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Purchase of Swissgold gold filterI have long been dissatisfied with using paper coffee filters to filter spice schnapps for several reasons. Depending on what you filter, the coffee filter is blocking, so you have to change the coffee filter. This causes you to lose a lot of good vodka, as paper absorbs a lot of alcohol.
![]() Swissgold gold filter I therefore searched the web for "Filtration Sieve" and several options came up. I stuck to Kaffeagenterne and found this Swissgold gold filter for 199.00 kr. I also think that you get more flavors in your spice schnapps, as the Swissgold gold filter does not absorb aesthetic oils. Many of these oils will settle in paper filters and the more paper filters one uses, the more flavors will be lost. Swissgold gold filter can be used several times and just needs to be cleaned in hot water. Can also go in the dishwasher if necessary. I have ordered one and will comment once it is tested. The sieve works well, but it cannot handle the very finest "floating particles". Here I have to use the time - settling and then the decanting method with my Decanting apparatus with electric air pump. |
Purchase of Philips juicersI have long called for a press or centrifuge to get the last juice and vodka out of the pulp on the spice schnapps. Therefore, I searched the web what options there were. All new "juices" cost a fortune. Used on various sites was between DKK 200.00 and DKK 400.00. It was an option. But when I visited the home thrift store, I found a Philips juicer marked with DKK 150.00. That was the case. I came to the checkout and they told me, "Today it's half price". How lucky can you be.
![]() Philips juicers The juicer is cleaned and tested on fruit, works impeccably. However, I need to try it out on spice schnapps as they are still standing and drawing. I will return with results in early 2018. Here is the result: It seems impeccable, BUT what a cleaning after each spin. I do not want to do that. For large scale operation it's OK but I got a new idea, see here my Press Pistol. |
My homemade "Press Pistol" according to the principle "Caulking gunNow I was tired of washing the juicer every time I made a spice schnapps. Therefore, I got the idea to make a small "Press Pistol" for approx. 300 ml herbs / fruits / berries, which were easy to clean after each pressure. So when I saw my silicone Caulking gun in the workshop, I got the idea.
![]() Parts for my Press Gun In Biltema I bought: Caulking gun item no. 192796 to DKK 19.90, 10 pcs. nozzles item no. 364835 to DKK 12.90 and a the siev item no. 850069 to DKK 17.90 In Jem & Fix I bought: PP drain pipe in gray Ø 50 mm x 25 cm for DKK 15.95, PP plug Ø 50 mm for DKK 6.95 and PP plug Ø 40 mm for DKK 6.95 The spacer was made from an old 6 mm nylon cutting board. 2 rings were drilled out with a cup drill and glued together. Start by cutting pipes Ø 50 mm off in the side where the rubber gasket is located on the left. From here, measure the length of the pipe to 20.4 cm and cut off. Use a cutting box because it is difficult to cut straight into pipes. In a plug Ø 50 mm, drill a hole that fits the nozzle, here 17 mm. The flap on the mouthpiece is cut off and glued together with the stopper with a 2-component glue. Red araldite. The siev is cut clean at a height that fits into the stopper. The small plug Ø 40 mm is sawn free of the pipe so that it can be used as a pressure pistol for the Caulking gun. The nylon ring is adapted to the Caulking gun diameter and the hole to the nozzle. ![]() The finished Press Gun I have tried my Press Pistol and have come to this result: 70 g of herbs - a mixture of roots, stems, leaves and fruit drawed on a 70 cl bottle of vodka. Was sieved and the rest filled in the press. 7 cl of vodka came out, that is 10%. I got a total of 66.5 cl of spice schnapps. Loss of 3.5 cl or 5%. Without the Press Pistol, the shrinkage would be 10.5 cl or 15%. PP container weighs 98 g (without Caulking gun) and is easy to clean. It can only be recommended to make your own "Press Pistol" when the shrinkage can be reduced by 1/3. |
Each refractometer has its own special area of applicationA refractometer is an optical measuring device used to measure the refractive index of various liquids. There are different types of refractometers, some of which are stationary and others are handheld. Some mechanical and others digital. However, they all work based on the same principle of the refractive index of light. See my Excel spreadsheet Fermentation for other values of °Brix. Open the EXCEL spreadsheet in a new window and see Sheet "Most Schema".
