Blackbeard's Rum and Rum Cakes ? Award-Winning/Made Locally

Rum cakes are an excellent purchase here in the Cayman Islands. Everyone knows the Caribbean is famous for its rum so it would be a shame to leave here without at least a few rum cakes.

We highly recommend Blackbeard's for rum and rum cakes. They offer the only locally produced rum and we like to support our local companines. They use their award winning rum in all of their cakes which are also baked right here on island. They offer free samples of thier rum cakes at numerous locations throughout the island so you can sample them for free.

Since it is locally produced, you can bring back an unlimited quantity to the US free of duty.

If you use the coupons in our magazine you will receive a discount on all Blackbeard's products.

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 9

We've had both Blackbeards and Tortuga and like em both. We started gettin blackbeards since they have the coupons and it saves us some money. I am glad now to hear they are made there locally, we like to do all we can to support the local business when we are down there.

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 15

I don't eat the cakes, but my wife, brother and parents all really liked the Tortuga cakes better than Blackbeards. I am sure it comes down to personal taste, so be sure to check them both out (there are samples of both about everywhere you go in GT). I also got some very good jerk marinade from Tortuga. Anyone have a suggestion as to where else I might find some good authentic jerk seasonings?

Thanks!

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:10 pm Post subject:

Blackbeard's also offers a complete line of gourmet condiments, sauces and marinades, including jerk.

Frequent Flyer Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 25

Blackbeard's is way better than Tortuga. I did not know Tortugas rum wasnt even made there. WE try to support the LOCAL economy when we come! In case some of you haven't heard, they just had a big storm down there and the LOCAL businesses need your tourist dollars. You should all support the local businesses.

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:11 pm Post subject:

Traveler - Your intentions seem good, at least some of the time. However, your posting etiquette often leaves much to be desired. I have already received complaints from several members about the manner in which you post, and this board is less than one week old. I am spending a great deal of my time here answering questions and providing a vehicle for others to communicate. Continually having to get involved in disputes between members takes my time away from more productive things that I could be doing.

I am giving you a three-day time out to consider what I have said. If you would like to come back after that and make a positive contribution to this board without attacking fellow members, then you are welcome to return.

The non-constructive posts in this thread have been deleted.

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 7

We have been eating both Blackbeards and Tortuga rum cakes for years and frankly, I can't discern much difference between the two. We do prefer Blackbeard's flavored rums, so we get the cakes while we are there. It was nice when the coupons started turning up for them in Activityguide!

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 5

I'm not sure that Joe meant to imply that the Tortuga Rum Cakes are NOT produced on the island. My understanding is that they are, and have been since 1984. Believe me, I have never paid much attention to the Rum Cakes, and have only bought them in recent years, as a gift to take home to neighbors, etc. However, I spent a lot of time keeping up with events after the hurricane on the stormcarib.com board, and I was so impressed with what the Miami based Tortuga Imports Co. (which handles the import business for the Tortuga Rum Cakes) did for getting relief supplies into Cayman within days after the hurricane. They offered their warehouse in Miami as a staging area for receiving donated supplies and getting them to the island. So, I didn't want to write this reply until I went to their website, to make sure of my facts, but here's what I learned. The Tortuga Rum Cakes were started by a Cayman Air pilot and his wife in Grand Cayman. He developed the blend of Rum in the 1980's from three different sources (Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana) and his wife started baking cakes with the rum. Pretty soon, everyone wanted these cakes, and the business began. They are made in Grand Cayman and in fact, employ 100 people there. The pilot's daughter lives in Miami and along with her husband, began the import company which gets these cakes onto cruise ships and all over. She and her husband are the ones who then orchestrated the incredible relief efforts out of Miami after the hurricane.

I don't mean any controversy here. I just didn't want there to be an impression that the Tortuga Rum Cakes were not made on Cayman, or that buying one would not be putting tourist dollars back onto the island.

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:13 pm Post subject:

scubachar - You are correct, Tortuga rum cakes are produced on Grand Cayman, and their relief efforts after the storm are to be commended. However, their rum is not made here. Blackbeard's makes the only locally produced rum in the Cayman Islands.

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 5

I wasn't sure about the rum, but I was quite sure that the cakes are produced there and that it is indeed a local company.

I just wanted to clear that up in light of their amazing efforts after the hurricane.

Thanks!

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 4:30 pm Post subject: ?

LOL@ a debate over these two. We've been eating them both for years and there is not really much difference. Blackbeards Rum is our favorite though, we pick up a couple of bottles every time we go. Try their banana flavored rum. OMG that is so terrific you won't believe it. Drink it straight as an after dinner liquor or mix it with ice and serve it frozen like we do.

Banned Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 120

Added this on another thread, but see it fits here too...

Just to be clear, those of you so worried that the rum was not made in Grand Cayman only buy 100% American goods when not on vacation, correct? Wouldn't want a double standard and I think it wise to support the local economy of the country you live in!

Just a thought. Seems silly to be so worried about the coutnry of origin of rum while on vacation when buying a ton of foreign made goods when at home.

Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:00 am Post subject:

adawg,

If you have someone you care about who is in need of help, you help them I'm sure.

Believe that is why most of the people on this board want to do whatever they can to help the Cayman people get back on their feet and if it helps to choose one rum cake or bottle of rum over the other it doesn't hurt us either way-we still get rum and cake!

Same goes for Economy cars-we've always used another car rental agency but if you read Joe's post about what the owner of that company did to help the people when he'd lost most everything, the choice is easy.

Did like hearing about the Tortuga fcty in Florida helping out with getting supplies to the Caymans so, personally, I'm buying BOTH cakes but only Blackbeard's rum...a LOT of it.

Celine

Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 8:14 am Post subject:

adawg wrote:

Added this on another thread, but see it fits here too...

Just to be clear, those of you so worried that the rum was not made in Grand Cayman only buy 100% American goods when not on vacation, correct? Wouldn't want a double standard and I think it wise to support the local economy of the country you live in!

Just a thought. Seems silly to be so worried about the coutnry of origin of rum while on vacation when buying a ton of foreign made goods when at home.

Adawg:

Everything you buy on vacation is *imported* to the extent that you are in a different country and purchasing goods there. Most people do not travel thousands (or even hundreds) of miles to drink Budweiser which they can purchase at home. It's all part of the mystique and intrigue of travel. There are also Duty-Free incentives to purchase a limited amount of products free of duty.

You raise a good point about purchasing American made goods at home. However, I think the point here is since you will be in a different country and purchasing goods primarily either made in that country or tax (duty added) benefiting that country anyway, it boils down to which overseas suppliers do you want to support; or which products you prefer. There have been good points raised about both Blackbeards and Tortuga, and I would tend to agree that if you want to support the local economy while you are here it is not a bad idea to get rum cakes from either Blackbeard's or Tortuga and purchase your rum from Blackbeard's.

Of course, Blackbeard's is an advertiser and the owner Bill Baldwin is a close personal friend of mine, so I am somewhat biased. You do receive a discount on Blackbeard's with the coupons in our magazine though; so speaking strictly from a cost saving standpoint, Blackbeard's is the more prudent choice.

Newbie Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 11

adawg - I respect your opinion, but IMHO it has nothing to do with shopping offshore. You are in THEIR country buying THEIR products. It has nothing to do with buying American made goods at home. They just had a catastrophic event there and MOST of us LOYAL visitors want to help pump up their economy. You can do that most effectively by buying goods that are made THERE, and NOT imported from the US.

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