(Sue Sea's first quick sip and pre-review, lol...)
Jimbo: "A Coffee Caramel"
Hoo boy! Cruzan was the second dark rum we tasted in our Dark Rum Smackdown (this section), and it is the quintessential dark rum. Black as night and marketed as a reflection of history. As you may know, a daily tot of rum fueled the early Carribean navies, and in larger quantities led to piratical plunder and orgies. The earliest rums were, in fact, darker - this led to a preference for dark rum. A problem since improved refining processes also resulted in lighter rums. The solution:
Secret amounts of caramel or burnt sugar were added to produce the desired color. Ergo the most famous: what became Pusser's Navy rum. And Cruzan's created competition: Cruzan Black Strap Rum. The reviews:
Sue Sea:
Me:Oh boy! I will not soon forget my first, tentative sip of Cruzan's Black Strap. Wow! Like Jackie Gleason's "Pow! Right in the kisser!". But strangely, this powerful dark captured me as a special sipper. Black Strap comes in a traditional bottle with a simple, strong, dark blue transparent label that exclaims "Black Strap Rum" and "Navy Tradition".
Its aroma was unmistakeable: molasses and lots of it, with a bit of caramel, coffee and maple syrup. Black Strap is pretty heavy, and tastes of coffee, toffee and molasses. Like a caramel toffee melting in your mouth. The finish is comparatively unremarkable, but leaves a strong but pleasant aftertaste of coffee licorice, and a bit of what I will call hickory smoke. But major coffee! Very lovely under the right circumstances.
I feel this rum would make an excellent coffee rum, with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Or maybe the reverse! Think dessert rum, a very slow sipper that is not overly thick.
Cruzan Black Strap surprised me. This rum is dark, really dark. Try a near-black dark mahogany - but with a surprising thin green edge. Its nosing starts out strong, simple and direct. Molasses. Big molasses - but with a sweet, syrupy coffee background. It is heavy bodied, but not offensively so. Not clingy or cloying like more than a few of the "premiums". The taste is entirely consistent. Black Strap's finish is quick and nondescript, lightly peppery. But it leaves a delicious coffee/licorice aftertaste.
Sue Sea and I both reached a similar conclusion. Cruzan Black Strap can also serve as a unique and memorable dessert sipper to accompany, uh, dessert. A must buy.
Score as a sipper (10 is best): 6.
Note: If you do rate this rum (as a sipper), please also post and share your experiences with Black Strap as a mixer. Thanks...