40 Years of palm wine tapping: Wisdom Appah explains process

For decades, palm wine has been a significant feature of the country’s restaurants and drinking spots. 
While many people enjoy its sweet taste when fresh, others prefer its alcoholic sourness after a few days of fermentation, often enjoying it with kebab, fufu and other local dishes.

This wine, tapped from the juices within a palm nut tree can even be distilled into products such as Akpeteshie ( local gin), Schnapps and medicinal products.

During traditional ceremonies in most cultures, akpeteshie and schnapps are used in pouring libation to ancestors, offered during marriage ceremonies or enjoyed at social gatherings.

In Akuapem Ayim, a town in the Akuapem South District of the Eastern Region, 63-year-old, Wisdom Appah, popularly known as Nana Pobi has been in the production of palm wine for over 40 years, tapping palm wine and distilling some into akpeteshie, Schnapps and other by-products. 

Speaking to The Mirror at Akuapem Ayim, he said he received orders almost every day.
 “Even yesterday, I received orders. My products do not last more than three days. Even when it’s still on fire, it’s already finished,” he said. 

Nana Pobi noted that palm wine tapping is just one of his many trades—he is also a farmer, herbalist and bone specialist. He said he learned the craft from his grandfather while he was a teenager.

He explained the process of tapping and distilling, saying; “My grandfather taught me how to find the best palm trees, cut them the right way and collect the sap (wine).” 

Armed with a cutlass, a dried and lit bamboo stick, a flashlight, and a gallon, he took our team to one of his farms, taking us through each step.

Process of tapping palm wine
Taking us through the process, Nana Pobi said that choosing the right tree was the most important step. 
“Not every palm tree is good for tapping. The best are the ones usually over five years old,” he said.

“A good tapper has to check the tree’s size, colour and strength. If the tree is too young, the wine will not be sweet. If it’s too old, you won’t get much wine,” he explained.

He added that once the right tree is identified, the tree is cut down by some hired hands for GH¢20 per tree.

“After they cut it, I make a shallow cut near the roots and along the stem, where the sap (wine) which is inside the layers of the plant will flow from,” he said.

Next, the tapper peels off the outer bark to reveal the soft inner part of the tree and applies heat by lighting a bamboo stick and blowing air through a hollow stick onto the fire. 

“This will make the inside soft so the juice flows faster and also keep insects away,” he added.

Nana Pobi claimed that some people use Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) to speed up the process, but he avoids it because it is harmful to the body.

When asked where he finds the trees, he said while some grew on their own, he bought others from other sources.

Inserting the tap
The tapper explained that after cutting, he carefully carved a small hole with his machete in the trunk and repeatedly inserted a stick to help draw out the wine. The wine then drips into a small gallon placed underneath the felled tree.

“I leave it and check at least twice a day—early in the morning and late in the afternoon,” he said. When asked how much wine he was able to collect, he noted that in two to three days, he could gather about 12, 25 litres gallons. “We usually measure using the big Frytol oil gallon,” he added.

He explained that after collecting the palm wine, he first filtered it to remove any debris and immediately sold some of the fresh wine.

“Customers who have placed orders come to collect theirs, and I keep the rest to process into akpeteshie for my other customers,” he said.

Making akpeteshie from palm wine
Nana Pobi also took us through the akpeteshie process, explaining that; “to make it strong, you have to let the palm wine ferment for over a week, depending on how strong you want it. My customers like it very strong, so I ferment mine for more than three weeks. Sometimes I add sugar to speed up the process,” he explained.

Once fermented, he said the wine was transferred to a metal drum and heated over fire. A cooling system, usually a long pipe submerged in water, collects the evaporated alcohol, which then turns back into liquid.

“The liquid that comes from the vapour is what becomes akpeteshie,” he said. “Sometimes, upon request, I do double or triple distilling to make Schnapps, Castle Dry Gin and other products, which I sell for more.”

On how to know if akpeteshie is authentic and pure, Nana Pobi said that it should be easily flammable and burn for long and demonstrated this with a sample from his collection.

“Akpeteshie is pure alcohol or fuel. Hospitals even use it for treatment and sanitisation. If it’s pure, it should light up and burn for a long time. But some people mix it with water,” he said.

Marketing
Talking about how his products entered the market, he said, that was based on orders which he received regularly. 

“I distribute mostly to drinking spots, restaurants and individuals within the Aburi, Accra community and other parts of the country. My akpeteshie and schnapps even go to America,” he said.

He added that he sold one ‘frytol gallon’ (25 litres) of fresh palm wine for GH¢450 and GH¢650 and above for akpeteshie. 

“I also sell the small 1litre bottle of akpeteshie for GH¢50 and above,” he added.  As of the time we spoke to him, Nana Pobi said he had about 65 palm trees he was tapping.

Challenges of palm wine tapping
Despite his years of experience, Nana Pobi said he faced many challenges which were all worth it as the business supported his family of four children and two wives whose names he preferred not to mention.

He said the biggest challenge was climate change. “It is hard to go to tap during the rainy season because you can be on the farm and it’ll start raining and you need fire too to do the job. Dry seasons too sometimes, you won’t get plenty of wine,” he explained.

Nana Pobi added deforestation as another challenge saying many palm trees were being cut down for timber and farmland, reducing the number of trees available for tapping.

When asked if he had concerns about his health, Nana Pobi said he was still very strong and had no issues.
“My eyes are still very good despite the smoke. I am a herbalist, so if anything, I know how to treat myself,” he added.

Asked whether he would encourage his children to learn the trade, he said he would not because the job was stressful.

“I want them to go to school and become big people. Presently young people are not interested in palm wine tapping except drinking,” he said.

Nana Pobi said that he had however trained a few young men in his community, passing on his knowledge to prevent its loss.