My best Absinthe so far...

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:59 am

Nope, Its not too high at all. Its actually just perfect.

I know from my experiences.

muckanic · Post by **muckanic** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:45 pm

="duds2u". What about sage flowers? I'm not sure of their flavours though.

Might actually get a bit of extra thujone that way. Other blue flowers with some psychoactivity would include passionfruit and blue lotus.

Marionette · Post by **Marionette** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:49 pm

FAROM is very experienced. We would all be wise to listen to what he has to say.

Stillhead · Post by **Stillhead** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:20 pm

That is my experience with FAROM as well.

funbr · Post by **funbr** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:49 pm

Hi Nigel,

You quoted Cliff as saying:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
II Macerate at the temperature to where its trying to give distillate - 20 degrees...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps Cliff was using degrees celcius and you are using degrees farenheit. A 20°C difference is a 36°F difference. So perhaps Cliff is recommending 173°- 36°F, or 137°F for the maceration.

FAROM has mentioned several times that maceration at 120 degrees F (and again in another post that 140 degrees) is too high a temp for maceration.

I'm now very curious. Is FAROM teasing us!

Well FAROM, how long do you macerate and at what temperature?

Also, if someone could give me a hand with FAROM's translations, what can I interpret FAROM's "and' a" to mean? I'd like to understand what is being said.

And lastly, I have the following off topic observation...
I can understand difficulty with other's english from non-english countries. But I am sometimes amazed at how hard it is to decipher some of the "english" from the native english speakers!

Marionette · Post by **Marionette** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:54 pm

I think the problem is from using an online translator but not inputting accented letters correctly. In Italian è and e are different things, but if è is input as e', it will be translated incorrectly as and' instead of something like it is. Farò means I will make, but faro means lighthouse.

FAROM · Post by **FAROM** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:45 am

funbr wrote:Hi Nigel, FAROM has mentioned several times that maceration................I'm now very curious. Is FAROM teasing us!
Well FAROM, how long do you macerate and at what temperature?
Also, if someone could give me a hand with FAROM's translations, what can I interpret FAROM's "and' a" to mean? I'd like to understand what is being said. .................!

Ciao, prova un po' tu a scrivere in italiano utilizzando un traduttore automatico, non e' facile

(you try to write in Italian using a translator automatic rifle, you are not easy)

Durata macerazione= 12_18_24 ore (Duration maceration= 12_18_24 hours)
Tempeartura processo macerazione = 23_26°C
(Tempeartura I try maceration = 23_26°C)

Erbe primarie= Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia pontica, semi di finocchio, semi di anice verde
(Primary herbes = Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia pontica, seeds of fennel, seeds of green anise)

Erbe secondarie= angelica, coriandolo, camomilla romana, liquirizia, hissopo, melissa, anice stellato.
Secondary herbes = angelic, coriander, Roman camomile, licorice, hissopo, melissa, anise of star.

Le erbe secondarie vanno utilizzate in minima parte, la percentuale della loro somma e' del 20 % circa sul totale delle erbe utilizzate.
(The secondary herbes goes used in minimal part, the percentage of their sum is of 20% approximately on the total of the used herbes.)

WISHES OF GOOD CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:14 pm

Yeah, I meant 140 degrees farenheit. NOT celcius.

FAROM · Post by **FAROM** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:19 am

Nigel wrote:Yeah, I meant 140 degrees farenheit. NOT celcius.

A 140° farenheit (60°C) stai quasi distillando e non macerando, l'alcol è pronto a evaporare, ciao.

To 140° farenheit (60°C) you are nearly distilling and not macerating, the alcohol is nearly ready to evaporate, hi

p.s.
usando quella temperatura l'alcol tirerà fuori tutte le cose cattive delle erbe

using that temperature the alcohol will pull outside all the bad ones things of the herbes.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:39 pm

How so. What "bad things" are you talking about? because the batch turned out great, and very rich with a very pleasant mouth feel.

funbr · Post by **funbr** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:11 pm

FAROM - Your "automatic rifle" translator is so much better than Babblefish transation. Babblefish translated your Italian to mostly english nonsense!

