Infusion or Tincture

[Eckardt M]

Good day everyone, hope all is well and that some good Rum is being made.

I have a question on making a spiced Rum.

Is it better to make tinctures of various spice flavors and flavour the rum by adding a little bit of the tinctures to the rum or is it better to infuse the rum with the spices?

If the infusion is better how does one filter out all the unnecessary powder bits?

Why I am asking this is we have infused the spices with the rum. We filtered the spice rum through 1 coffee filter. The next day when one look through the bottle you can see some bits floating around in the rum. We have only used powdered spices, Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. We had to filter the spiced rum 4 time more to get everything out.

Your help will be appreciated.

Regards
Eckardt

[Samyguy]

Get a finer mesh bag, or use 3 or 4 coffee filters at a time.

[Bushman]

Sometimes refrigerating it for a while will separate the particles so you can remove them.

[Saltbush Bill]

Cotton wool in a funnel may help.

[Eckardt M]

I will try some cotton wool at the bottom of the funnel and then two filters at the top.

[NZChris]

Give it time to settle, then decant off the clear and filter the dregs through your liver.

[WeegieDistiller]

I think it depends on the spices you want to use as some can be really easy to go too much with and the extract/tincture route is best for this with things like cloves.

[StillerBoy]

When using coffee filters to filter, use at least 2 and sometimes 3 filter together, and run then under cold water before running the likker through.. the cold water closes the paper fibres and it removes the paper dust..

Mars

[Pfretzschner]

I just finished a run of rum that I infused the aroma and of allspice, and taste of cinnamon in the mash. I made a 10 gal wash and used about a 1/2 lb of allspice leaves that I chopped very course and a 1/4 lb of cinnamon sticks,, I wrapped in cheese cloth and left it in for the 18 days that it took to ferment in the cooler weather. I strained the mash to make sure I had the solid out,,, did a preheat at 135 degrees for 2 hours then let it cool over night and ran it the next day. It buttered up very well and both the allspice and cinnamon came through when I distilled it. I'm still such an armature, but I'm really pleased with how it came out and it was definitely one of my best runs yet. I'm going to add honey to the wash and cloves and mace to the allspice, cinnamon bag, for the next run.

[Fraser]

I'm curious as to whether anyone has tried a vapor infusion of rum spices during distillation. That would keep the various bits of spice from having to be filtered out later.

[NZChris]

I'm curious as to whether anyone has tried a vapor infusion of rum spices during distillation. That would keep the various bits of spice from having to be filtered out later.

They don't have to be in the vapor, you can put them in the boiler.

[distiller_dresden]

We have only used powdered spices, Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.

Hey bud! Glad to have a rummy on board, we're the future!

I would recommend a change. I recommend you get very good cinnamon sticks (I like Saigon cinnamon sticks from McCormick), whole raw or candied ginger (which you'd then slice or crumble up), and a grating planer for whole nutmeg. It is just completely different, and BETTER, to use the whole for any spices you want to infuse, or fresh, for any herbs you want to use. Then I'd suggest making tinctures using a small amount of the rum/spirit to be infused, and a larger/healthy amount of the infusing spice/herb. These are best done at high proofs, anything 60%/120 proof is more ideal, so do it before you proof down or right after you make cuts. Then with your 'neutral' rum after your spices/herbs have sat for at least 2 weeks, I'd go a month on a shelf in a dark place (laundry room), you can take the time to sit and slowly blend your spiced rum by adding your rum-herb/spice tinctures a bit at a time, like with a dropper or a tablespoon. Depends how anal and attentive you want to be for it; more control is better, I always say.

This makes top shelf spiced rums because it's tightly controlled and exactly as much of each flavor as you desire, instead of rolling dice and placing stuff directly in your rum, or putting 'an amount' in a pot or thumper.

I would also HIGHLY recommend using allspice, or clove (especially clove!), get whole allspice berries dried, as that's a component of many Jamaican rums (using leaves and berries from allspice in fermenting washes). Other things I personally like to use are prunes or raisins (dark raisins aged in rum for a few months make a remarkable rum by itself), apricots, or even not super sweet cherries like Rainier cherries (they're lighter red and gold, balanced sweet and tart). All these things together in a spiced rum, even pick 1 fruit with the spices (also don't discount fresh pineapple, no cans, and you soak the rind and fruit; you can use just the rind and core if you want less sugar and water from the infusion, more pineapple flavor) they can together craft a perfectly divine spiced rum!

