Prices:

Individual Class Full Price: $85

Individual Class Industry Price: $65

5 Class Package $250

 

Rumba Rum University

The rum revolution is well underway, and this is your opportunity to learn more about it! This course was developed to train Rumba & Inside Passage’s world-class Rumtenders and is being offered to all for the first time. Classes are roughly an hour and a half long ranging in topics from areas of production, stills, history to esterification and terroir. We’ll take an in-depth look at the world of r(h)um while tasting our way through it! Sign up for all five classes, or pick and choose which dates or topics interest you most. 

 

Really serious about rum? This five-class package gives you the chance to attend all the lessons in the curriculum. Each class will take place at 1:00 on Sundays starting January 7th. You’ll learn about and taste r(h)um from all over the Caribbean, becoming a true aficionado along the way.

Jan. 7th LESSON ONE: History, Production and Classification

Lesson One of Rumba Rum U covers the not so basic building blocks of rum. We’ll start with a blind tasting, then learn what to look for as we taste rum, where and how it's made, all the way to tasting notes. Next we’ll move into the early history of rum production, placing an important emphasis on the systems of colonial exploitation that allowed early production to flourish. From there we’ll move into a detailed look at all facets of production, from grass to glass, ending with ways that categorization of rum styles can help and hinder us. Heavy on general history and a good bit of science too, Lesson One creates a vocabulary and basis of knowledge that will make trying r(h)um from all different islands much easier to digest.

Jan. 14th LESSON TWO Barbados and Jamaica

Lesson Two will offer an in-depth focus on two important rum producing islands. First up Barbados: the “birthplace” of rum. A quick history lesson will lead into exploration of the general smooth, well- rounded and damn delicious Bajan style. Along the way we’ll touch on some major mover and shakers on the island and where the Bajan rum scene stands today with production at the four distilleries on the island.
Jamaica is our next stop, and you might need your lab coat for this one. We’ll dive deep into esterification, dunder and muck, all those lovely things that create that HOGO we’ve come to love. The six distilleries of Jamaica along with the island's history and regulations will also be discussed.

Jan. 21st LESSON THREE Guyana and Martinique

Lesson Three will take a detailed look at two very different, and well-loved regions. Guyana, the home of Demerara rum comes first. In addition to a more detailed country history, we’ll hone in on Guyana’s only distillery's Heritage Stills, a set of unique and historical stills that set their rum apart from the pack. 

Next is Martinique where AOC Agricole is the star of the show. The prevalence and eventual takeover of Agricole will be examined through key events leading to its rise, and the founding of the Martinique Rhum AOC. Currently producing and figurehead distilleries and brands will be discussed with a particular emphasis on terroir and how that shows itself.

Jan. 28th LESSON FOUR Spanish Style and Bottlers

Lesson Four will cover the general category of “Spanish Style” rum or ron, a vast category of rum found throughout the Spanish speaking regions of the Caribbean and South and Central America. Starting off in Cuba, we'll go over their distillation, blending and aging and how that shaped the general Spanish style as a whole. Next we’ll move into selected regional distilleries, think Venezuela, Nicaragua and Panama, which are doing things a little different than the Cuban style, highlighting how this changes the flavors and complexities in the rum. Lastly we’ll sneak in a section about general rum bottlers, from independent bottlers to original producers.

Feb. 4th LESSON FIVE Class Picks 

Lesson Five is where some of the smaller, or up and coming production areas will have their chance to shine. R(h)um production and taste really runs the gamut all throughout the world, this is where we’ll deep dive into some of the lesser known flavors or regions and flush out just how different rums can really be from one another. We’ll go over history, general styles and production for different countries and islands like Haiti, St Lucia, Mexico and Brazil.