Marionette - Thanks for the and' a and lighthouse translation. Farom's prior posts make more sense now.

Nigel - My maceration at room temperature (72 degrees F) didn't louche either. Since you felt that a high temp maceration at 140°F worked best for you to produce the louche, I'll try your method to see if it works for me also.

I really appreciate your photos Nigel. It shows me the proven results of your recipe. I like the color and the louche. Good work!!!

I do have a few questions. Hopefully someone here may know the answer:

If one is macerating for up to 24 hours, did you macerate in a sealed container to prevent the evaporation of the alcohol?

How did you maintain the temperature on the stovetop for that length of time? And how can I hold the temp steady?

I noticed at my herb store that they normally carry Angelica Seed and Angelica Root. They were out of the Angelica Seed, so I bought the Angelica Root. Does the Absinthe recipe call for one or the other, or are they equally good?

I cannot find the roman wormwood (artemesia pontica) for the coloration step. What would be the effect if that ingrediant is not used? Is there a substitute for the roman wormwood?

Nigel - You initially said your maceration temp was 120°F. Later you mentioned maceration at 20 degrees F below the distillation point (in other words, 153 degrees). Then finally 140°F. What are your experiences at each of those temps? And Which temp did you use for the batch that have shown in your photos?

Thanks,
funbr

FAROM · Post by **FAROM** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:54 pm

Ciao funbr, la temperatura ambientale (una stanzetta) io la mantengo utilizzando una piccola stufa regolata a 25°C.
Il contenitore delle erbe deve essere chiuso ermeticamente e agitarlo di tanto in tanto.
Io utilizzo la radice di angelica, le erbe utilizzate per la colorazione sono:
Hyssopo, melissa e pontica, qualcuno utilizza pure la menta.

Hyssopo= dà un colore più giallo (foglie morte)
Pontica= dà un colore più verde scuro
melissa e menta= danno un colore più verde brillante

Se non hai la pontica usa solo le altre 3 erbe.

Il louche lo dà la quantità dell'anice verde, ciao

Hi funbr, the environmental temperature (a small room) I maintain her/it using a small heater regulated a 25°C.
The container of the herbes must tightly be closed and to shake every now and then it.
I use the root of angelic, the herbes used for the coloration are:
Hyssopo, melissa and pontica, someone also uses the mint.

Hyssopo = it gives a more yellow color (dead leaves)
Pontica = it gives a dark greener color
melissa and mint = they give a bright greener color

If don't have the pontica it uses only the other 3 herbes.
The louche gives him/it the quantity of the green anise, hi

p.s.
Stasera mettero' le foto del louche del mio assenzio.

Tonight I will put the photos of the louche of my absinthe.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:05 pm

Sweet. Nice replies here.

To answer the question about the sealed container: yes I seal my still during the maceration but I de-pressurize it every hour or couple of hours, and I only keep it at around 120-140 when I can keep a close eye on it. So when I have to leave the house, I leave the stove off. Also what I do is ill heat it up and then turn the stove to the lowest temperature and let the temp drop slowly throughout the day.

Also the coloration step..... really the only herbs youreally really need in this step is hyssop and melissa. The pontica is not needed that bad, and it still looks great and tastes great. I prefer to use more melissa because I like my absinthe to be very emerald like.

FAROM · Post by **FAROM** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:38 am

"]

Nigel wrote:Sweet. Nice replies here.
Also the coloration step..... really the only herbs youreally really need in this step is hyssop and melissa. The pontica is not needed that bad, and it still looks .............

The pontica is not bad as the absintihum, it is irreplaceable and essential in the phase of coloration.

