Distillation is one of the great technologies of mankind (and womenkind, for that matter). Our ancestors' stills were right beside them through war, famine, plague, and the rise and fall of many an empire (how much these events were influenced by what came out of those stills is up for debate).
Unlike so many of our technological progressions -lead paint, VHS, and these curious things. Stills throughout most history have been small "pot stills" that result in small-batch, characterful liquor; these stills remain relevant in Strathspey, Oaxaca, Cognac, and anywhere else fine craftsmen craft fine spirits.
Not to say there haven't been advances in efficiency; the spirit of industrialization begot the industrialization of spirits through the column still. This innovation opened the flood gates of cheap, approachable, mostly inoffensive liquors.
And with the free-flow of booze came a free-flow of folks hoping to earn a little money. Thus we see the rise of the bar and its keeper, a concept that soon spread globally and flourished creatively. From the standard punches, slings, and toddies sprang forth cock-tails, crustas, daisies, and all kind of delicious libation and techniques.
And this is where Norma's "enfleurage" reminded me of a similar cocktail technique known as "fat-washing." Though it sounds much more vulgar than its French equivalent, the process is similar. A spirit is mixed with an edible, liquefied fat then cooled; the hardened fat is strained off, leaving the spirit with a rich texture and essence of the fat's flavor.
For a great example of this and other innovative cocktail workings, read about Tailor's Eben Freeman.
-Hans Chan
9.15.2011
9.13.2011
Classic Techniques vs Advanced Technology: Enfleurage vs Distillation
Flower Life with Time, Effort and Thoughtfulness.
When considering being in a long distance relationship, one has to contemplate, how are we going to keep in touch? Should we write lengthy hand written letters to one another? Send them out by post mail, stamp and all? Or should it be all digital, all day (literally)? This is the age of the all inclusive, Internet, why write letters when there's access to video chatting and instant messaging?
Setting ourselves aside, we bring to you this thoughtful blog, advanced technology at it's best. A way to share our thoughts with one another, with out being bogged down by the typical communication politics than can arise when communicating long distances. That said, there's something romantic about receiving a note from the one you love, it looks like them with their handwriting, it might even smell like them. So who's to say we're doing it right? But we're trying.
Getting to the goods; I parallel this thought process into my industry. Should the fragrance industry be extracting with the newest, most technical machinery to date in order to create the purest fragrances, or would it be worth it for the industry to look back into older processes of sourcing?
Merci beaucoup chimistes français. Yup, your about to get a French Lesson! In Enfleurage (a la the French), flower petals are laid out on trays of fat, where they remain until the fat has absorbed most all of the fragrance, at which point the flowers are changed out and fresh flowers lay on the same bed of fat. After time, the fat becomes saturated with the floral aromatic, which then is sponged off the fat with baths of alcohol.
The process is all done by hand and can take quite awhile. Main components are the flowers, fresh from harvest; the fat or the coprs - which means, the body (french 101 people), which is composed of purified tallow and two parts lard; chassis that are specialized wooden frames that house the processes described above. It also takes a boatload of patience, time and effort - as do all, good things - right?
Distillation, most commonly used today, is a very simple process (that I'm sure most are familiar with, so I wont bore you with more than this): converting essential oils into vapors and then back in to liquid form. There are three types: water distillation;
water and steam distillation; and direct steam distillation. True that Distillation is not technically, advanced technology, as it's been used and perfected in the fragrance world for decades, however, there are some new wild distillation processes and technology that are indeed, technical.
Direct steam distillation, is the most costly, but the most effective. It's Amount of steam can be readily controlled and there is no thermal decomposition of oil constituents, or essential parts. Because steam is generated in a satellite boiler, the plant material is heated no higher than 100° C and, consequently, it should not undergo thermal degradation. See it's all very technical, scientific and complex. But I, like you, are learning.
A Modern Steam Still aka Super Duper Advanced Technology
I am not so sure that there can be a conclusion drawn here, but you tell me. I am satisfied with the distillation lesson and hope you are too. Hopefully your next lesson will relate to the distillates industry, their classic techinqiues vs. advanced technology. As always, feel free to email us at headsheartsandtails@gmail.com with any questions or comments!
Setting ourselves aside, we bring to you this thoughtful blog, advanced technology at it's best. A way to share our thoughts with one another, with out being bogged down by the typical communication politics than can arise when communicating long distances. That said, there's something romantic about receiving a note from the one you love, it looks like them with their handwriting, it might even smell like them. So who's to say we're doing it right? But we're trying.
Getting to the goods; I parallel this thought process into my industry. Should the fragrance industry be extracting with the newest, most technical machinery to date in order to create the purest fragrances, or would it be worth it for the industry to look back into older processes of sourcing?
Merci beaucoup chimistes français. Yup, your about to get a French Lesson! In Enfleurage (a la the French), flower petals are laid out on trays of fat, where they remain until the fat has absorbed most all of the fragrance, at which point the flowers are changed out and fresh flowers lay on the same bed of fat. After time, the fat becomes saturated with the floral aromatic, which then is sponged off the fat with baths of alcohol.
The process is all done by hand and can take quite awhile. Main components are the flowers, fresh from harvest; the fat or the coprs - which means, the body (french 101 people), which is composed of purified tallow and two parts lard; chassis that are specialized wooden frames that house the processes described above. It also takes a boatload of patience, time and effort - as do all, good things - right?
Distillation, most commonly used today, is a very simple process (that I'm sure most are familiar with, so I wont bore you with more than this): converting essential oils into vapors and then back in to liquid form. There are three types: water distillation;
water and steam distillation; and direct steam distillation. True that Distillation is not technically, advanced technology, as it's been used and perfected in the fragrance world for decades, however, there are some new wild distillation processes and technology that are indeed, technical.
Direct steam distillation, is the most costly, but the most effective. It's Amount of steam can be readily controlled and there is no thermal decomposition of oil constituents, or essential parts. Because steam is generated in a satellite boiler, the plant material is heated no higher than 100° C and, consequently, it should not undergo thermal degradation. See it's all very technical, scientific and complex. But I, like you, are learning.
A Modern Steam Still aka Super Duper Advanced Technology
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)