Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

First off, I wasn’t sure where to put this

Secondly, I have access to commercial amounts of Basil

I’ve watched a video on YouTube from clawhammer supply on steam distilling essential oils.

https://youtu.be/fBtuUUTbTyw

Is this “the” way it’s done? I can make booze! I’ll build another still no problems at all, so I’m not going to get carry over of oils and flavours.

I guess my question is, is it really that simple?

I also have a buyer that will take as much as I can produce.

To start out get onto fleabay and grab a laboratory still and I got mine for $60, also you will need a separatery funnel as shown in that video. Now as you could see the amount of oil collected off that full charge of lavender wasn't much to expect the same with the basil. Now for a bit more cash one can buy a specialized oil still on fleabay where boiled water pass's thru the herbs and they run around the $200 mark for a good one.

As with everything learn how to walk before you run so don't jump in spending a heap of cash thinking this will be a goldmine as one will need tons upon tons of product just to get enough to make a marketable quantity.

I do lavender, rosemary, tea tree, lemon myrtle, lemonene oils with a still spirits alembic(it did a lousy job of whiskey anyway). They sell out every time at my local farmers markets. I didn't know basil oil was a thing so I'm thinking next spring more basil.
A dedicated still is the go once I did rosemary it didn't matter how much I cleaned I could still taste it and its real sticky.
First few times I ran oils I added too much water and got mostly hydrosols and little oil. Other then that it's pretty straight forward. You get much better yields using alcohol but that doesn't cut it as "essential" oil. Chinese medicine practitioners love the alcohol extracted oils and buy everything I got.
But you gotta grow a he'll of lot of whatever to make process worth while. I wait tilI i have enough to cram a 25l boiler.

Be careful buying lab glass :romance-kisscheek: %-(

bluc wrote:Be careful buying lab glass :romance-kisscheek: %-(

Yep, alarm bells are ringing Willy :law-policered:

Sam. wrote:

bluc wrote:Be careful buying lab glass :romance-kisscheek: %-(

Yep, alarm bells are ringing Willy :law-policered:

would you like to illuminate more on be careful buying 'lab glass'?
i am awaiting delivery of a lab glass kit for gin experiments.
i am assured that all the glass is borosilicate grade 3.3

Supercritical Fluid Extraction Equipment would be worth looking at if money is not a problem .

howard wrote:

Sam. wrote:

bluc wrote:Be careful buying lab glass :romance-kisscheek: %-(

Yep, alarm bells are ringing Willy :law-policered:

would you like to illuminate more on be careful buying 'lab glass'?
i am awaiting delivery of a lab glass kit for gin experiments.
i am assured that all the glass is borosilicate grade 3.3

Whats the other main reason someone would want a labaratory still at home? To make illegal drugs.

If you try to buy a lab still from a proper place like Labtek etc, they need you to hold an account with them and also have a police check done.

Reedy wrote:I do lavender, rosemary, tea tree, lemon myrtle, lemonene oils with a still spirits alembic(it did a lousy job of whiskey anyway). They sell out every time at my local farmers markets. I didn't know basil oil was a thing so I'm thinking next spring more basil.
A dedicated still is the go once I did rosemary it didn't matter how much I cleaned I could still taste it and its real sticky.
First few times I ran oils I added too much water and got mostly hydrosols and little oil. Other then that it's pretty straight forward. You get much better yields using alcohol but that doesn't cut it as "essential" oil. Chinese medicine practitioners love the alcohol extracted oils and buy everything I got.
But you gotta grow a he'll of lot of whatever to make process worth while. I wait tilI i have enough to cram a 25l boiler.

I work in an indoor hydroponic farm, we can grow hundreds of kg of basil every week, and I can take as much as I want I’ve been bringing lettuce home and making really good compost for months. I’ll build myself a new still over the holidays.