Just the Essentials
Distilling Oil of Sage The Old Fashioned Way
The waters along the Mediterranean coast of Southern Turkey are warm and incredibly blue. "Aqua Marine" is the color created by the clear skies above and limestone below the water's surface. The climate is arid, dry for most of the year. Growing wild among the many tombs and ruins of Lycian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader construction can be found thyme, origanum and sage. The lack of water during the summer months stresses these wild growing plants. Stressing the plants is perfect for essential oil production within the plant. Lack of water also means that the leaves will be smaller and contain more essential oil. Gathering herbs for market and distillation of essential oils is an ageless industry hidden in the hills of Southern Turkey. The following is a photo tour of essential oil distillation, utilizing a copper alembic. The Old Fashioned Way. This process has remained the same for hundreds of years. The "Alembic" is one of the oldest styles of distillation apparatus. The Alembic is made of copper, pounded into shape. The more modern copper units are tinned on the inside. The people of Southern Turkey are well known for their copper work. In the villages, markets and bazaars many old and new copper implements can be found. Coffee roasters and coffee pots, oil lamps, water jugs and gunpowder containers. Pots and pans, washtubs and basins. All artistically and exquisitely made of copper. The Alembic consists of three components: The pot (retort), the lid, and the condenser. The pot is placed in the ground, with only the handles (used to lift the pot for removal of spent plant and cleaning) above the surface. Below the pot is a fire pit, dug deep into the earth. You can see the lid in place. The pipe coming from the top of the lid passes through the "condenser" which is made of brick and holds cold water. This pipe carries steam from the retort, through the "condenser" for cooling the steam back to a liquid state. Plant material is packed tightly into the tub, the lid is also packed with herb. Water is added to the tub before the lid is put in place. A seal is created between the lid and the tub using clay. The clay fills the joint and bakes into place. This design is for hydrodistillation.Hydrodistillation, is when the plant material is added to water prior to boiling. This is different from steam distillation, where steam is produced externally and added to the retort containing the plant material for distillation. The fire below boils the water in the pot. The steam carries the essential oil from the herb in a suspension with particles of water vapor. Passing through the cooling waters in the condenser, the steam reverts to its liquid state. The waters and oil are collected and allowed to separate. This process takes about three hours per batch. The end product is one kilo of essential oil. An old Copper Alembic Distiller sunk in the ground with fire below To prepare for distillation, the lid is disconnected from the condenser The lid must then be emptied of the plant material from the previous distillation The steaming plant material is dumped from the lid It's hot work, especially during the heat of summer, but that of course is when the sage is growing The fire below the pot has to be readied for the next distillation Fresh water is added to the waters left behind from the last distillation The pot is filled to about 1/3 the capacity of the pot Once the water is in the pot, it's time to start adding freshly harvested sage The lid of the Alembic distiller is also filled tightly with sage Preparation for distilling the next batch of sage begins. The spent plant material must be removed from the pot. At first it is done by hand, thereafter a pitch fork is used to get the sage out of the pot. While this is being done, Mahmet prepares the fire below the pot. Hot water from the previous distillation is left in the pot. This is hot work on a hot day. The temperature on this summer's day exceeds 95 degrees F. The first step is to add fresh water to the pot. Approximately one third of the pot is filled with water before the plant material is added. Piles of Sage (Salvia fruticosa) have been brought from the hillside and islands surrounding the village. Fresh sage is now put into the pot. The pot is filled to the rim and packed tightly into the pot in order to maximize the yield. While the pot is being filled, the lid is also being filled and packed tightly with sage. Packing the lid tightly is as important as packing the pot. Once again this provides for maximum yield. The distiller will continue to add sage to the lid and the pot, periodically climbing in and stomping the herb down to insure a tight pack. After each bundle of fresh sage is added to the pot it must once again be stomped down. The fire blazes below as the pot is being filled. The water is heating in preparation for the next distillation. Soon to come to a boil. The final packing before the lid is put into place. The lid is heavy with sage. It takes two men to lift it into place. The lid is aligned so that the bird's beak readily attaches to the condensing pipe. After the lid is set in place it is sealed with clay at the junction with the pot. This prevents the steam from escaping and insures that the steam carrying the precious Oil of Sage is captured, condensed and separated. With the still tightly packed with sage, the bird's beak secured to the condenser and the lid sealed with clay, the process is ready to begin again. This is a lengthy, labor intensive process. The change over takes about 45 minutes and the distillation takes three hours once the lid is in place. The Essential Oil Company supports small scale distillation projects of wild crafted and organic essential oils. This structure serves as the condenser. It is a cement "well" filled with cooling waters Clay is used to seal the joint between the lid and the pot to prevent steam leaks
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Who is Robert Seidel?
