The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [90]
Packing the Filter Paper Cone and Positioning It in Glass Cone
5. Now that the packed paper cone is in place, gradually add more of the moist powder (about 1/3 of what is left to pack) on top of this first batch, and tamp it down evenly with the packing rod.
6. Now put in the second 1/3 of the powder and tamp it down a little harder and evenly.
7. Follow this with the final 1/3 of the herb. Each successive portion being pressed a little more firmly than the proceeding portion. Compress and compact the column of powder very evenly. When this is done correctly, the packing will look uniform from the top to the bottom of the cone. It will not look like three separate layers.
8. Be sure the top surface of the final layer is flat and level. This is the judgment portion of the operation that will take some practice. If the column is packed too hard, the menstruum that is poured on later will not flow at all. If it is packed too loosely, the herb will redistribute itself as the menstruum flows through it, creating fissures that disturb the flow of the menstruum, causing an incomplete extraction. If the column is not packed evenly throughout the width and depth of the cone, the flow will descend unevenly, causing an incomplete extraction. Packing the percolator so that the best results will be realized is a skill that is acquired only by the experience of trial and error.
9. Lay the second round piece of filter paper on top of the packed herb, and on top of this put the quartz crystal or the rock to weigh the paper down. This is done to protect the top stratum of the packed powder when the rest of the menstruum is being poured in.
Adding Some More of the Menstruum
1. Remove the bottle cap from the bottom of the cone so air can escape as the body of solvent descends. If this is not done, when more menstruum is poured on, air will bubble up through the herb instead and mutilate the packing job.
2. Set the packed percolator down into the wide-mouth Mason jar, making sure the top surface of the powder is level, horizontal, parallel, perpendicular to vertical, straight across, etc.
3. Slowly pour the menstruum onto the column of herb. The menstruum should progress slowly and evenly down the herb column throughout each successive layer of the moistened herb. If it does this successfully, this is when the fat lady sings; this is when you get your wings—or not (till the next time).
4. When the menstruum reaches the bottom of the percolator, the herb is saturated and the menstruum will begin to drip out of the bottom. Gently pick up the bottle and replace and tighten the cap to completely stop the flow of liquid. Place the cone back into the Mason jar.
5. Be sure to leave a layer of an inch or more of menstruum sitting on top of the packed herb. This layer must be maintained throughout the entire percolation until the last portion of the menstruum has been added. If instead, the column of powder is exposed to air, the air at once enters the powder; then when more liquid is poured on, the air must escape and forces its way to the surface disarranging the well-packed powder (bummer).
Properly Packed and Imperfect Packed Cones
Let me attempt to illustrate this more clearly for you with the following comparison. Visualize, if you will, a soiled and sweaty, battle-worn soldier who, after having just survived the most gruesome combat episode of a high-budget, Dolby sound, war film (or if you prefer, just moments after the hottest love scene in motion picture memory) lying back and taking a long, slow, deeply satisfying drag on a svelte, name-brand cigarette. Now, zoom in for a close-up shot of the cigarette’s burning end. See it glowing brightly as the fire moves gracefully and evenly down the cigarette’s chemical-laden, nicotine-enhanced, firm and uniformly packed cylindrical shaft? That’s the move we want the menstruum to make on the powdered herb