Aroma spreads throughout the town as mint distilling gets underway in Kitami 20221014 скачать в хорошем качестве

Aroma spreads throughout the town as mint distilling gets underway in Kitami 20221014

Mint distilling work is in full swing in the city of Kitami, which once boasted 70% of the world’s production of the product. A refreshing aroma drifts around the distillery adjacent to the Kitami Rural Space Information Center ‘Niccoro’ in the Nikoro district of the city, while processing is carried out in the traditional way. Kitami Hakka Tsusho, a company that sells mint-related products, grows the crop in a 2.2-hectare field in the Nikoro district. The leaves and stems were harvested by early September and dried for two to three weeks before distillation began on September 27. The dried leaves and stems are placed in a cauldron and gradually heated while being firmly trodden under foot. The steam containing the oil is then collected in a chimney and cooled, yielding approximately 8 liters of oil in about 2 hours. The oil is further refined and made into products such as food flavorings and mint oil. The person responsible for managing to fields says, “There was more oil last year. The amount of oil may be related to the amount of rainfall we’ve had. We would like to clarify this by means of the distillation.” The work will continue until early October.