Not many people can say that they’ve turned their dream into a reality. Most that have, can’t tell you that they’ve been doing what they love for more than 40 years. Robert Seidel is a man who is passionate about what he does for a living and has the credentials to prove it. 1969: THE JOURNEY BEGINSIt's 1969 and Mr. Seidel has begun his journey, not in distillation, but with a heart for nature and the love of the outdoors. He attended New York State Ranger School at Wanakena where he received hands on training in the field and a Certificate in Forest Technology and an Associate in Applied Science in Forest Technology. DEGREES IN FORESTRYHis schooling didn’t stop there. Mr. Seidel’s passion for knowledge led him to Paul Smith’s College where he continued his education in forestry and received an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Forestry. Even then, the calling to further himself was still strong. In 1971 Mr. Seidel attended Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry simultaneously, in the beautiful state of New York. He continued to study the great outdoors and at the end of his two year stay, Mr. Seidel had received a Bachelors of Science in Forestry from Syracuse University and a Bachelors of Science in Forestry and Resources Management from SUNY at Syracuse. A GREATER CALLINGEven with all his education, Mr. Seidel felt a greater calling. He wondered about the natural fragrances of the forest and how they could be used in his everyday life. Curiosity got the best of him. He wondered if there was a way to capture the natural sent of the forest, to use the organic ingredients to create a product worthwhile. Everyone he turned to for answers told him it couldn’t be done. Even his professors were skeptical. They had never heard of anyone attempting to do what Mr. Seidel was suggesting. Still, that didn’t discourage him. Mr. Seidel found out that there was a whole community around the world that produced the same products he was dreaming about through distillation. 1977: THE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPANY IS FOUNDEDIn August of 1977 Mr. Seidel founded The Essential Oil Company in Portland, Oregon and made his dream a reality. The Essential Oil Company imports and distributes essential oils and other natural products that come from all over the world. They also distill essential oils themselves, and supply the industry with distillation equipment. The Essential Oil Company represents artisans in Portugal who manufacture hand hammered copper alembic distillers for making hydrosols and oils. These stills have been traditionally used for distilling spirits. Mr Seidel has designed several stills for distilling essential oils and hydrosols. Additionally, The Essential Oil Company represents manufacturers of small, medium and large scale distillation equipment. AN UNPARALLELLED STANDARD FOR QUALITYAlthough Mr. Seidel imports some of his products from overseas, he has a very high standard for quality. Regular visits to his suppliers in Asia and Europe, not only helps to keep his relationship with the suppliers current, but lets him make sure the quality of product that is supplied to him is the best the industry can offer. 37 YEARS LATERWhen asked how the distillation process has changed over the last 37 years, Mr. Seidel said, “Not much really. The process is pretty much the same, but the product has come a long way. It’s a lot better quality nowadays.” Both his eye for quality and go getter work ethic have helped him to create a successful business that is unique and innovative across the world. The product that his company sells brings the fragrances of the world home and new products arrive every day. Even Mr. Seidel, the "Guerrilla Distiller," has a hard time picking his favorite.
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Make your own Fizzy Bath Bombs
How to make Fizzy Bath Bombs What you need: 2 tablespoons citric acid 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup baking soda 1/4 tsp essential oil or fragrance oil 3-6 drops food color 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 bowls Wax paper (for larger amounts of fizzy bath bombs, expand the mixture, using the proportions above) Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients: Citric acid, baking soda and cornstarch in the bowl. Step 2: In a separate bowl mix vegetable oil, fragrance or essential oils and coloring together. Step 3: Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Step 4: Make small (1 inch) balls of the mixture and place them on waxed paper to dry. It takes 24- 48 hours for fizzy bath balls to dry completely. They should be completely dry before storage. Store bath bombs in a tightly sealed container, away from moisture. Try one in the bath!! They make great gifts too! Additionally you can add in "extras" to your bath bombs. Any vegetable oil will work in your fizzy bath bombs (jojoba, coconut oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, apricot kernal oil, sweet almond oil etc.) You can also add in Vitamin E also known as Mixed Tocopherols to your oil mixture as a preservative.
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Distilling Organically Grown Lavandin and Lavender in Oregon
Robert Seidel, President of The Essential Oil Company. Robert has been traveling the State of Oregon and setting up his distiller on farms throughout the state.