Also don't fail to consider things you normally wouldn't think of for spiced rum; I like to use black peppercorns and in a mortar and pestle (or in a towel with a hammer) crack them slightly, then use those for a tincture - it works VERY well with fruitier flavors and with cinnamon. Other things are sweet herbs, like basil, or something you like a lot. You can also even get fresh sugar cane now, Amazon or in some places locally (like FL), which would be a great infusion choice. Vanilla beans!

[Pfretzschner]

dresden,,,, would you enlighten me as to how you would make a tincture with all spice. I have a tree that I have been using the leaves from in my washes. It's about time for it to start to bud so I should have plenty of the berries soon. I've not ever thought of using tinctures but I'd like to try everything that sounds good. I have plenty of 160 proof heads to use for tinctures.

I have been using whole cinnamon sticks,,, and Mace instead of nutmeg. Whole vanilla beans are like gold, but worth it I think. I have been making a bundle of spices out of cheese cloth and using this to infuse the flavors it in the wash. I've really been trying to see how much flavors and aromas I could infuse without having to add anything to the rum after it was distilled. I have added all spice leaves to my finished rum and after a couple weeks,, and it was very noticeable,, but it turned the rum a little green. I've had a lot of fun sharing it though.

I'm going to make a buttered Carambola rum next,,,,, and then a buttered Loquat rum, as soon as my trees have fruit. I have been using Florida dark brown cane sugar and Florida molassas for all my rums so far. I'm still going to keep trying to infuse spices in the wash. I'll let you know how it goes.

[distiller_dresden]

Hey Pfretz! I can help, I did some checking and for whole allspice berries you want to place them in alcohol that's 70-90% ABV for the best extraction of the key flavor compounds and oils. As with any 'tincture' type preparation you're soaking them in the alcohol for a length of time. Allspice leaves or berries also do well in distillation for extracting flavor essence. A distillation extraction will result in different flavors, and be harder to control the strength of flavor in the final result, because who knows without trying it out a few times at different levels just how much leaves and/or berries to include in your pot (or thump). With the tincture you can place an amount in, start conservatively, check it daily or every other, at one point you'll know if you want more 'material' in the tincture alcohol or not, and when to pull the materials and the tincture is 'ready' or what you want. Keep in mind it's a 'flavoring' additive so if it is stronger than you want, good! You're adding it bit by bit until that specific flavor reaches the level in your spirit that you want, then move onto your next tincture, like for 'blending' a spiced rum in a base rum.

Here's a list from elsewhere on board that was posted about ABV%'s for tincturing spices and herbs:
Quassia Chips: 70%
Angelica Root: 45%
Wormwood: 60-70%
Buckbean Leaves: 45%
Calamus Root 45-60%
Florentine Orris Root: toxic DO NOT CONSUME IN ANY FORM.
Cinchona Bark: 90%
Gentian root: 45%
Wild cherry bark: 45%
Black walnut leaf: 25%
Lavender flower: 65-90%
Burdock root: 25%
Marjoram Herb, Sweet 65-90%
Szechuan Peppercorns: 65-70%
Black Tellicherry Peppercorns: 65-70%
Black Talamanca Peppercorns: 65-70%
Pink Peppercorns: 65-70%
Juniper Berries: 80-90%
Aleppo Pepper: 65-70%
Korean Chili Flakes: 65-70%
Thai Chili Flake: 65-70%
Saffron 50-60%
Cumin Seed: 70-90%
Coriander Whole: 70-90%
Rosemary Cut: 70-90%
Mint Cut: 70-90%
Fennel Seed: 70-90%
Star anise, whole: 70-90%
Allspice (Mexican), whole: 70-90%
Cardamom (green pods): 70-90%
Cardamom (shelled), whole: 70-90%

Too bad you don't have a Kroger? My local Kroger, like awesome geniuses, had a sale on vanilla beans for $4 for 2 (in one jar) and had several different locales of bean, I stocked the F up! Hahaha!

Jamaican distilleries use allspice leaves in their rum washes; not all, not all the time, but it's commonly done, as well as the berries (I'm guessing when they're available or in season?).

[Pfretzschner]

Thanks dresden. My allspice tree is beginning to bud right now so I should have lots of berries next month. If the tincture is strong enough I would like to see what it does by adding it to the 2nd thumper,, that I usually charge with tails. If I make it as soon as I have berries,, the tincture should be ready to try this summer. How much alcohol would you suggest I use for each cup of ground up allspice berries?