UZUMA MICRO VACUUM DISTILLER

The key feature of this distillation unit is its ability to perform vacuum distillation and concentration. This capability allows distillation and concentration at temperatures below 40°C, minimizing heat damage to heat-sensitive materials. As a result, it preserves the natural aromas and flavors of the ingredients, such as fruits, herbs, and petals, making it ideal for crafting delicate, high-quality products.

There is a direct relationship between pressure and the boiling point of liquids. As pressure decreases, the boiling point lowers as well. This vacuum distillation unit uses a vacuum pump to reduce the pressure inside the boiler to around 7 kPa, allowing water to boil at approximately 40°C—roughly the same as a warm summer day.

Because of this, you can distill or concentrate delicate and fresh ingredients like fruits, herbs, and flowers without losing their vibrant, natural aromas. Now, let's take a look at some real-life usage examples!

By placing any ingredient and water into the vacuum distiller, you can create concentrated aromatic distilled water. Thanks to the low temperature of 40°C, the aroma is preserved without being compromised, delivering a far superior quality compared to atmospheric distillation. The aromatic water produced through this process contains no alcohol or sugars, allowing you to add pure fragrance to your target product. This makes it ideal for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages, pastries, traditional Japanese sweets, or various dishes across many culinary fields.

Additionally, the boiler has a dual-layer structure, allowing for vapor infusion (also known as steam distillation) by placing ingredients in the upper chamber. This enables you to delicately extract the natural aroma from the material.

For distilleries with a distillation license or households in countries where home distillation is permitted, you can create high-quality botanical spirits by combining botanicals with alcohol. Simply add vodka, fruits, herbs, and spices to the boiler, distill them, and you'll obtain a new botanical spirit with rich aromas. For example, using juniper berries will yield gin, while a combination of wormwood and anise will produce absinthe. Since the distillation process occurs without excessive heat, the result is a beautifully smooth flavor. This unit is perfect not only for small-scale experimental distillations in distilleries but also for producing original spirits and bitters in bars.

By placing water, fruits or herbs, and sugar into the vacuum distiller, you can create aromatic distilled water while simultaneously reducing the ingredients inside the distiller, resulting in the creation of syrup. Since this reduction process is also carried out at a low temperature of 40°C, the freshness of the ingredients is preserved. For example, by simmering citrus, spices, water, and sugar, you can create a fresh cola syrup. You can also make chai syrup or tonic syrup by adjusting the ingredients. For simple fruit syrups like strawberry or watermelon, you can blend the fruit and concentrate it into a vibrant, fresh syrup.

One unique feature of this process is that it simultaneously produces aromatic distilled water. For instance, when making cola syrup, you also obtain cola-flavored aromatic distilled water. This water carries a delightful, fresh aroma, and you can spray it onto cocktails made with the syrup for an added burst of fragrance.

This device is also being utilized in restaurants for concentrating broth. By reducing the broth without applying heat, you can enhance the flavor while preserving its delicate characteristics, which is particularly useful for first-extraction broths that require careful handling of their subtle flavors.

The key to a successful distillation lies in the "cutting" process. This refers to the decision of which portion of the distillate to keep as the final product, a decision that greatly impacts the quality of botanical spirits and distilled water. For example, when distilling strawberries, strong aromas are often released early in the process, while the intensity declines sharply in the middle. If the entire batch is mixed together, the result will have a weak, diluted aroma. However, by carefully selecting (cutting) only the strongest parts based on tasting, higher-quality aromatic water can be produced.

To make the best cuts, it is essential to sample the distillate during the process and check its flavor. However, rotary evaporators do not allow for sampling of the distillate while distillation is ongoing. In contrast, UZUMA Heavy Industries' tabletop vacuum distillation system allows users to extract distillate during the vacuum process for tasting and aroma inspection. This enables a precision middle cut based on real-time tasting.

The distillate can be collected by operating the valve on the collection bottle without interrupting the vacuum boiling process in the boiler. This feature allows users to fully pursue the highest possible quality of distilled water and botanical spirits. It is also perfectly suited for experimental distillations of gin and absinthe in distilleries.

After use, all parts of the boiler can be fully washed with a sponge and detergent, and they are also dishwasher safe. The glass boiler is designed with a sturdy 5mm thickness, making it resistant to breakage, and unlike traditional flasks, it is easy to clean thoroughly by hand, even on the inside.

The condenser, where steam passes through, can be easily cleaned with water flushing and chemical cleaning, similar to cleaning a beer server. When distilling materials with strong odors, the condenser can be deodorized by soaking it with citric acid water or bleach to remove any residual smells. This ensures that the equipment remains fresh and odor-free for subsequent uses.

Heating is done using an induction heater, while vacuum is maintained with a compact vacuum pump, and cooling is provided by tap water (or ice water, depending on the situation). The only setting required is the power level of the induction heater, making it very simple to operate.

Unlike rotary evaporators, which require control of numerous parameters, there’s no need for large cooling water circulation systems or vacuum pumps. The perforated metal inside the boiler helps suppress bumping during the distillation process.