LEONARDO® Classic Still

The LEONARDO® Classic Still is a high-quality copper still for the gentle production of essential oils and intense hydrosols. It works on the principle of steam distillation: the plant material does not sit in the water but is exclusively passed through by steam. This allows herbs, flowers, seeds, roots and other plant parts to be processed in a particularly aroma-preserving way.

The LEONARDO® was designed by us, optimised in terms of process engineering, and is manufactured exclusively for us. We were one of the first suppliers to offer an essential oil still of this design specifically suited to smaller plant quantities. The unit has been imitated many times since, but its well-thought-out construction, short steam path and easy cleaning keep it a true original.

The principle behind LEONARDO® steam distillation

An aroma basket sits above the boiler base. As a result, the botanicals never come into direct contact with the water — only with the rising steam. The steam picks up the volatile compounds of the plants and then condenses in the cooling dome. Thanks to the short steam and cooling path, particularly intense hydrosols are produced, and valuable essential oil is not unnecessarily lost in long cooling systems. Its design is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century sketches, which were laid out for steam distillation with as little loss as possible.

Key advantages

• Aroma basket above the water: The plant material is only passed through by steam. This is ideal for high-quality essential oils and hydrosols.
• Short steam path: The steam condenses directly in the cooling dome. This preserves aroma, intensity and yield as well as possible.
• Solid hammered copper: The unit is sturdy, durable and has the typical handcrafted look of a classic copper still.
• Direct heating: Thanks to the flat boiler base, the still can be used on a gas hob, electric hob, wood stove or open fire.
• Open condenser: Cooling can be done with running water, a circulation pump, or simply by topping up cold water from the top.
• No seals required: The precision-fitted parts are simply slotted together. The unit is therefore tight without the constant need for spare parts or seals.
• Easy to clean: The entire interior, including the condenser and drainage channel, is easily accessible and can be cleaned thoroughly.

Handcrafted and clearly marked

Every LEONARDO® is made by hand and is essentially a one-of-a-kind piece. So that the precision-fitted parts cannot be mixed up, they are marked with individual stamped identifiers. This keeps each unit clearly matched together.

Deliberately without an automatic oil separator

The LEONARDO® intentionally has no automatic oil separator or separating funnel. Valuable amounts of oil can stick to such devices. In addition, some essential oils are heavier than water and would not be cleanly captured by an automatic separation. It is better to let hydrosol and oil rest together after distillation and only then carefully separate them. This improves the yield and protects the quality of the distillate.

Which LEONARDO® suits your plant quantity?

The LEONARDO® Classic is particularly well suited to smaller plant quantities, for example one to two bunches of herbs per plant variety. It is compact, efficient and ideal for getting started with the production of essential oils and intense hydrosols.

For larger plant quantities, a larger still is more practical so that several distillation runs with the same plant material are not required. This is especially important for plants with a low oil content, for example roses, wild herbs, lemon balm or chamomile. Here you need more plant material — and therefore more filling volume — in order to actually obtain essential oil. For such applications, the LEONARDO® Grande, LEONARDO® Flexi or SUPREMA Duo are the better choice. For even larger batches, the LEONARDO Still 35 to 85 litres is a good option.

If your main goal is to produce hydrosols and you regard the essential oil as a welcome by-product, the right size mainly depends on the plant quantity available. The more plant material you can process, the more intense the hydrosol generally becomes.

Technical specifications

The distillation time refers to operation with an electric 1500 W single hotplate, including heat-up time.

What’s included

• LEONARDO® Classic copper still
• Aroma basket
• 1 metre silicone hose
• Detailed user manual

Practical accessories and further guidance

For cleaning the distillate outlet pipe, we recommend the matching cleaning brush for the LEONARDO Still. In our book Making Essential Oils Yourself you will also find plenty of additional tips on plant selection, harvest timing, processing, and using essential oils and hydrosols.