When wave phenomena move between areas with different propagation speeds for the waves in question, the direction of movement of the waves is changed by the phenomenon called refraction. Refractometer salinity from 0 to 100‰![]() Refractometer salinity from 0 to 100‰ With this refractometer, the salt content of seawater is measured. It is calibrated from 0 to 10% salt. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. Refractometer specially designed for automobiles![]() Refractometer specially designed for automobiles With this refractometer specially designed for automobiles, the freezing point of antifreeze is measured and several other things that I am not aware of. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. Refractometer for determining alcohol in water, measurement range 0~80%![]() Refractometer for determining alcohol in water, measurement range 0~80% This refractometer is designed for measuring distilled beverages (ethanol with water) such as spirits. Ideal for professional and non-professional winemakers. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. The measurement range is from 0 to 80 Vol. % alcohol. The accuracy is 1% from 0 to 60% and 2% from 60% to 80%. Refractometer for Brix measurement from 0 to 32%![]() Refractometer for Brix measurement from 0 to 32% With this refractometer, the Brix % in a glucose/sugar mixture is measured from 0 to 32%. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. Brix is a unit of measurement for the specific gravity of a liquid. Brix degrees can be measured with a hydrometer whose scale is calibrated to sugar solutions of known concentrations. Pure water shows 0 degrees brix, a 10% sugar solution shows 10 degrees brix. These degrees can also be determined via the refractive index of the solution. Another measure of a liquid's specific gravity is the Baumé. The relationship between Baumé and Brix can be found in tables, e.g. is 20°Brix = 11.1°Baumé. There are several variants of these refractometers, mainly with varied scale and several scales. A suitable refractometer for the amateur wine/beer brewer would be the lower refractometer with two scales. One for the Brix measurement and two for the reading of the alcohol percentage in fully fermented fruit must, eg. is 20°Brix = 11.1°Baumé = 83°Öchsle = 14.8 vol.% theoretical alcohol or 13.1 vol.% potential alcohol. You just have to remember that you cannot measure the percentage of alcohol in a distillation. The refractiometer measures the specific gravity of a fruit must in Brix and converts it to an alcohol percentage when the fruit must is fully fermented. Refractometer for measuring water in honey![]() Refractometer for measuring water in honey With this refractometer, water in honey is measured. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. The refractometer is designed to work with sugar-related liquids with high sugar content, honey, jellies, jams and syrups to help monitor and control sugar concentrations in foods and beverages. Main areas of application: beekeeping, honey production, checking the ripeness of fruits, verifying the product quality after harvest and/or checking concentrations during processing. Refractometer for measuring Brix, °Öchsle or °Baume![]() Refractometer for measuring Brix, °Öchsle or °Baume With this °Öchsle-Brix refractometer, you can measure all sugary liquids such as fruit juice, soft drinks, honey. It can also be used to check the sugar concentration in food and drink, but in alcoholic drinks the measurement will not be correct, as alcohol has a different refractive index than water. The refractiometer has ATC - Automatic Temperature Compensation - from 10 °C to 30 °C. Calibration (zero setting) with deionized water takes place at 20 °C. Which is normal for (all) Refractiometers. The measurement ranges for Brix = sugar mass are from 0 to 32%, Öchsle from 0 to 140° and °Baume from 0 to 25°. A widely used instrument for winemakers to measure °Öchsle. The measuring unit indicates the sugar content of grape must. A °Öchsle of 80° means that 1 liter of must weighs 80 grams more than 1 liter of water. Number of °Öchsle divided by 8 gives an approx. measure of the alcohol percentage of the upcoming wine. So here we get 80 : 8 = 10 vol.% alcohol in this must by full fermentation of the sugar. |
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