Loading the still pot.
One way to pack it down.
Hamish tucks the last twig in the pot.
The rain-water filled boiler is heated by wood from our own wood lot and constantly monitored to maintain an even temperature at low pressure. Distillation takes about 60 minutes per load. It demands regular supervision to maintain the correct temperature.
This low pressure boiler was made by a local engineering firm.
Wood gathering in our tree block.
Wood stacked beside the boiler.
Regular stoking to keep an even heat is quite a skill.
In the first 10 years our processing area was out in the open creating some issues with wind and temperature. However, like all progress, some of the charm was lost in the process.
Al fresco distilling before 2007.
Basic but more atmosphere.
All-weather operation after 2007.
Williams & Home (1988) observe that the major part of the sesquiterpene content of tea tree oil is contained in the final 10% of the oil distilled, which requires as much time and energy to collect as the first 90%.
It is conceivable that some small organic tea tree oil distillers may produce oils higher in sesquiterpene contents than more energy-conscious larger concerns with modern stills.
The oil collects in this container over the distillation period while the condensed steam, or hydrosol, flows steadily out the lower exit pipe.
At the end of the hour, the oil is siphoned off through the upper pipe.
Watching every drop.
On a good day we may get up to a litre per batch but we regularly get over 500mls. Our yield seems to average out at 1%. The yield of essential oil can vary from batch to batch and week to week for no apparent or scientific reason we can identify. I send samples to an Australian laboratory for testing to ensure that the essential oil matches the current Standard.
I note in the UK organic standards, only essential oils produced under low-pressure systems can be certified organic.
Unloading the still hot pot.
At the end of each distillation all the spent plant material is hauled out of the still pot by hand with a short rake, piled onto a trailer and spread where required as thick woody mulch. On a good day we can process up to 6 loads.
Tea Tree after distilling
Tea Tree waste makes a long lasting mulch for cucumbers
At the end of a long day, to make sure nothing is wasted, not even the heat from the boiler, there’s a pizza to put in the oven.