Photo Credit: Leticia Gomes
This New Year's, my best friend Richard and his wife Mariya came up to visit. At one point, my wife suggested that Richard and I do a blind tasting of four white cachaças. Richard and I all-too-happily complied.
Keep in mind this was quite the cachaça week. During the welcome party that we threw for Richard and Mariya that Tuesday, I ended up pouring at least 14 caipirinhas (Leblon, Cabana, Boca Loca) for our ten or so guests and maybe three doses (Barril 39, Velho Pescador) for myself, all while Richard and I shared tales of our richly enjoyed shenanigans from our time in the East Bay.
As to the Thursday tasting, the four contenders were (left to right):
Photo Credit: Leticia Gomes
All of these cachaças were sent to me over the past six months by representatives of these brands. Of the four, you can find my reviews of Boca Loca and Beija on Cachaçagora. (I haven't gotten to the others just yet.) All are 40% ABV.
Richard and I left the room while my wife poured the cachaça and assigned them their designated letters on the tasting mats.
Photo Credit: Leticia Gomes
See the rankings after the jump.
#4: Cuca Fresca
Cuca Fresca... It's not bad, but it's really best as a mixer. While I have been fond of Cuca Fresca Pura Gold in coffee drinks, the clear variety, too, should be mixed. Both Richard and I found it sharp and detected a bit of sourness.
#3: Beija
This cachaça, reviewed earlier, deserves marks for its apple-y initial taste and clean aroma. The finish was a little on the astringent side compared to the others. I'll say now what I said in my review, though: "It's pretty tough to go wrong with this one".
#2: Boca Loca
This sweeter cachaca seems to offer something different for everyone. I've always tasted caramel, but Richard came away with a coconut flavor. Jeffrey Morgenthaler says that stone fruit flavors like peach and apricot really come through for him. Mixed in a caipirinha the night before, Richard definitely took notice of this cachaça's rich flavors. (In fact, one attendee at the welcoming party two nights before remarked that there was little commonality in the cachaças from my collection that he tried.)
Which brings us to...
#1: Guapiara Silver
With its incredible smoothness and light, spicy notes, this one was the clear winner. Richard said that this could be the "Cazadores of cachaça", referring to the premium tequila brand that a friend of ours (for some odd reason) used to insist on mixing with Squirt citrus soda. We found Guapiara Silver to be surprisingly mellow. Look for a review of this one sometime in January.
I've already got tasters lined up for a late-winter/early-spring tasting. Until then, saúde!
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