This is the louche of the FAROM OLD BLANCHE and it VERTE (without using anise of star)
Video louche FAROM: http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid ... ime=061135" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
click on the image to widen

verte

blanche

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:45 pm

Nice louche indeed. You must be using very fresh green anise to obtain that. Its very hard to get quality green anise around here.

your verte is too light though. you should use more coloration herbs in my opinion. The jade absinthes are the pinnacle of quality absinthe's and and the color of jade's is closer to mine. I do see why you leave it less vibrant, so the louche is closer to white rather than a jade green louche. I have done that before too, but I feel the natural jade green is far more beautiful than a milk white.

congratulations!

AfricaUnite · Post by **AfricaUnite** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:41 pm

This thread has got me very excited, I have dabbled using wormwood, anaise and fennel before but with no thought put behind it. I am currently looking for an online store where I can buy seeds to grow my own herbs as it seems fresh is the only way to go. Great post Nigel.

birdwatcher · Post by **birdwatcher** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:49 pm

AfricaUnite wrote:This thread has got me very excited, I have dabbled using wormwood, anaise and fennel before but with no thought put behind it. I am currently looking for an online store where I can buy seeds to grow my own herbs as it seems fresh is the only way to go. Great post Nigel.

A very good idea. Please keep us posted re seed sources.

Peace.

G

Stillhead · Post by **Stillhead** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:33 pm

I am also inspired.

I am going to plant some wormwood seeds tonight and put them in my indoor greenhouse...

AfricaUnite · Post by **AfricaUnite** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:16 pm

I found a couple sites but this one

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

appears to have the majority of the seeds needed to carry out nigel's recipie. And its located in Ontario.

I could not find star anaise, and am unsure as to wheather the anise listed on the site is "green anaise" I presume it is, but i need to look in this more deeply. I figure I have at least 6 weeks before I will be planting my seeds indoors for the spring, so im going to ask, and shop around.

I have bought wormwood, cut and dried from two different sources and was not impressed with the quality, fresh I think is the only way to go.

Its too bad no one sells an absinthe "kit" with all the required seeds needed in order to grow your own. Maybe someone does and I just havent found it yet.

AfricaUnite · Post by **AfricaUnite** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:27 pm

If we look at nigels recipie ingredients

500 grams wormwood

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

600 grams green anise (I am assuming this stuff is green anise, please inform me if im wrong)

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

400 grams fenell (3 different varieties listed, I assume sweet is the right one?)

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

100 grams corriander (Again unsure of which "variety" to use)

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

50 grams angelica

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

500 grams star anise (Can not find at this point)

10 litres of 85% ethanol (No problem)

10 grams artemesia pontica (Roman wormwood, no longer offered at that site, still need source)

10 cardomon pods

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

10 grams hyssop

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

10 grams melissa (is this Lemon balm?) if so

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_s ... 3710.21815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

So of all the herbs

Star Anise and Roman wormwood apear to be the only ones not availible on THAT site. Theres a few questionmarks but I think im going to place an order this week and find the rest later. Thoughts?

-AU

EDIT- Heres what my shopping cart looks like

S6960 WORMWOOD Seeds
Not available in ND $ 1.50 pkt 2 $ 3.00
S1140 ANISE Seeds $ 1.10 pkt 1 $ 1.10
S2420 SWEET FENNEL STANDARD Seeds $ 1.25 pkt 1 $ 1.25
S1890-501 CILANTRO SANTO SowNatural(tm) Seeds $ 1.25 pkt 1 $ 1.25
S1130 ANGELICA Seeds $ 2.25 pkt 1 $ 2.25
S1658 CARDAMOM Seeds $ 3.75 pkt 1 $ 3.75
S3470 HYSSOP STANDARD Seeds $ 1.10 pkt 1 $ 1.10
S1240-200 BALM LEMON CITRONELLA Seeds $ 1.25 pkt 1 $ 1.25

Pre-shipping Order Total = $ 14.95
Currency: United States Dollar

So for probably $30 CAD it will be possible to get all the seeds to grow your own absinthe herbs. Good deal.

