Technical Day.

Technical University of Munich.

Up and out the door by 9AM, we all piled onto the bus to travel about a half hour to the Technical University of Munich. Here, they conduct research on many types of plants, including the aromatic ones. The small team that was waiting for us had prepared a set of three distilling stations where we were to distill several small batches of herbs.

Rudolf Rinder demos the new distillation chamber.

Before we began the demo, our host, Rudolf Rinder (Rudy), explained to us that this type of distillation uses steam in a specially designed apparatus that first extracts the oils and then doesn't allow the oil to condense until it leaves the chamber so that there is no redistillation. Water distillation results in components evaporating at different rates which requires longer processing in order to be complete. The steam-only method extracts a greater percentage of the oils at the beginning of the process and most of them are released at the same time. Distillation duration is greatly reduced, which is easier on the plants and the oils.

Graph showing traditional distillation which takes longer and the majority of components are released in the middle of the distillation.

Graph showing that this type of steam distillation releases most of the components at the beginning of the distillation. The whole process is pretty much complete in half the time.

Thyme to distill.

Then it was time to try it out for ourselves. They provided the plant material and some scissors and told us to go to it. One of the hosts of our trip, Georg, motioned me aside and suggested that I use some dried Monarda (Bee Balm) leaves instead because they would provide a better example of the distillation (Monarda fistulosa produces a reddish/gold oil). I was game so I went off into the other room to remove the sepals and the flower petals. Georg said we would need a hand-full to fill the glass column of the still. Monika Haas's son, Julien, came over to help. It took so long, that by the time we had a reasonable amount ready to distill, all three units were already fired up with various plants (Lavender in one, Thyme in another, and I think Melissa in the third one).

We waited until the Thyme was all done and an assistant cleaned out the glass tubing and containers, then Georg and I filled the glass column with the dried Monarda leaves.

The steam goes about 2/3 of the way up.

The water slowly came to a boil, creating the steam. You could see with your eyes the creeping up effect of the steam through the plant material as it slowly began to release the oil. The next step was the volatization of the oil molecules as they passed up and over the bridge. Immediately, little balls of oil started to collect in the bridge and condensing tubes, and then it dripped down into the small separator. I wasn't very familiar with Monarda, but I am now a convert. This oil started out as golden balls on the inside of the glass tubes, and as the distillation progressed, they turned orange, and then red. This coated the bridge and condenser, allowing us to watch the whole process so clearly.

Golden balls of Monarda oil beginning to condense.

My little oil produced more than the others, enough for Julien and I each to bring home a little vial of the red-gold essential oil sitting on top of some of the floral water.

Monarda starting to separate and sit on top of the floral water.

Our gorgeous oil. Liquid gold!

Extracting the oil with a pipette.

What a fun experience! Then we filed over to the tables of microscopes to marvel at the oil packets on the underside of the leaves and some flowers. We looked at Lavender, Sage, Clary Sage, and three different Melissa (Lemon Balm). One Melissa was a weak plant, one was an old plant, and one was a healthy, vibrant plant, the type they would choose for distillation.

Melissa (Lemon Balm) leaf under the microscope.

The latter leaf just glowed with tiny yellow drops of oil. Interestingly, these little balls were widely spaced on the leaf as opposed to the Lavender oil packets that were closely spaced. This is one reason why Melissa is so costly: it produces a small quantity of oil in comparison to the amount of plant material needed. I managed to get a couple of reasonably clear pictures of the leaves.

My typical Bavarian lunch.

We finished at the Technical University just in time to drive to a nearby brewery - the oldest brewery in the world (Weihenstephan). We had to check out the results of a different type of distillation - quality control, you know! I enjoyed a small glass of wheat beer, Bavarian sausages, and saurkraut. Just as we stood up to leave, after savoring our lunch on the sunny veranda of the brewery, the heavens opened up and poured rain on us as if straight from a bucket.

Weihenstephan brewery, a half hour before it started to pour.

Veronica and Annie enjoying a brew.

The different glasses correspond to the different beers.

Fifteen minutes of huddling under a couple of patio umbrellas was enough for the whole deluge to pass and we were off to see another botanical garden at the practical arm of the research division of the Technical University of Munich. Some photographs from their botanical garden:

This building used to be a monastery.

I love the juxtaposition between the wild grasses and the manicured garden.

Formal garden.

(The colors of the flowers were chosen to match the building above)

The last part of the afternoon was spent at a small family farm (Ampertaler Naturprodukte) where Bernard Nusstein and his wife plant, harvest, and distill some beautiful oils. They produce a few of the oils that are sold through Kurt's company, Original Swiss Aromatics. Bernard took us through his fields to see Angelica, Gentian, and Melissa. He also showed us his still set-up and talked about how he runs his operation. Bernhard's young wife toted their three month old baby (Liesa!) through the fields with us and told us that the farm and land was passed down in Bernard's family. Their house was brand new but still on the old family farm property. So nice to see up-close how a family with integrity and heart take such pride in producing high quality essential oils in small quantities.

Standing in front of the Angelica.

Mature Angelica plants.

Close up of Angelica archangelica.

My roommate (Mary Ellen Dorey) and I standing in a Melissa field. (Must be where I got all those mosquito bites!)

NB: according to Dr. Schnaubelt, Angelica is one of the most precious oils in aromatherapy. One of its main characteristics is its ability to help increase vitality and strength.

Here is a picture I call Julien's Beauties, in reference to the hall at the Nymphenburg Palace in which Ludwig's Beauties are displayed:

Dinner tonight was in the hotel. The owner is also the chef and he does an amazing job. I wasn't very hungry after such a big lunch, so I just had a beet salad and a cheese plate. Now it's time to get a good night's sleep so we'll be fresh for a day in Munich tomorrow.