Make your own Hydrosol with your espresso machine | Flower Water Recipe

Buongiorno!

I am Italian, after all. So let's make a hydrosol with an espresso machine. And believe it or not, it works!

Hydrosol, or floral water, is the finest herbal product in the world. Through distillation, the herb's water-soluble ingredients are extracted in the form of a floral water. You might be familiar with essential oils? They are a product extracted through the distillation of herbs. But we also get another product through distillation: Hydrosol or floral water. Read more about what hydrosol is here. 

I have written a lot about distillation as I love the process. It is magical and captivating. With a proper distilling apparatus, the quality will, of course, be higher. But why not try making your own floral water at home in the kitchen with an espresso machine?

I tried with a strongly fragrant plant, fresh rosemary (which is currently blooming in my garden). I took a handful from the rosemary bush, rinsed them briefly in water, and cut them with scissors. To facilitate distillation, you want to cut the "needles" so that the ingredients are more easily extracted. 

I filled the espresso machine with water and screwed the parts together. I have a gas stove and turned on the lowest possible gas flame. I didn't want the process to go too fast. Nor did I want it to burn. So that's a disadvantage of making floral water with an espresso machine – it goes too fast and the floral water probably gets a bit too hot / overheated. But, it's good enough, so don't be deterred. 

The result was a floral water with a clear scent of rosemary, a taste of rosemary, and a clear green color. In other words... it works. 

To make the hydrosol, I chose a strongly fragrant herb, rosemary. What other herbs could you choose to distill? Go for those that are usually distilled, as they contain essential oils. For example, peppermint, chamomile, lavender, orange peel... You can use both fresh and dried herbs. Pack them well in the espresso machine as you need a certain amount for it to succeed. 

Don't forget to tell me if you try making it at home and with which herb!