Steam Alquitara 5 L

The steam alquitara is the modern version of the traditional Portuguese alquitara, a compact copper still with the condenser sitting directly on top of the boiler. One unit covers two jobs: distilling wine or fermented mash into spirits, and steam-distilling herbs and flowers for hydrosols and essential oils.

Steam distillation of plants

Plant material sits on two separation grills above the water instead of in it. Steam rises through the herbs or petals and carries the aromatic compounds up to the condenser. The material never scorches, and the aroma comes out cleaner than when plants are boiled directly. The boiler and the condenser have plenty of room, so you can load a generous amount of plants in one go.

Capacity

• Boiler: 5 L
• Spirit distillation: about 500–750 ml per run
• Plant distillation: 500–600 g of plant material, split between the boiler and the condenser
• Yield: around 10–15% of boiler capacity

Included

• 2 separation grills for loading plant material

Good for

• Fruit brandies, grappa-style pomace spirits and re-distilling
• Lavender, rosemary, rose, mint and other aromatic plants
• Hydrosols (floral waters) and small batches of essential oil

Heat source not included. Use a gas burner or an electric hotplate of the right size (copper does not work on induction).