Rosa damascena distillation January 2015

I used my final remaining dried rose flower heads (including some leaves) and dislled using the copper alembic still (hydro distillation.
I immersed the 40 gm or so of dried flower heads in approx 700 ml of boiling water and heated over the gas stove. I had cold water going over the condenser from the start as from prior experience disllate comes out very quikcly with my littles still.
Sure enough with 5 mins. I had distillate coming out. In total I collected approx 670 ml of decent hydrosol. I filled them in 125 ml bottles and labelled each with the time and number as the aroma varied from bottle to bottle. For the final amount I had a paper filter going from the still and was able to see a yellow staining on the paper (some precious otto perhaps). It really was at the end and I am sure all the water had gone from inside as the aroma was a sweet caramel, raw tobacco like with a slight hint of 'cooked. the final 50 ml was a cloudy yellow and I am going to put that bottle and the first one in the freezer to see if there was any non polar aromatic molecules. Intriguing! Enjoy! Wendy

Possible oily ish residue on side of beaker (otto)

Filtering last of the distillate at still. Rest was filtered before bottling

Bottled and labelled in order of timing-aroma variations from start to finish

Last 75 mls from still leaving yellow aromatic stain on filter paper

Close of aromatic stain right at the end.

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Lemon Verbena Harvest & Distillation December 2013

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Aromatic Adventures

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