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Distilling Eucalyptus Citriodora
Eucalyptus Citriodora Eucalyptus Citriodora (E. citriodora) oil is distilled from the leaves and branches of the tree. Eucalyptus citriodora trees are cultivated on plantations. Test plots have been established on this Eucalyptus citriodora plantation in Brazil, to determine which trees exhibit the fastest growth, highest essential oil yield and the most favorable chemical composition. Promising individuals are identified and cloned to be planted in the field. The trees are grown until they are approximately 6" DBH (diameter breast height), and then harvested for the branches and wood. Branches are cut from the trees, loaded on trucks, destined for the distillery. Eucalyptus branches are loaded onto trucks The trucks are stacked high destined for the distillery Sharp machetes are used to cut the branches from the trees The leaves and branches are brought to the distillery, and loaded into the stills, for making the Eucalyptus citriodora essential oil. Eucalyptus Citriodora branches are piled at the distillery A man inside the retort of the still makes certain the branches and leaves are packed tightly This old boiler is a workhorse, producing lots of steam which is required for distillation Spent Eucalyptus branches when the still is opened after distillation. The Essencier receives the distillate water from the condenser, where it is then separated to become essential oil and hydrosols. What about the lumber left over? The logs that are cut from the trees are cut to size, and are brought to the area where they are turned into charcoal. The charcoal is then sold on the market for home cooking use. Eucalyptus logs are stacked waiting to be loaded onto trucks Special ovens have been built of clay brick for making charcoal The charcoal ovens are packed tightly for making charcoal A sealed charcoal oven. The flames on the inside have just started to burn, for the slow process of making charcoal from Eucalyptus Citriodora wood The finished product, headed for the shelf in the local market. The Eucalyptus citriodora charcoal is used in homes for cooking
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Distilling Douglas Fir - An interesting project for the local environment
Our basic concept is to harvest wind damaged Douglas Fir branches from local city parks. This is an environmentally conscious project.
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Finding Materials in the Wild
We managed to locate an excellent source for wild crafted aromatic raw materials. This is very exciting to me, as it opens a door for access to some very interesting plants, some of which I've wanted to distill for a very long time. Included in that list is: Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Arrow Leaf Balsam Root (Balsamorhiza sagittata), Pipsissewa - Prince's Pine (Chimaphila umbellata) and of course one of my favorites, Incense Cedar (Libocedrus decurrens-- aka Calocedrus decurrens). I started distilling a batch of Incense Cedar Leaf. The leaf we obtained had been gently dried and there was minimal stem material. The needles had been shaken off the branches after drying. This is very good, because the twigs are unproductive and take up room in the still and add to our costs for energy production (steam). I distilled for three hours and obtained less than 0.5% yield. Then it dawned on me that I had made an error. As with all conifers, the scales of the "leaf" of the Incense Cedar are covered with a waxy coating. In order to break through the coating and get at the essential oils protected by the waxy coating, I turned off my distiller, and left the steam soaked plant material to sit overnight. When I distilled the next morning, the essential oil flowed easily. I finally ended up with a 1.4% yield of essential oil and lots of interesting hydrosols. When I do my next run of Incense Cedar Leaf, I will add copper to the system to reduce the sulfurous "still note". The last time I distilled Incense Cedar was in a copper still and the oil was "sweet" right from the beginning. I will also soak each batch for at least 12 hours prior to distillation. Right now the oil and waters are breathing, like a fine wine. The top of the container is open, with a gauze covering the top. This enables the essential oil to "breathe", and ensure that nothing accidentally enters the container. I hope in the future to be able to increase the percent yield to between 1.5 and 2.0 %. Can't' wait to distill Wild Ginger and Arrowleaf Balsamroot!