Stillhead · Post by **Stillhead** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:48 pm

My suggestion is to stick to the three main:

Wormwood (absinthium)
Green Anise seed
Florence fennel

The Wormwood (pontica), just buy at a herbalist, since the amount needed for colouration is neglegible.

As for the other secondary (optional herbs); they are ommon enough in the grocery store or local herbalist, and are probably not worth the effort to grow.

I am just going to try to grow the wormwood.

Marionette · Post by **Marionette** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:27 pm

You don't need star anise at all, in fact the superior brands of now and one hundred years ago do not have star anise in.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:41 pm

Yeah good research man. go for it!

I actually want to start growing my own fenell and anise really bad, because the stuff at the store is so lame, and the herbs get so dried out sitting in the bottles all day at the store. Not to mention before the put the herbs in the bottles they leave them in big bags so they get extra dried out.

Im glad to see someone into making absinthe as much as farom and me.

remember to save your tails and add them into your next batches. and inbetween runs leave them in a sunny window or outside in the sun because it gets rid of alot of the funkyness that tails carry. , and be sure to make a good large still with a condenser that has cold circulating water running through it all the time.

also I like to put the coloration into jars and head and cool them in there and then I use a french press with a coffee filter to strain the absinthe of the coloration herbs. it works great and you get the majority of the sedaments out. I dont like to put the herbs in a tea bag like most people.

have fun!

AfricaUnite · Post by **AfricaUnite** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:41 pm

Nigel how large a still are you talking about? I currently have a 28 litre with water cooled condensor. I do have a 94 litre stainless steel pot I plan to convert to a pot still but ive got other projects on the go before I get that done. I like the french press idea.

Stillhead - I will find the roman wormwood at a shop as you suggest and leave out the star anise completly as hopefully the fresh green anise will provide a good louche. Everything else though Im going to grow, Im converting my backyard into a big garden as I dont want to buy a lawnmower or cut grass.

KatoFong · Post by **KatoFong** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:36 pm

Keep in mind that wormwood is notoriously difficult to grow from seed. If you want to grow it, I recommend buying them as plants, rather than as seeds and growing it that way. Also, bear in mind it will be a while before the plants come to maturity and produce flowers you need to make a decent absinthe.

As for anise and fennel, the plants themselves produce so little seed, it will be cheaper and more expedient in the long run for you to find a good online source to purchase them dried. You can find good sources of them if you look around a bit--much better, certainly, than you get in stores. Unless you have huge amounts of land, you're not going to produce enough anise or fennel growing your own to make a decent absinthe.

AfricaUnite · Post by **AfricaUnite** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:42 pm

I appreciate the input Kato, by takes a long time to mature re: wormwood, are you talking years as in grapevines before they produce fruit or simply a long season?

I have over 1/2 acre of land between two properties which I will be able to plant various things. I will take what you said into consideration when buying seeds. I was only going to get one pack of anise and fennel. Now I will buy more.

If it dosent work out I can always buy the herbs. Im going to read up on wormwood because if I can only grow one thing that would be it. If need be I can start indoors imidiatly as I have some hydroponic style lights. Thanks for the info Kato.

KatoFong · Post by **KatoFong** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:46 pm

I don't know exactly. But yes. I believe if you're growing from seed, it can be a couple of years before the plant flowers.

muckanic · Post by **muckanic** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:11 pm

="KatoFong". Keep in mind that wormwood is notoriously difficult to grow from seed. If you want to grow it, I recommend buying them as plants, rather than as seeds and growing it that way. Also, bear in mind it will be a while before the plants come to maturity and produce flowers you need to make a decent absinthe.

I got my seeds in in the first month of summer last year (a little bit late), and the plants are now flowering the next season. The frost tolerance is a nice feature. Another place people might look for growing seeds - botanic gardens.

KatoFong · Post by **KatoFong** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:37 pm

I stand corrected.

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:02 pm

johnnyseeds.com has them cheap!