Buddha’s Hand Citrus Hydrosol

I recall the first time I laid eyes on this calamari of the fruit world. Buddha’s Hand intrigued me. I had never seen it in Canada and had no idea what to do with it when I bought one lonely withered one once I was planted in California. It didn’t smell much like citrus and rotted within a few days. Still, I felt that if I could have a few from a grower, I would have room to experiment. Thanks to an online marketplace, I found a kind soul willing to share a few bags from her locally grown tree in exchange for what I hoped would extract out of the still.

This is one fruit worth exploration; it’s juicy and fragrant with floral notes much like Bergamot or so I initially thought. The next day, it evolved to more of a yuzu profile which as a yuzu fanatic, pleased me to no end. I’ve make Buddha’s Hand lemonade, candied it, eaten it raw, made hydrosol from this distillation and even extracted a little essential oil. The fingers are large, generous and even at this writing, I’m running a second distillation. As a hydrosol, I’ve spritzed my face with Buddha’s Hand but as citrus is, citrus does so I’m still working out skin care applications. A tiny amount added to a vaporizer fills a room with beautiful notes of yuzu and a little bergamot. Spritzed into a martini is … well, heaven. I can’t think of anything more I’d need to use this but I would love to hear end user experiences. I’m glad I jumped in with this citrus distillation because it has quickly surpassed Meyer as my favorite bright and cheerful fruit.

Watch the video of this rare distilling Buddha’s Hand citrus on our YouTube channel: Essential Oil Apothecary. Subscribe for updates on my newest distilaltions.

Shelf life: 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate to prolong freshness.

Packaged in 3.3oz/100 ml tamper proof refillable glass bottles.

Our hydrosols are kept in dedicated refrigeration until shipped.