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Turkish Rose Oil Distillation
Rosa damascena Turkey is a beautiful exotic country. A journey through Turkey is a journey through history, the cross roads of commerce and culture. Isparta is the heart of the Turkish Rose Oil industry. This is where Roses are grown and distilled Dr Peter Wilde is the world's pre-eminant expert on Roses, and extracts of Rose: essential oils, absolutes and Florasols. Here Dr Wilde samples the quality of roses in the fields of Isparta during the 1999 harvest season. Pleased with his findings, Dr Wilde gathers rose petals intended for distillation. Roses are gathered during the 40 day growing season. The roses are picked in the morning, beginning at 5:30 AM. Women generally do the work, placing the picked roses into gunny sacks The sacks are brought to a receiving station, where they are weighed and loaded onto wagons to be brought to the distillery. The wagon is then brought to the distillery The rose petals are laid out on the floor of the warehouse in order to allow slight decomposition, which aids in the development and and improvement aromatic quality of the essential oil The Essential Oil of Rose, Rose Attar is known for its relaxing qualities. Dorene Petersen, Founder of The American College of Healthcare Sciences finds a cozy spot amongst the Rose Petals to relax. Overcome by the wonderful aroma of tons of rose petals, Dorene collapses in a state of ecstasy. Fortunately Mrs Petersen was revived prior to loading the rose petals into the distillation apparatus! After several hours (and the removal of Mrs Petersen) the rose petals are ready to be loaded into the retort. The roses are packed tightly in order to obtain the maximum yield. Once the rose petals are loaded into the retorts, distillation is ready to begin. The lid of the retort (the visible copper unit in the above photo) is tightly sealed and the steam is turned on. The above distiller is designed for hydrodistillation. 500 kilos of roses petals are placed in the retort along with 1500 kilos of water. Coils inside the bottom of the retort carry the steam which heats the water in the retort. The water in the retort boils and the steam is carried through the top of the distiller into the condenser. Cold water circulating through the condenser cools the steam, which then reverts to its liquid state. After being condensed, water and essential oil enter the Florentine flask for passive separation. The beautiful rose oil floats to the top of the Florentine flask, while the separated waters are collected for redistillation. In the photo above you can see the layer of the precious rose oil floating on top of the distillate waters. The Rose Oil is then filtered, and set aside until the years crop has been totally distilled. Once all of the roses for the year have been distilled, products from various distillations and redistillations are blended to obtain the final incredible and precious Rose Oil. The essential oil of Rose is now ready for market!
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Distilling Other Things Besides Essential Oils
Distilling is an ancient art. The process of distillation was first brought to us through the ancient practice of Alchemy. Distillation is a method for separating the "Essence" of the plant from the corporeal mass of the plant. This is the isolation and separation of essential oils from the body of the plant. In Alchemical texts, the essential oil is referred to as the "Sulfur" This is the soul, or spirit of the plant. The idea for the Alchemists was (and still is) the separation of the components of every material (plant and mineral) and the recombination of those components to make something that hasn't existed before. Through invasion and trade, distillation apparatus found its way to Europe from the Middle East. Alchemy was also practiced in Europe. The Europeans developed other uses for this valuable distillation equipment through their Alchemical experimentation. The production of alcohol through the distillation fermented grains. Alcohol became valuable for making tinctures, medicinal extracts, perfumes and consumable beverages. Farmers in Europe grew wheat and rye. Wheat and rye are used for making bread, a dietary staple. A problem facing the farmers, was the storage of the grain products which they did not use, sell or trade. A discovered solution, was the fermentation of excess grains and the "spirits" resulting from their distillation. The process of fermentation yields two products; carbon dioxide and alcohol. Alcohol is separated from the fermented product (grains and fruits) through the use of distillation. Fermentation is an enzymatic action caused by microorganisms that enter a mixture, either by addition or through the exposure to the atmosphere. This is how dough is made for making bread. Water is added to flour, yeast is added and the mixture is allowed to sit. Fermentation begins during the "sitting" process. The bubbles that you see in bread dough are pockets of carbon dioxide. If you permit your mixture to sit for a long period of time, you will see the creation of alcohol in the mixture. The separation of liquids from fermented solids is possible by distilling the fermented mass. Alcohol is volatile and readily separates at relatively low temperatures from the mass. Water boils at 100º C or 212ºF. Ethanol (the alcohol produced through fermenting grains) boils at 78.3º C or 172.94º F. The carbon dioxide in fermented grains evaporates into the atmosphere. This leaves behind the solid mass of fermented grain, water and alcohol. During distillation the fermented mixture is boiled. The steam resulting from boiling carries water and alcohol to the condenser as steam. Pipes (or tubes) carrying the steam go through cooling waters in the condenser. The cooling process causes the steam to revert to a liquid state containing both water and ethanol. This first distillation will contain approximately 7% of alcohol dissolved in the water. To separate the alcohol from the water/alcohol mixture a second distillation is necessary. At this time there is no longer a solid fermented mass to deal with but rather a liquid that needs to be divided into components. This separation in the second distillation process employs the use of temperature to separate the liquid components by boiling point differential. Wine can be distilled for making Eau de Vie and Brandy. Fermented grains are the basis for whiskey and other distilled spirits. Rum is from fermented sugar cane. Aging the distilled spirits in oak barrels adds another nuance to the flavor of the distilled spirits.
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