19th century, and Cuba prides itself on having given birth to that work to date, jealously transmitted, and we have to defend it tooth and nail, and position it in the markets.”
Both specialists ruled out refusing innovation, “the production of rums in the portfolios of our factories indicates it; we religiously take care of punctuality, exquisiteness, discipline, and that is why we speak of values and requirements.”
Regarding the woman’s “touch” to this work, they agreed that “the first distinction is to represent this people and seek harmony, stability, flavor, equilibrium, balance; rum falls in love and captivates, those who taught us to work and We appreciate it.”
They explained that, as part of the manufacturing process, “we have the obligation to test its sensory values, smell, color, flavor are evaluated, if it is able to go on the market, save bases for the future.”
The message to drink rum, they expanded, is not to do it as a social escape, “rum is to be enjoyed, it is jubilation, happiness, and to give pleasure to the senses.”
Frequently attending national and foreign events, Alemán said that it draws attention abroad “our concept, how we live with our colleagues, abroad the Masters respond to brands, we are above the brands, we are based on the rum Cuban; our brand is Cuba”.
ef/car/wap
