Natural attars are those distillates that are achieved through hydro distillation of flowers (for instance, marigold, saffron, jasmine, rose, pandanus, etc.) or any other parts of the plants (Oud from the wood of Agar Tree & Vetiver from the roots of vetiver plants) in sandalwood oil or any other kind of base fixative or materials. Here we have a blog for you which will tell you all about the process of making attars.
However, those attars that are achieved through the Hydro-Distillation over sandalwood base are considered as the real attars.
Manufacturing Process of Traditional Attars
Usually, the process of attar making takes place in remote places. The reason is after collection the flowers must be processed quickly.
Apparatus Used In Attar Manufacturing Process
The apparatus used in the manufacturing process of attars are flexible along with having a particular degree of efficiency.
The traditional process named “deg and bhapka” has been used for centuries for the manufacturing of attars. And it is even used these days with the following traditional apparatus.
- Bhapka (receiver)
- Deg (still)
- Traditional Bhatti (furnace)
- Chonga (bamboo condenser)
- Gachchi (cooling water tank)
- Kuppi (leather bottle)
Where Traditional Attars Are Manufactured?
Kannauj, a small city in Uttar Pradesh, India holds major popularity as a hub of perfumers and distillers who capture the best essences of the world.
Kannauj is recognized throughout the world for its essential oil and attars distillation. Kannauj is also widely popular as “The Perfume Capital of India”.
There are hundreds of aroma distilleries that are running all over the year in Kannauj and its nearby areas.
There are numerous perfumes in Kannauj that are still making use of traditional distillation (Deg Bhapka method) even after they can easily get access to modern machinery and tools. It is because they have a belief that it is the only way of obtaining the real essence of plant flowers or materials.
The Process of Making Rose Attars by Making Use of Traditional Distillation Method
Here, you can learn that how can you make Rose Attar by making use of the Traditional Distillation Method.
- In the early morning, before the sunrise, the experienced farmers or collectors pluck the flowers and after that, they take them to the distillery nearby.
- They separate the rose petals from the fresh rose flowers at the distillery.
- Then they pour the rose petals and water into copper pots known as degs.
- By making use of cotton and clay they seal the deg or copper pot.
- They connect the deg via a bamboo pipe (known as Chonga) with a copper receiver (Bhapka) along with a water tank.
- A fire is lit and the pot is heated once it gets done.
- The first distillate is condensed and the liquid is connected after a few hours.
- The liquid is then transferred to an empty copper pot and distilled again.
- The extraction of real rose attar takes place in the 2nd distillation.
Even today in traditional perfumeries of Kannauj Mitti attar is made, where sinewy craftsmen tend to fire under aging copper degs or cauldrons for making this remarkable perfume.
The perfumes were stored traditionally in camel-skin pockets. But, now these are kept in bottles that are made from buffalo skins.
The fragrant essential oil is trapped in the sandalwood oil base that is contained in these kuppis or leather bottles. These are placed in the sun for facilitating the excess water to get evaporated and for the real scent of attar to get developed, which is organic, warm, and mineral-rich.